EP.41 Historically, religion and its adherents have been often oppressed by government. By contrast, America has been singular in its dedication to preserving the freedom of its people to expect and experience religious freedom. That is now rapidly changing. The number of violent attacks on churches and church gatherings witnessed in recent months is unsettling. Protesters and rioters across the country have decapitated statues of Jesus, desecrated images of the Virgin Mary and vandalized monuments to a Jesuit priest.
Churches—in Washington, D.C. and California—have been set ablaze as "symbols of oppression." Fire, chain and boot are the tool and trade of a culture laying siege to religious freedom. Using the pandemic as an excuse, elected officials have threatened to permanently shut down synagogues, banned drive-in church services and forbidden singing or chanting in religious services, while decreeing that massive protests with shouting and singing are allowed.
