On the recordJune 12, 2013
The United States has historically been a beacon of human rights to the rest of the world, and so it is no accident that a fellow comes to the United States seeking religious freedom. I think the undertone of what others here have spoken is the sense that some of our commitment to religious freedom is under siege by forces of secularism. Now, you can be secular if you wish; but nonetheless, the First Amendment says that the right to practice religion shall not be infringed upon. So with all of these kinds of trimming at the margins, at the edges, of someone's ability to practice her faith or his faith, one, it affects us, but, two, it also affects our standing in the rest of the world in our ability to advocate for those who do not have the same freedom as we. If others see our example as substituting religious freedom for something which is less so, how much less will our beacon be dimmed? That will have tragedy, not only for us, but also for them.
