some groups see as increased religious violations in the country.
"From the Target and K-Mart pharmacists fired for refusing to dispense the morning-after-pill because they considered them to be abortifacient, to the Boston Archdiocese ending 100 years of adoption services after Massachusetts insisted they must permit homosexual adoptions…Christian freedoms deteriorated in 2006," said John-Henry Westen of LifeSite, a web portal dedicated to issues of culture, life, and family.
"The loss of religious freedom is becoming more pronounced in America. A short look at the losses on the religious front in America last year should serve as a wake up call to Christians in the land of the free and the home of the brave," he said.
In addition, "Too often in this post-9-11 world, human rights and religious freedom, are sacrificed on the altar of political correctness, diplomacy, and oversensitivity masquerading as tolerance, "added Faith McDonnell, Religious Liberty Director of the Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) in a statement obtained by BosNewsLife.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Religious Freedom Day commemorates the passage of the 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson. It celebrates the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom.
Despite concerns over a decline in Christian values in the United States, President George W. Bush argued in a statement said that the US is still known as a freedom-loving nation. "Across the centuries, people have come to America seeking to worship the Almighty freely. Yet people in many countries live without the freedom to worship as they choose and some face persecution for their beliefs."
McDonell seemed to agree. "Every day emails and news articles bring reports of the persecution of people of faith around the world. Millions are discriminated against, beaten and tortured, imprisoned, and killed because they follow Jesus Christ or are members of other minority religions."
The IRD official said that his organization established that "in some cases, persecution is institutionalized within the governing laws of the land. In others, it comes from outside actors. Either way, people of peace and of faith are the victims." (With reports from the United States).
