There is a very interesting op-ed by Russell Moore in today’s NYT. The gist of it is that Moore views this week’s Supreme Court decisions on LGBTQ rights as an assault on the freedom of religious conservatives. He asks Americans to conduct their debates on issues touching on religious principles in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and the protection of religious freedom. He concludes by arguing that if these kinds of decisions are decided in favor of the side with the votes, it will ultimately hurt the left as much as the right.
There are three elements of his argument that require a response:
- Whether in an effort to pander to the left-leaning readers of the NYT, or because he really sees conservative Christians in this light, he makes a big effort to identify the rights and interests of Christians with Muslims and Jews–much smaller, and historically powerless, religious minorities in this country. Do the historically dominant right-wing Christians really feel as isolated and embattled as Muslims and Jews in today’s cultural environment? It seems absurd, but there you are.
- Moore’s warning about religious coercion is difficult to square with the right’s passionate support of legislation banning abortion, although I suppose he would (absurdly) frame the issue as one of “freedom” for fetuses.
- Moore doesn’t really spell out the negative consequences to secularists if, in his view, religious freedom is not respected, but I think the implication is clear: if you don’t carve out safe spaces for our beliefs, we will retaliate by voting for Trump, or even more forceful authoritarian personalities, in order to protect our rights. We care more about our values than the health of liberal democracy. We will stop at nothing to use the system to win elections, and then our raw power will prevail over your paper rights. Cross us at your peril.
I believe #3 is, in fact, the prevailing opinion among millions of American Christians. The best way to deal with it in the short run is to give them the safe spaces they demand. Let the millennials sort it out in the long run; it won’t be as big a problem in 20 years as it is today.