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The Freedom of Religion
This past week I had the honor of being invited to Gene Langenbach’s Interment at the Georgia National Cemetery for Veterans in Canton. The presentation of the flag, its unfurling and refolding, the presentation to the family, representatives of the cemetery, the Air Force, and the honor guard, all presenting different gifts to the family, as their respect for the service of a veteran; it was, as always, moving. The honor guard fired rifles; kind of caught me off guard, even though I knew it was coming. Something about today’s world….
Finally, the playing of Taps, in a slow, methodical, honorable way. Just a fitting conclusion to the ceremony, for someone who spent a career protecting our Nation and its freedoms.
This service reminded me of the freedoms that men like Gene protected; the freedom of speech, the freedom to bear arms, and the freedom of religion. How many men/women have died protecting those freedoms? How many have been injured protecting those freedoms? There is a distinctness about how the USA has vigorously protected our country and our country’s privileges that is unique, and it is why we stand alone in the world as the one great nation willing to fight for ourselves and to fight for other nations to preserve those rights.
Most media blasts today focus on the challenges to our freedom of speech and certainly the right to bear arms. Less media time is given to the freedom of religion, until someone decides to invade a church, synagogue, or other place of worship, for hurtful purposes. We must be reminded that religion is a right in our Nation. We have the freedom to worship in the manner that we and/or our community wish to worship. God (whichever God you worship) is a most important part of one’s life, as he sustains us when times are difficult, and he lifts us up. He makes us stronger to deal with challenges. This is a freedom that is in danger today, and we must protect with the same vigor and resoluteness, as all our freedoms as men and women in service to our country protect them.
As it is stated in scripture, Psalm 95:1-6
Let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
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