As a committed atheist I am always amazed at some of the things religious people believe. Reincarnation, the angel Moroni and the angel Gabriel, virgin birth, Noah’s ark, the power of prayer, etc., etc., etc. I am also amazed at how religious beliefs are interpreted in the modern world.
The medical procedure of in vitro fertilization is usually used by couples who are having difficulty conceiving. The convention of Southern Baptist “messengers” earlier this month rejected I.V.F. Not only that, but the conventioneers declared that embryos have “personhood.”
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, wrote a letter to some followers in Rhode Island explaining his views on religion. Suppose, he said, you have a number of passengers on a ship with different religious beliefs. He mentioned Jews, Catholics, and Muslims, although he used different labels. He said the Captain could not force those people to follow the Captain’s religion. (That’s the first right in the First Amendment of the Constitution–no establishment.) Nor could the captain stop people from praying and following their beliefs. (That is the second right in the First Amendment–free exercise.) He then said that if a religious practice interfered with the sailing of the ship, the Captain could put a stop to that practice.
We have some stuff going on that is definitely interfering with the sailing of the American ship of state.
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