Religious Freedom Archives - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

July 9, 2025July 8, 2025

History of Religious Freedom

One of the things young people won’t learn in any public school class is the history of religious freedom and Christian persecution. At the time of the American Revolution, Virginia was the most populous colony, and in 1784, the legislature sought to pass a bill supporting the Anglican Church. It was rejected primarily due to the influence of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Madison argued that religion will flourish only if supported by voluntary contributions.

Moral issues became part of the history of religious freedom. Evolutionists justified slavery by claiming that black people were less evolved and closer to apes. Ignorance of what the Bible teaches caused even church members to embrace slavery. At the time of the Civil War, a common argument for slavery used the biblical story of Ham, which in Hebrew means dark-skinned. Genesis 9:22-27 describes a curse placed on Ham’s descendants, saying they would be slaves of Shem and Japheth. Religious people joined in the enslavement of blacks by quoting those verses.

Slavery was wrong on both religious and evolutionary grounds. First, interracial marriage scrambled the human genome since the time of Ham, making such a claim genetically wrong. More to the point is the fact that the New Testament did away with all racial profiling. Galatians 3:26-29 tells Christians that in Christ, there are no distinctions between individuals. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Both political parties in America today attack what the Bible teaches us about moral choices. The history of religious freedom and Christian persecution shows that this is not new. The first-century Romans persecuted Christians. Anyone who teaches biblical principles of moral behavior will likely endure persecution. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18).”

Reference: “Public Funding of Religious Activity in 18th-Century America” pewresearch.org

July 3, 2025July 1, 2025

Punishment for Praying in Australia

If you live in New South Wales, Australia, and if you pray for someone to live a moral life according to biblical standards, you can go to jail. The “Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024” took effect on April 4, 2025, and it bans any speech, including prayer, that is “directed to changing or suppressing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” The punishment for praying holds even if a person “has asked you to pray for them to be able to change or suppress their sexuality or gender identity.”

As the world rejects God and atheism and secularism force their beliefs into the political realm, we can expect more laws like this. The Australian law says that a person praying for another person could face a prison term of up to five years, so this isn’t just a public relations ploy but a serious assault by anti-Christian militants.

The potential for abuse in this situation is obvious. If I don’t like you, I can claim you prayed for me and have you thrown in jail. It is interesting that “gender identity” is included in this law. It is a medical fact that the drugs used to maintain a gender change are not effective after 25 years or so, and many young people who undergo sex change are not aware of that. How the medical and educational professions will deal with the counseling of young people remains to be seen.

Christian preachers have been punished for public sermons promoting Christianity, but this is the first time we have seen punishment for praying or personal religious activity. Americans need to be aware of where the movement away from faith may lead.

References: Touchstone magazine for July/August 2025, page 9, and lawandreligionaustralia.blog

April 9, 2025April 8, 2025

The Persecution of Christians in Nigeria

The “Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List” says that the persecution of Christians in Nigeria is dramatic. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, with more Christians killed for their faith there than in all other countries combined. In northern Nigeria last Christmas, armed militants descended on Christian villages. They burned houses, farms, and churches, beheading a preacher and leaving his head in a field for church members to find the next morning. The militants killed around 200 people and drove about 20,000 Nigerians from their homes. They left half of the buildings in the village in ruins, with roofs gone, walls reduced to rubble, lives lost, and families destroyed.

In America, we have church buildings where we can worship without fear, making it hard for us to comprehend what our brothers and sisters in Nigeria are going through. Alliance Defending Freedom is assembling a group of lawyers to give legal support at no cost to targeted Christians. Their stated purpose is to “advocate at the highest levels of law and policy internationally to inspire global action, creating generational legal precedents for freedom that bring relief and justice to the persecuted.”

Satan is having a field day with the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, but Christ is providing an answer to those being attacked. Satan is also at work in America, where many Christians are affected by political action on a national level. We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and other countries, even our own.

