Week Nine, 2019
When Religion Isn’t Free
By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery, —Galatians 5:1
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom to change one’s religion or beliefs. In the United States, freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected right provided in the religion clauses of the First Amendment.
It’s not that way in all countries as I found out recently. We traveled to Vietnam and went the length of the country, from Ho Chi Men City (Saigon) to Hanoi and found out freedom of religion is repressed.
Christian foreign missionaries are not allowed to proselytize or perform religious activities without government approval.
Exercise of religion and worship is subject to strict controls. Religious freedom is heavily curtailed. The communist party has absolute control. Activists are beaten, tortured and jailed. Rights of association are restricted, as is the press and judiciary. The official Buddhist Church of Vietnam is controlled by the state.
We take religious freedom for granted and often fail to realize what a blessing we have. I can attend and worship at the church of my choice. I can share my faith without fear with others.
Our country is a society built on freedom. While all our freedoms are spectacular, I believe that the greatest of them is freedom of religion. As stated in the first Amendment to the United States Constitution, freedom of religion prevents our government from forcing citizens to practice any single kind of religion.
What is right to freedom of religion? It is the freedom to change religion or belief. The freedom to exercise religion or belief publicly or privately, alone or with others. The freedom to exercise religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance, and worship the god we choose.
How blessed we Americans are. Never lose sight of that freedom and think about it when you walk into church this Sunday realizing that doing so could land you in prison or worse in many countries.
God bless America.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
OUR MONEY
| MAN’S PREFERENCE | GOD’S PREFERENCE |
| Five Things We Can Do With Our Money: | The Order We Should Have: |
| 1. Spend | 1. Give – God and others |
| 2. Repay Debt | 2. Save |
| 3. Pay Taxes | 3. Pay Taxes |
| 4. Save | 4. Repay Debt |
| 5. Give | 4. Repay Debt |
THE FUTURE WORLD IN 2030:
• The 2018 world population is 7.6 billion and will be 8.6 billion by 2030.
• The richest 1% currently own 47% of global wealth and will own 64% of it by 2030.
• World life expectancy in 2010 was 77.1 for men and 84.2 for women. By 2030 it will be 84.1 for men and 90.8 for women.
• Now 10% of the world’s population live in extreme poverty. By 2030 it will be down to 6%.
• Artificial intelligence by 2030 is expected to add more to the global economy than the current total economic output of China and India combined.
• The USA obesity is 46% of the population. By 2030 it will be 50%.
• Current world military and defense spending is $1.7 trillion. By 2030 it will be $2.75 trillion.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Impression without Expression leads to Depression
You Trust Me, I’ll Take Care Of You.
You Trust You, You Take Care Of You
—Ken Whitten
Leadership is not about being the best. It is about making others better.
We Don’t See Things As They Are; We See Things As We Are. —Ken Whitten
You stand before God as if you were Christ, because He stands before God as if He were you. —Charles Spurgeon
Heaven has a wall, a gate and strict immigration policies. Hell has open borders.
Never miss a good chance to shut up. —Will Rogers