4th of july in geita

I didn’t take any pictures on the 4th of July.  But some of our teammates and interns did, so I’ll send you right over to their blogs.  Afterwards, I’ll tell you a little about our day:

a question concerning the nature of freedom

If you’re looking for a proper July 4th post, you probable want to go to this Fourth of July Primer, or this (somewhat controversial) essay from last year.  This post is indeed about freedom, but is written more as a question about Christianity and life in general than a discourse on our American Independence Day.

brett’s morning blend: a july 4th primer

Independence Day is tomorrow.  And this post is all you really need in order to prepare for the big day.  

freedom for… all?

image courtesy of photobucket.com

While holding my daughter on this July 4th morning, I turned to BBC’s news broadcast.  There on my television I saw a special on the homosexuality laws in neighboring Uganda.  Now I don’t claim to understand a great deal about these laws, but they seem to go something like this:

• Any individual caught in a homosexual act will be imprisoned for life.
• Any individual caught in an “aggravated” homosexual act will be sentenced to death.  [These seem to be forced or paid homosexual acts and the like.]
• Any individual “aiding and abetting” homosexual behavior can get up to seven years in prison.  [This law seems quite vague.  Can a doctor prescribe medicine to a known homosexual, or is that considered contributing to his lifestyle?  What about a family member of a homosexual -- is failure to hand a relative over to the police considered promoting that relative's illegal lifestyle?]

Today is American Independence Day.  Now, listen closely…  I pledge my allegiance to God, and not to a nation.  I know the United States is far from perfect, and I’m not so naive to believe she’ll ever reach perfection.  Our leaders do a lot with which I disagree, and there are some decisions they’ve made of which I’m ashamed.  But I am so incredibly thankful that I am a citizen of a country that offers freedom to each and every citizen, a nation who values individual rights and honors personal choices, a republic that strives to treat all people equally regardless of gender, race, religious affiliation, or sexual preference.

I know this may not be a popular post among some.  But it is my belief that those who would disagree would seek to take away personal freedoms in an attempt to enact laws based on their own religious ideals.  I don’t believe the government should be in the business of legislating morality, but rather that it should seek to protect life and liberty in any and every situation in which another individual’s life and liberty is not at stake.

I don’t condone homosexuality, but neither do I approve of taking away that choice.  Just as I don’t encourage greed — but want to allow others the opportunity to seek happiness through big houses, expensive cars, and holding millions of dollars in the bank.  I don’t think they’ll find it, but they are certainly entitled to try.  I don’t want a law banning pianos from church buildings, sprinkling from baptism, the virgin Mary from prayers, or Allah from our nation.  Nor do I want a law that limits kissing to those of us who find females attractive.

As I held my daughter this morning and watched BBC news, I prayed that she will respect the choices of others and be gracious to them.  I prayed that she will always honor God and do what is right.  I prayed that she will be a light in a dark place, letting her good deeds prompt others to worship God.  And I prayed that she will never believe it honors God to coerce obedience to him by passing laws, legislating morality, and limiting the freedoms of others.

It is troubling to me that many, who would fight long and hard to prove God has given mankind freedom of choice, would then seek to not grant that same freedom to others.