First Freedom Project

Published March 3, 2007

IN THEORY

First Freedom Project

Q:

The Department of Justice has reportedly started a "First Freedom Project," to focus on protecting religious freedoms. The effort includes a website, a public education program and task force that will review policies on religious freedom and cases involving religious freedoms. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says the program seeks to deal with issues such as contradictions in the workplace, where a person may get away with saying something like a famous athlete is a God, but could be fired for saying "Jesus is Lord." What do you think?

A:

Religious freedom is fundamental to the functioning of any society which encourages human expression. For me, a discussion of religious freedom cannot be made apart from a discussion of freedom of expression. Religion is merely an art form that explains what is unknown. Religion should be the "dot-connector," creating a system of understanding for the mystery that takes our breath away. Those expressions come in many forms, sometimes overtly invoking the name of a deity while at other times hiding under the guise of visual or audible art. Nonetheless, each needs to seek its purpose of giving definition to the collective experience of life.

I'm moved that Attorney General Gonzales has brought religious freedom to forum through this project because just this month the Armenian Church commemorated the life and work of General Vartan Mamigonian, an early defender of this sacred freedom. Quite unique for the times, in 451 A.D., Mamigonian was the first defender of the freedom of conscience in the Christian world. His story has stirred interest with scholars and historians in their study of Western civilization. Mamigonian stood against a flow of political, economic and military power in defense of his (and his people's) right to practice the Christian faith.

Today, fortunately, we are guaranteed these freedoms as basic rights. Because we don’t have to fight for them, we run the risk of taking them for granted. Therefore, I hope the First Freedom Project becomes an opportunity to engage in dialog about a freedom so essential for our survival as individuals and as a society.

FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church Youth Ministries
In His Shoes Mission