I sat at my computer yesterday and, like most people, was bombarded by an image of five religious leaders testifying about the war on religious freedom surrounding the issues of women's health and birth control. At first, I was shocked to see a panel of all men testifying about women's health, but then when I realized the panel was representing the opinion of the "faith community," I was horrified. The five men represented four expressions of faith - Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Orthodox Judaism, and Lutheran (Missouri Synod) - all of which do not believe in the ordination of women, or even the equality of men and women when it comes to church leadership. These gentlemen want to talk about how their religious freedoms are in jeopardy? Get in line.
The truth is religious freedom isn't at stake - their particular expressions and interpretations are just no longer the loudest voices. Join the club. For years my own expression of faith has taken the back seat to the louder conservative voices. They weren't concerned with my religious freedom when we went to war or when people were killed on death row. They weren't concerned when tax breaks helped the wealthy instead of feeding the poor. They weren't concerned when lines were drawn in the sand to suppress equality based on gender, race, and sexual orientation. We live in a country that doesn't have ONE version or political slant when it comes to religion.
This lame attempt to say our country's current administration is threatening religious freedoms is embarrassing to the faith community as a whole. For centuries, people of faith have been trying to live together and figure out how their faith intersects with politics. But our interpretations will make us at odds time and time again. It's a matter of fact. There will be times when our faith isn't best represented by the decisions of the country as a whole. That's what living in community is all about. We have to learn to dialog and be in conversation with one another. We have to, at the very least, invite others to the table. The war on religious freedom begins with the suppression of voices. A freedom was absolutely at stake yesterday, but it wasn't the one for which these men were arguing.
Today I am extremely thankful to be a part of a church and a denomination that recognizes the leadership gifts of women and ordains them to both roles as pastors and lay leaders. A denomination that gives voice to all voices, even when they disagree. There is beauty in diversity and that diversity is not a threat to religious freedom.
