On June 10th, the Constitution subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the state of religious freedom in American today. The witnesses were Kim Colby of the Christian Legal Society, Greg Baylor of Alliance Defending Freedom, Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel, and Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Religious freedom is under severe pressure in the United States. Tthe United States does remain the “land of the free.” Religious freedom is often respected; restrictions, though very serious and growing, are nothing like those in most other countries. Yet that is no reason at all for complacency. Religious freedom, just as every other freedom, requires continual vigilance and support. Vigilance and vigorous defenses of religious freedom are particularly important as more and more influential people in our country adopt a secular world view that regards religion as damaging and dangerous.

In the hearing, Rev. Lynn sought to elevate nondiscrimination requirements over accommodations for the religious freedom of religious organizations. The other three witnesses noted a range of serious problems, particularly for the faith-ful operations of faith-based organizations.

You can watch the two videos of the hearing, and find links to the written testimony, here.