I have recently stumbled across an article that struck me with both hope and sadness.
The people in Greensboro, NC have recently triumphed in the struggle to protect religious freedom. This happened on May 24 when the local chapter of the ACLU successfully argued for the right of people with religious convictions other than Christian to swear to tell the truth on their own Holy Scriptures.
The state Attorney General is reviewing the decision and weighing the option of appeal. Hopefully, they will not appeal this decision.
You can read an account of the case at the News Record.
This latest dispute over the predominance of Christian icons int he courtroom began when a Muslim woman asked to swear upon the Qu' ran when testifying. Unfortunately, the court did not have one. Later, she and fellow Muslims raised money to donate copies. The court refused the copies, and this led to the suit.
The suit was initially dismissed on the grounds that there was no controversy. This decision was later reversed.
In a country where the ten commandments have been found in a courthouse, I guess I should not be surprised that a judge would at first dismiss the case that people of faiths other than Christian be able to swear upon their own scriptures. Even though the ten commandments monument was moved, a poll reported that 77% of people surveyed disagreed with the decision to move it!
I find it shameful that judges need to be nudged to open their minds and consider that Holy Scriptures could refer to more than just the bible.
It is probably true that when the founding fathers wrote that all men have the right to religious freedom, they probably were not thinking about anything other than their own variations of Protestantism. However, our definition of the freedom of religion has evolved (I hope!).
May this Greensboro court ruling be an indication that soon more courthouses in the United States will acknowledge that law does not favor one religion over another!
.JPG)
