AJC: The battle for the separation of church and state

Interesting column by Bill Self in the AJC's Faith & Values section on the struggle for religious liberty: "When you attend church this or any other Sunday, you are validating a noble experiment that has made these United States the most religiously diverse nation in the world.

You are neither compelled to attend a certain church, nor are you restricted from attending. The worship you engage in, the hymns you sing, the sermons you listen to are not regulated by the government. We are guaranteed by the First Amendment the freedom to worship as our conscience dictates. We have religious liberty. We have the separation of church and state.

However, for the past two decades this freedom has been under attack. On the week when we celebrate Independence Day, let us underscore our birthright of religious freedom as we celebrate the birth of our nation.

Secular forces are defending the First Amendment to the extent that they will go to jail for it, and Christians are, for the first time in their history, hearing their leaders calling for its destruction.

The strange and arresting feature of this controversy is that it is being introduced into our political life by those whose tradition it is to fight and die for religious liberty.

When the shouting is over, those who have weakened this separation will be called upon to answer to history for their violation of this sacred trust."