Hegseth is trying to establish an official religion for the US military (Opinion) - EUROPE SAYS
By Rev. Catharine HarrisWe are celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation. Many of our founders believed that religion was important to the culture of our new nation. Many of them came to the colonies to. . .
. Catharine HarrisWe are celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation. Many of our founders believed that religion was important to the culture of our new nation. Many of them came to the colonies to escape the religious wars between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe. James Madison was a fierce advocate of the revolutionary idea of separation of church and state. He enshrined this radical idea in our First Amendment. One of the great things about the United States of America is our First Amendment to the Constitution, which prevents our government from establishing a national religion and allows individuals to freely practice their faith. Now we hear that our Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is proclaiming his Evangelical Reformed tradition to our armed services and to our nation. One would think that a Cabinet Secretary would know the First Amendment to the Constitution. The U. S. Department of Defense has decided that officially recognizing over 200 religious affiliations is too messy. Now the list has been pared down to 31 faiths plus some “Nontraditional Groups. ” Unitarian Universalism is now part of the “Nontraditional Groups. ”What could be more “traditional” than the many contributions Unitarians and Universalists have made from the very beginnings of our nation? In the mid-19th century, Universalism was the third most popular religion. We remember important contributors to our nation such as Unitarian Presidents Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and William Howard Taft, who also served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Oliver Wendell Holmes was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Ben Franklin, signer of both the Declaration and the Constitution, and Thomas Paine were Deists. Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Battle Hymn of the Republic. ” Frances Perkins, a social reformer, served in FDR’s Cabinet for the entirety of his presidency. More recently, William Cohen, Senator from Maine, served as Secretary of Defense, as did William James Perry. There have been numerous Unitarians in Congress, including Adlai Stevenson and the current three Unitarians. Others have made significant contributions to the culture of our nation. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross. Transcendentalist authors Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and more recent authors Ray Bradbury, e. e. cummings, Herbert Melville, Kurt Vonnegut, Carl Sagan, and Ray Bradbury enrich our intellectual lives. Nobel Prize winners include Emily Green Balch, John Bardeen and Linus Pauling. Ysaye Maria Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock and Pete Seeger have sung their beliefs as they entertained us. Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Whitney M. Young, Jr. founded the Urban League in his work to end unemployment and discrimination. Artists N. C. Wyeth and architects Buckminster Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright brought their creativity into our lives. Let no one say Unitarian Universalism is not traditional. Who is it to select which religion is officially recognized in the military?In addition to Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Lafayette, other nearby Unitarian Universalist churches are in Boulder, Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Golden, Colorado Springs, Parker and two in Denver. The Rev. Catharine Harris is Minister Emerita at Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Lafayette. To send a letter to the editor about this article,submit onlineor check out ourguidelinesfor how to submit by email.