Reference: Open Doors World Watch List

April 8, 2025April 7, 2025

Prejudice Against Christianity

One development in recent years has been the sanctioning of every religious belief system except Christianity. For example, the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and the University of Chicago recently implemented a “Quiet Time” program in eight Chicago public schools. In one ceremony, schools required students to invoke various Hindu gods to channel their powers. In another ceremony, students were told to kneel before a photograph of a religious figure. Meanwhile, there is prejudice against Christianity.

One Christian student refused to participate in these ceremonies, and the school informed her that her refusal would negatively impact her grades, affect her graduation status, and potentially jeopardize her eligibility to continue playing on the girls’ basketball team. This student’s case went to court, and the school system can no longer implement Hindu transcendental meditation.

An older example occurred in 1995 when a veterans group called Hurley appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. They claimed that forcing them to support and endorse the “Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston” violated their Christian beliefs. Such a case today would not support the rights of a Christian group, as shown in numerous court cases.

There is an old saying: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.” In today’s world, Christians do not have a right to say what they believe, while every other segment of American society does. Jesus taught His followers to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” No Christian is going to take up arms to force others to listen, but a prejudice against Christianity continues to cause us Christians to expect persecution that no one else in America faces.

This ministry is constantly threatened with violence if we continue this website and our efforts in prisons and the military. The prejudice against Christianity has threatened the right of Christian colleges, universities, and churches to have separate facilities for men and women. We Christians must pray for patience and freedom for our ministries.

Reference: Alliance Defending Freedom, Scottsdale, AZ, newsletter for February 2025.

December 11, 2024December 10, 2024

The Divisive Media and America

Much of the conflict and violence we see today has been caused by the media’s tendency to promote its own agenda. When you turn to the divisive media for news, you don’t get a positive image of America; instead, you get a presentation of the particular view of the channel and its representatives. This is more than just promoting a political party. It is also a view that rejects faith in God, biblical teaching, and Christian values.

We received an anonymous written piece that expresses the divisive media issue. It is titled “I once was a normal person” and describes the situation in this way:

“I used to think I was pretty much just a regular person. I was born white into a two-parent household, which now, whether I like it or not, makes me privileged, a racist, and responsible for slavery. I went to school for 19 years and have always held a job. But now I find out that I am not here because I earned it but because I was ‘advantaged.’ I think, and I reason, and I doubt most of what the ‘mainstream’ media tells me, which makes me a right-wing conspiracy nut. I am heterosexual and believe it is the best foundation for raising children and having defined roles in family life, and that makes me homophobic. I follow the biblical teaching about money and morality, and I plan, budget, and support myself, and that makes me a fascist.”

Will America survive as a nation where we can worship God according to the teachings of the Bible, or will we collapse into another civilization with no moral standards and no personal rights, with democracy only a thing of the past? Ancient civilizations collapsed when the people accepted state-run control of right and wrong, and no fixed standard guided the state. Will we learn from history or repeat it?

The message of the divisive media today will only accelerate the demise of this once-great nation. Only if we “normal persons” refuse to listen to the bias of the media will the course of our country be different from nations of the past.

November 1, 2024October 28, 2024

The Violation of Parental Rights

A struggle with faith connections in America today is the violation of parental rights. By a parent, we mean more than the woman who gave birth to a child and the father who impregnated her. I am the father of three children who are not biologically related to me. They came into our home as infants, and my wife and I raised them. Their birth certificates identify my wife and me as their mother and father. We love our three children as much as any parent can, and they refer to us as mom and dad.

We are seeing a disturbing violation of parental rights in America. In some cases, the government can take children from their parents if they refuse to promote gender ideology. Reported instances of adults telling kindergarten students that there are more than two genders or that they may have been born in the “wrong body” cause concern among parents. Government agencies can tell people of faith that they cannot adopt a child or raise a child in a foster home because they won’t promote the current craze of trans-genderism.

