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#religiousfreedom — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #religiousfreedom, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business

    By Cliff Potts, CSO
    Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

    Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT

    Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.

    Faith is not the problem. Power is.

    Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative

    Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.

    When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.

    People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.

    Freedom Means Leaving People Alone

    Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.

    True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.

    If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.

    Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination

    Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.

    Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.

    Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.

    The Myth of Moral Decline

    Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.

    Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.

    A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.

    Faith Communities Do Real Work

    Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.

    What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.

    Service speaks louder than slogans.

    Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways

    Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.

    That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.

    Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.

    When Government Picks Winners

    History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.

    Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.

    Personal Faith, Public Restraint

    Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.

    Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.

    What a Confident Texas Would Do

    A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.

    Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.

    Why This Matters Going Forward

    Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.

    Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.

    Texas is strong enough to do that.

    This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

    References (APA)
    Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
    First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
    National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
    Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
    American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education.

    #churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
  2. Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business

    By Cliff Potts, CSO
    Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

    Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT

    Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.

    Faith is not the problem. Power is.

    Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative

    Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.

    When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.

    People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.

    Freedom Means Leaving People Alone

    Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.

    True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.

    If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.

    Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination

    Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.

    Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.

    Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.

    The Myth of Moral Decline

    Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.

    Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.

    A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.

    Faith Communities Do Real Work

    Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.

    What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.

    Service speaks louder than slogans.

    Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways

    Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.

    That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.

    Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.

    When Government Picks Winners

    History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.

    Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.

    Personal Faith, Public Restraint

    Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.

    Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.

    What a Confident Texas Would Do

    A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.

    Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.

    Why This Matters Going Forward

    Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.

    Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.

    Texas is strong enough to do that.

    This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

    References (APA)
    Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
    First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
    National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
    Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
    American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education.

    #churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
  3. Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business

    By Cliff Potts, CSO
    Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

    Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT

    Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.

    Faith is not the problem. Power is.

    Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative

    Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.

    When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.

    People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.

    Freedom Means Leaving People Alone

    Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.

    True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.

    If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.

    Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination

    Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.

    Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.

    Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.

    The Myth of Moral Decline

    Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.

    Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.

    A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.

    Faith Communities Do Real Work

    Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.

    What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.

    Service speaks louder than slogans.

    Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways

    Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.

    That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.

    Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.

    When Government Picks Winners

    History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.

    Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.

    Personal Faith, Public Restraint

    Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.

    Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.

    What a Confident Texas Would Do

    A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.

    Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.

    Why This Matters Going Forward

    Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.

    Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.

    Texas is strong enough to do that.

    This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

    References (APA)
    Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
    First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
    National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
    Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
    American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education.

    #churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
  4. Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business

    By Cliff Potts, CSO
    Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

    Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT

    Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.

    Faith is not the problem. Power is.

    Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative

    Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.

    When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.

    People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.

    Freedom Means Leaving People Alone

    Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.

    True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.

    If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.

    Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination

    Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.

    Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.

    Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.

    The Myth of Moral Decline

    Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.

    Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.

    A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.

    Faith Communities Do Real Work

    Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.

    What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.

    Service speaks louder than slogans.

    Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways

    Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.

    That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.

    Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.

    When Government Picks Winners

    History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.

    Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.

    Personal Faith, Public Restraint

    Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.

    Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.

    What a Confident Texas Would Do

    A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.

    Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.

    Why This Matters Going Forward

    Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.

    Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.

    Texas is strong enough to do that.

    This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

    References (APA)
    Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
    First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
    National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
    Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
    American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education.

    #churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
  5. Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business

    By Cliff Potts, CSO
    Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

    Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT

    Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.

    Faith is not the problem. Power is.

    Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative

    Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.

    When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.

    People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.

    Freedom Means Leaving People Alone

    Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.

    True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.

    If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.

    Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination

    Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.

    Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.

    Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.

    The Myth of Moral Decline

    Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.

    Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.

    A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.

    Faith Communities Do Real Work

    Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.

    What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.

    Service speaks louder than slogans.

    Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways

    Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.

    That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.

    Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.

    When Government Picks Winners

    History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.

    Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.

    Personal Faith, Public Restraint

    Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.

    Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.

    What a Confident Texas Would Do

    A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.

    Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.

    Why This Matters Going Forward

    Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.

    Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.

    Texas is strong enough to do that.

    This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

    References (APA)
    Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
    First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
    National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
    Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
    American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education.

    #churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
  6. Sydney Synod asked to fund defending religious freedom

    The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, has identified defending religious freedom as a “strategic priority” as this…
    #Australia #Sydney #Anglicans #Christiannews #religiousfreedom
    europesays.com/australia/86851/

  7. A quotation from Twain

    I could have given my own sect the preference and made everybody a Presbyterian without any trouble, but that would have been to affront a law of human nature: spiritual wants and instincts are as various in the human family as are physical appetites, complexions, and features, and a man is only at his best, morally, when he is equipped with the religious garment whose color and shape and size most nicely accommodate themselves to the spiritual complexion, angularities, and stature of the individual who wears it.

    Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
    Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 10 “Beginnings of Civilization”

    More about this quote: wist.info/twain-mark/85582/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marktwain #twain #connecticutyankee #sectarianism #establishment #freedomofreligion #morality #personalreligion #religion #religiousdiversity #religiousfreedom #religioustolerance #spiritualdevelopment #spirituality

  8. Faith and the Founding: The Religious Roots of the Original Thirteen Colonies

    As America celebrates 250 years of independence, it's worth looking beyond the Declaration of Independence to the diverse religious foundations of the original thirteen colonies. Contrary to popular belief, not every colony was founded for religious freedom. Some sought wealth, others provided refuge for persecuted believers, and together they shaped the ideas of faith, liberty, and government that continue to influence our nation today.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  9. A quotation from Henry Commager

    Who are those who are really disloyal? Those who inflame racial hatreds, who sow religious and class dissensions. Those who subvert the Constitution by violating the freedom of the ballot box. Those who make a mockery of majority rule by the use of the filibuster. Those who impair democracy by denying equal educational facilities. Those who frustrate justice by lynch law or by making a farce of jury trials. Those who deny freedom of speech and of the press and of assembly. Those who press for special favors against the interest of the commonwealth. Those who regard public office as a source of private gain. Those who would exalt the military over the civil. Those who for selfish and private purposes stir up national antagonisms and expose the world to the ruin of war.

    Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist
    Essay (1947-09), “Who Is Loyal to America?” sec. 3, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168

    More about this quote: wist.info/commager-henry-steel…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #henrycommager #America #civilliberties #civilrights #corruption #demagoguery #democracy #disloyalty #division #firstamendment #freepress #freespeech #freedomofreligion #freedomofspeech #freedomofthepress #injustice #jingoism #justice #loyalty #loyaltyoath #military #patriotism #publicoffice #religiousfreedom #unAmerican #usvsthem #votersuppression #votingrights #war #warmongering

  10. Saturday, April 25, 2026

    Ukrainian Neptune missiles destroy Russian drone factory workshops in Rostov Oblast -- Russia attacked Ukrainian rail infrastructure more than 1,000 times in 2025 -- Investigation: A secret program, suicidal missions, and death, torture in occupied Ukraine -- Poland's Tusk questions US loyalty to NATO ... and more

    activitypub.writeworks.uk/2026

  11. How #Maine churches are reckoning with fear of #ImmigrationRaids

    by Sean Scott, August 24, 2025

    Excerpt: "Selma, an asylum seeker from Angola, moved to Texas at the start of the pandemic and then to Maine in January 2022. She fears persecution if she returns because of a family member’s involvement in a #HumanRights group.

    " 'As a Christian, I was praying, and then God just gave me direction, which was Maine,' she said.

    "She joined a nondenominational Christian church in Portland right away, and she and her two children have been regular attendees ever since. After President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, her 12-year-old daughter asked if it was still safe to go to school.

    "As immigration enforcement efforts have increased dramatically this year, many migrants have also reckoned with whether it’s safe to go to places of worship, whether they’re congregants or faith leaders like one Westbrook pastor detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month.

    "In one of his first acts in office, Trump rescinded a policy that essentially barred #ICEAgents from making arrests at sensitive locations like #churches, #hospitals and #schools. A coalition sued the Department of Homeland Security over the policy in February, arguing it violated #ReligiousFreedom. A judge declined to block the policy, citing a lack of evidence that churches were 'singled out as special targets' for immigration enforcement.

    "Faith leaders are preparing for the possibility of enforcement regardless, and several other lawsuits have been filed on similar grounds, including one in late July with a New England plaintiff.

    "#MichelTshimankinda, a Westbrook man who founded a church in South Portland, has been in ICE detention in New Hampshire since Aug. 14, according to the Portland Press Herald. He wasn’t arrested on church property, but his detention has shaken his family and congregation."

    Read more:
    yahoo.com/news/articles/maine-

    #ICESucks #ICEKidnapping #MaineNews #DHS #Gestapo #FascismInTheUSA #Racism #Fascism #Authoritarianism #TrumpIsARacist

  12. ‘After Muslims, It’s The Turn Of Christians:’ With Little Evidence, UP Govt Prosecutes 4 Christian Institutions, Arrests Employees

    Four Christian-run institutions in the Uttar Pradesh town of Fatehpur face criminal cases for alleged forcible conversion of Hindus, with over 200 accused, many arrested and imprisoned, under UP’s three-year-old anti-conversion law. Article 14 investigation reveals similar statements in four FIRs over nine months, police cases or raids on Christian institutions, based on illegal third-party or anonymous complaints. Simultaneously, the union government acted against the finances of one of these four institutions.

    #UttarPradesh #prayagraj #AntiConversionLaw #conversions #VHP #IndianChristians #HinduMobs #UnionGovt #EvangelicalChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ConspiracyTheories #india

    article-14.com/post/-after-mus

  13. Vellore jail mosque out of bounds for inmates

    All places of worship on the campus were shut in 2021 as part of Covid control measures, but after the restrictions were removed, authorities reopened the church and temples but not the mosque. Security reasons cited for mosque’s closure; prisoners claim they are prevented from raising issue with officials.

    newindianexpress.com/states/ta

    #TamilNadu #vellore #VelloreJail #mosques #prisons #muslims #ReligiousFreedom #ReligiousDiscrimination #india