Presented by Dave Edwards, President of Grand Valley Interfaith Network (GVIN) at the Religious Freedom Conference held at the CMU campus on Oct. 7, 2023
In the United States, we entered into a sacred compact, in 1776 and again in 1787. We created what Martin Luther King Jr later named our Beloved Community. Our founding documents set forth aspirational as well as operational goals and methods by which we intend to fulfill our vision. We fought a Civil War to end slavery and to extend our covenanted Beloved Community to all.
Among the most noble principles we adopted is Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion is imbedded in the First Amendment to our Constitution and is one of our most treasured freedoms. The Constitution’s First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island, as well as the first Baptist church in America, was the first American to state the necessity of establishing “a wall or hedge of separation” between the “wilderness of the world” and “the garden of the church.” Williams’ metaphor was meant to explain his belief that an authentic Christian church would be possible only if there was such a separation.
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