Chris Pappas: “less than 2 weeks ago our Nation celebrated its Independence Day, a day in which all Americans celebrate the many…”

“less than 2 weeks ago our Nation celebrated its Independence Day, a day in which all Americans celebrate the many freedoms that were fought to achieve. Several hundred years ago, a group of colonists chose to come across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in and explore a new continent. For many, a prime motivation was to flee from restrictions on their ability to express themselves religiously. One of the freedoms that we as Americans are so fortunate to have is the ability to associate, organize, express and freely believe in the religion that we so choose. In Russia, several provisions of a piece of legislation threaten the liberties of its citizens by restricting their freedom to express themselves religiously. It is the most extreme attack on the civil rights of the Russian people since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This new law would terminate and restrict the normal legal status of all religious organizations except those that were registered under the former Soviet Government. This action would result in thousands of churches and schools being forced to end their services, including many American and foreign organizations that have gone to Russia to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to those in need. Even those informal groups that meet in someone's home could be under state control.”