Recently I purchased The Jefferson Bible the Smithsonian Edition with sections in English, French, Latin and Greek. Reading various religious, and non-religious text, helps in understanding the world in which we live. The Bible, Quran, and Torah share similar logic and have moral codes with connected root similarities (I read all the Dead Sea Scrolls and other text). We can also see these similar moral codes and philosophies of life in non-religious text as well. Most don't read enough with an open heart to find these deeper meanings and shared perceptions (...much more similar than different).
Of particular interest is the quote below that helps understand how Thomas Jefferson thought about the world around him and the roots of freedom.
No man shall be compelled to frequent or support religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion (pg 15).
I have been engaged in a hypothetical philosophical thought experiment in the spirit of learning for a while on freedom of religion and speech. In this example they told the victims why they were targeting them. Decisions clearly broke social contracts, the intent of law and illegal unless we are foreshadowing a future where we collectivize such hate. In this case the decision makers went out of their way to enforce unwritten social codes and didn't correct where corruption was found. One can see that if people are targeted because of their religious beliefs, such actions may be running against some of the grain and purpose of our collective existence (Financial enrichment and exploitation is another aspect of the example). People create boundaries and division where no boundaries or division are needed (..it could also be limiting human capital where religious persecution occurs and encouraged).
What one could gather from this saying is that each man (women) should have the right to live and worship how they see fit. Harming, molesting or restricting people for faith would be foreign to some early lines of American thinking. I always would encourage good taste and pro-social behaviors in worship. The general idea of free people with shared commitment to certain freedoms are essential to some of our founding fathers/mothers framing of our nation.
The lessons I might pull from this is to treat each other well, don't invent things about other people or their religion, and encourage understanding of essential universal principles and values that transcend generations without splitting hairs that often comes from rigid dogmatic perspectives. Others may learn something else. We are moving into the holy months of multiple religions. It is time to be thoughtful on how we treat each other and the good spirit/peace that comes from that. The Bible taught us about religious persecution that ended in an ultimate sacrifice. Many of those lessons are lost on decision makers/judges but we put a saying in every court to remind us of the possibilities of poor decisions that impact our society and ultimately undermine trust in our institutions,"In God We Trust".
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