Promoting Freedom of Religion

The Alabama Legislature is in the midst of its 2025 regular session, and this week, perhaps the budgets will be taking center stage. The conventional wisdom is that gambling will not be dominating the session this year, which is a refreshing change, but stay tuned on that one. It's important to pray for our governmental leaders, and 1st Timothy 2 instructs us regarding the effects of that:
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

First Liberty Institute released its latest Religious Liberty in the States report last year. The Top 5 states for religious liberty in America were: Illinois, Florida, Montana, Arkansas, and Ohio.  The bottom 5 were: Wyoming, Vermont, California, Alaska, and, at #50, West Virginia.  In this study, conducted by First Liberty's Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, Alabama was ranked at #20. Georgia was at #30.

Alabama Policy Institute issued a report recently based on this study. The report included some pertinent questions:

Given our mid-tier ranking in Alabama, several questions leap to mind. Do Alabamians
still understand and appreciate the gift of religious liberty? Do Alabamians desire to
honor the transcendent moral authority of nature? Do Alabamians still possess the
knowledge and courage to keep alive the sacred fire of liberty?

API proceeded to list a number of bills that have been proposed by the Alabama Legislature - it notes: 

Many of these bills are languishing in their houses of origin. Our leadership and lawmakers need to know that the people of Alabama value religious liberty and we expect them to represent our values. Alabama’s state motto is, “We dare defend our rights”. May we so all we can to defend the first freedom that our founding father’s acknowledged on our behalf: the right of every American (and Alabamian) of any faith to follow their conscience and live according to their beliefs. Please join API as we ardently advocate to expand and defend religious liberty in our state.

Here are some examples that the Institute noted:

* Providing for religious instruction & providing for elective credit for release time from public schools for religious instruction.

* Vaccines; religious exemption for K-12 students, further provided for; religious exemption for students at public institutions of higher education, provided.

There has been a bill introduced that would prohibit schools and public libraries from sponsoring drag shows, another allowing schools to hire school chaplains, and legislation to require the Ten Commandments to be posted in schools.  There's a bill that would offer a Constitutional Amendment to require the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer in schools each day. A bill would provide immunity for students and employees who do not wish to use gender pronouns.

These are pieces of legislation at various stages of passage - or not - that have been introduced that would contribute to the moral fiber of our state.  In addition to these direct bills, there has been legislation that would provide safety protection for cell phones, guarding children from inappropriate material.  Legislation dealing with various dangerous substances has also been introduced. 

There is a tremendous opportunity here for our legislators, but perhaps religious liberty is not a priority for some of those who have been entrusted with this responsibility.  They certainly have been placed there, I believe, to carry on important work, and that includes to protect children - and adults - from exposure to practices that can cause mental, emotional, and certainly spiritual harm.  Instead of promoting gambling, as many lawmakers are prone to do, they should be going in the other direction and attempting to codify into law protections against these harmful activities. 

So, we can continue to pray for our lawmakers, that God would use them in powerful ways to carry out His work, to do what is right for our citizens.  We should not draw a circle around religion and say that we should not promote the practice of it - after all, our nation was founded on principles consistent with Scripture.  Just because actions are religious in nature doesn't mean they are automatically banned in the land of the free - a land where freedom of religion is one of our constitutionally-guaranteed rights.