Washington, DC - May, 26: Members of Alpha Company, 4th battalion, 3rd U.S. infantry regiment, the Old Guard, plant American flags on the headstones at the Soldiers and Airmen home National Cemetery for Memorial Day weekend on May, 26, 2011in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
(Bill O'Leary)
As we pause on Memorial Day to honor those who have given their lives in defense of freedom, we should also take a moment to reflect on the memories of those who have made that ultimate sacrifice in support of religious freedom.
As we pause on Memorial Day to honor those who have given their lives in defense of freedom, we should also take a moment to reflect on the memories of those who have made that ultimate sacrifice in support of religious freedom.
We often take this freedom for granted in the U.S., but Christians are martyred daily in corners of the world where governments impose a different faith on their peoples.
Take, for example, Pakistan. Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the cabinet’s only Christian minister, was shot to death in March after arguing in favor of reforming the country’s blasphemy laws. In this majority Muslim nation, anyone who speaks disrespectfully of Islam, its God or its prophet, can be condemned to prison or even death. The ones who receive a trial are the lucky ones.
Before that, in January, Salman Taseer, governor of the Punjab province, who had also opposed the blasphemy laws, was killed by one of his own bodyguards, who is now being called a hero by many in Pakistan.
Neither of these men was armed and neither was trying to promote one religion over another. They were martyred for merely daring to speak in favor of religious freedom.
Our own soldiers on the front lines would defend to the death – and millions have – a U.S. citizen’s right to question his own government or leaders. It is that very right that is worth dying for, and what Christians and believers of other faiths around the world long to have in the religious sphere.
While we honor these two recent and publicized examples, we know there are many more unsung heroes fighting these same battles around the world – many of them paying the ultimate sacrifice. It is our prayer that their blood – like that of our soldiers who fought for our democratic freedoms – will not be shed in vain.
It’s not that these individuals are proselytizing or trying to impose their faith on anyone else – they merely long for the freedom to worship as they choose. I contend that many of these martyrs would give their lives not just for Christianity, but that believers of other faiths may practice as they choose, as well.
We saw examples of this recently in Egypt. Christians and Muslims joined together in their quest for democracy, and when facing attacks during prayer times or holy days, each rose to the other’s defense so that they could practice their respective faiths in safety.
When we reflect back through history, we recall that religious freedom was one of the driving forces in establishing our nation’s independence. Some of the very first fallen soldiers we honor as a country on Memorial Day are those who fought not just for our country, but for their right to worship as they saw fit. I contend it is this freedom, above all others, that continues to make our nation the greatest nation on earth, and the envy of most others, despite rocky economic times.
Earlier this month, we celebrated the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. The very birth of that translation was another battle for religious freedom fought bravely by those who believed the common man should be able to read and interpret for himself the sacred scriptures of his faith. Many of those who worked on early translations or helped in their spread were burned at the stake for their actions and beliefs, without which religious freedom might never have spread from Europe to the New World, leading eventually to the birth of our great nation.
So, as we sing our patriotic hymns in church on Sunday, and as we wave our flags proudly at Memorial Day parades on Monday, take a moment to reflect on the men and women who have given and are giving their lives to make religious freedom possible. Let’s honor their memories just as we do our great American soldiers who fought and died to keep our freedoms alive and well.
Robert T. Frank is the CEO of Bible League International, a non-profit evangelical Christian ministry dedicated to making disciples and training Bible study leaders and church planters using the Word of God. More information can be found online at www.bibleleague.org.
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