Some public schools have adopted “secret social transition” policies requiring school staff to treat children with gender dysphoria as the opposite sex without telling the child’s parents. The long-term effect of hormone drug treatment is still unknown, but all available evidence is that it has a negative impact on a child’s longevity. Secret transition policies are a violation of parental rights.

In the Bible, Proverbs contains many admonitions to children, fathers, and mothers. (See Proverbs 22:6, 23:13-14, and 22-25.) The New Testament addresses parents directly, charging both mother and father with parental responsibility. (See Ephesians 6:1-4, Colossians 3:20-21, and 1 Timothy 3:4.) The biological process of conception and having a baby is a small part of being a parent, and God’s plan works and produces the very best long-term results.

July 18, 2024July 16, 2024

The Issue of Book Banning

An issue of concern to Christians is the banning of certain books in public school libraries. This is a complicated problem with many issues. Part of the debate is over what is appropriate for each child’s age. Books about the Holocaust are in a different realm than books that depict or describe sexual acts. Books that promote LGBTQ lifestyles and attack Christianity cause concerns among Christian parents. The issue of book banning has been in the news recently.

In the 2023-2024 school year, Florida banned 3,135 book titles. Wisconsin banned 481, and Iowa is debating banning a total of 3300 titles, with various school systems concerned about different books. We are frustrated by the inconsistency of this situation. Our materials are not doctrinal but simply offer evidence for God’s existence and the Bible’s validity. However, they have been banned in some cases because we promote a religious viewpoint. Most frustrating is that the same school systems that refuse to allow our books in their libraries would allow books by atheists attacking Christianity. DVDs dramatizing the Crusades are allowed in virtually all school systems. At the same time, DVDs showing the good works done by Christians, such as bringing hospitals and schools into areas lacking them, are not allowed.

The issue of book banning is complex because special interest groups react to almost every issue discussed in a book. Should all books that espouse a philosophy of any kind be banned? Should novels be excluded from all public schools? Can we expect librarians to know all the content of every book, and do librarians’ beliefs affect what books are banned? As a public school teacher for 41 years, I can tell you that almost everyone involved in the issue of book banning doesn’t understand how high school students use a library.

It’s crucial for Christians to understand that the Church should be the primary source of solid materials on faith and morality, rather than relying on public schools. School libraries should be places where factual material is readily available, without promoting specific philosophies or moralities, and not just for entertainment.

With politicians unable to answer questions of moral conduct and values, it is no surprise that school libraries have a difficult role to play. The Church needs to fill at least part of the gap by teaching and providing information like Jesus did. The Does God Exist? ministry is an attempt to help achieve that objective.

Data from USA TODAY NETWORK for June 16, 2024

May 1, 2024April 30, 2024

The War Against Christianity

The war against Christianity has grown in the United States. Here are some examples:

*Fowler United Methodist Church in Annapolis, Maryland, suffered $100,000 in damages. Vandals tore down a wooden cross, shredded Bibles, and slashed upholstery.

*Florida passed a bill to allow public and charter schools to have a chaplain to address student mental health. Opponents called it a vehicle for “Christian nationalism,” and the Satanic Temple indicated it plans to send its chaplains.

*The war against Christianity involves Madison, Wisconsin’s Freedom From Religion Foundation. It has taken out ads in various periodicals calling for the rejection of “Christian nationalism.”

*The “Public Religion Research Institute” reports that 26% of Americans identify themselves as religiously unaffiliated, and 67% of those say they have stopped believing the teaching of their old faith.

*The government continues to issue new rules that violate Christian teachings and precipitate problems for Christian families. One example is the rules prohibiting Christian colleges from having dorms limited to only one sex. Other laws require schools to allow both sexes to use any restroom, resulting in cases where female students complain because males are entering their facilities to “gawk” at them.

Jesus made it clear that His gospel was not political. In Matthew 22:15-22, Jesus tells his opponents to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” In Romans 13:1-7, Paul lays down the relationship between Christians and government. He makes positive comments about the role of government and categorizes government as God’s servant. He tells Christians to pay their taxes and show respect and honor to public leaders.

