Big Legal Wins for Religious Freedom, But Are They Really?
In recent days, there have been several welcomed and noteworthy legal victories for religious freedom. Here’s a snapshot of three of them:
U.S. Supreme Court (5-4) orders California to lift restrictions on at-home worship gatherings.
Federal Court of Appeals rules that a professor’s case against compelled pronouns for a “transgender” student can proceed.
Federal district court rules that a Christian student group can’t be kicked off campus by a state university for requiring its club leaders to actually be Christians.
Victories, or Cause for Greater Concern?
Each of these decisions is clearly a win for people of faith and religious freedom, and we should be thankful. At the same time, it’s hard not to look at these outcomes and say: “Well, of course! Aren’t these pronouncements already obvious and well-established?” This is after all America, not Communist China, right?
There ought to be no question that people can gather together inside their own homes to worship, or that a professor shouldn’t lose his job for correctly referring to someone with pronouns corresponding to his/her biological sex, or that a Christian student group can require its elected leaders to actually be Christians. But now, seemingly everything is subject to attack, and apparently, no single foundational truth is safe from the brazen assaults of “cancel culture” and a radically intolerant Left bent on dismantling every last vestige of objective reality and morality – including wherever it exists in our laws.
While these victories are encouraging in one sense, these cases highlight just how significantly religious freedom, Christianity in particular, and truth itself are coming under increasingly intense attacks from our culture and government institutions. What was taken for granted yesterday, is today openly challenged and must be fought for at the highest levels.
That is why we launched the Founding Freedoms Law Center – to be able to engage these battles at that level, both defensively and offensively. That’s where so many of the fights are happening, so that’s where we must go. But as we do, we go forth with the reminder of Romans 8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”