When the government demands immorality or opposes Christian behavior, it seems like a war against Christianity. However, Christians are not called to strike back militarily. The day may come when churches will not have tax exemption, and the government will take over church property. Even then, God’s people will survive and thrive as they did under the pagan Roman government in the first century. There can’t be a war when one side refuses to fight.

We can find comfort in the fact that Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come…. You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:6-13).

References: USA Today for 4/9/24; The Week for April 12, 2024, page 17; and “Washington Impact Report” from the Family Research Council for April 2024, page 1.

January 5, 2024January 2, 2024

The Role of Religion in a Democracy

People are waging a war of words concerning the role of religion in a democracy and whether the Christian faith should have any role in America’s future. An organization titled Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has sent out a plea for donations to fight what they call “Christian Nationalism.” They maintain that the government cannot support Christian values. With that goal in mind, they are engaged in several lawsuits against prayers at public gatherings and government support of schools with religious connections.

The opposing view comes from groups like the Association of Mature American Citizens, publishers of AMAC Magazine. They maintain that a “moral society flows from a focus on freely held faith” (James Madison). They also quote John Adams: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” AMAC also heavily quotes Jefferson and Washington in the view that America was founded by men who saw Christianity as the basis of human rights. What is the role of religion in a democracy?

There is a difference between maintaining that faith has no role in determining the rights of people and believing that there is only one faith that calls for certain moral rules to be law. Jesus made it clear that there is a separation between what we give to the government and what we give to the work of God. Matthew 22:21 says clearly, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Thomas Jefferson said, “Neither Pagan nor Muslim nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the commonwealth because of his religion.” That teaching is biblically sound, but the government must have a moral standard to govern by. In Romans 13:1-6, Paul tells Christians to support those who govern, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad” (verse 3). The question is, “How does a government decide what is right and what is wrong?”

There are experts like Peter Singer, the DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, who maintain that the government should put to death anyone who is mentally ill, of great age, or in the late stages of a terminal disease. This flies in the face of Christian teachings, but some states are already implementing it in various ways, such as government support for the destruction of human life. If a politician holds to a religion that teaches that those who reach the age of 50 should be killed, how will that influence the practice of the government?

Madison talks about a “moral society,” and Adams speaks of the Constitution being made for a “moral and religious people.” So, what is the role of religion in a democracy? Christians support the separation of church and state, but the moral teachings of what is right and wrong cannot come from scholars, politicians, or some religions. The future of our children and grandchildren depends on getting people to understand that right and wrong do exist, and not all religions and political belief systems understand that.

December 18, 2023December 16, 2023

What Book Do You Swear By?

When people are sworn into public office, they commonly place their hand on a Bible and promise to faithfully execute the duties of that office. Courts used the same book for swearing in witnesses. Recently, some have substituted other books for the Bible. In Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on December 4, 2023, Karen Smith, the new school board president, took the oath of office with her hand placed on top of six books frequently challenged or banned from school libraries. What book do you swear by?

Deciding what books are appropriate for school libraries is a nation-wide issue. If school libraries are open to all students, is there an age level where a book is inappropriate? For example, the book Beyond Magenta promotes transgender lifestyle for teens and is one of the books Smith used for her swearing-in. Another is The Bluest Eye, with graphic depictions of a nine-year-old girl being sexually abused by her father. The book Night by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel accurately depicts his experience in a concentration camp, but is it appropriate reading for a second grader?

What book do you swear by? The fact that people are replacing the Bible with other religious books or books promoting atheism and alternate lifestyles is a reflection of American culture today. As society vilifies Christianity and religious belief, the choices of public officials become more secular. Churches, religious colleges, and universities are being forced to close their doors or give up their moral teachings. Public school restrooms must be open to all sexual orientations. As a retired public school high school teacher, I can only imagine the problems schools will face with the new standards.

Reference: phillyburbs.com