It used to be letters received in the mail, now it is mostly email. Whatever the method of delivery, I’ve been on a lot of mailing lists. Because I am a minister affiliated with a church, I receive a lot of messages from organizations with religious concerns. Many of those who reach out to me have very different religious perspectives from my own. Over the years, I have gotten a lot of different messages about those who believe that the lack of organized prayer in public schools is some kind of restriction on religious freedom. That has always struck me as a point of disagreement, because I believe that if children are raised in an atmosphere of love and prayer and taught religious practices, nothing can prevent them from praying wherever they are. Furthermore, I am a bit suspect of schools as having the capacity to produce theologically educated leaders for prayers. Teachers, in general, are not biblical experts. And to top it off, I lived for a decade where our faith was a definite minority. Every public invocation, every occasion was marked by the prayers of leaders of the LDS church. It was in that setting where our children went to elementary school. I would not have appreciated it if they had been exposed to Mormon prayers each day in school. I wanted to be their primary source of religious instruction.

I also get communications from those who think that if science is taught in schools it is a threat to their Biblical interpretations. They don’t want children to be taught evolutionary theory because they feel it will make them less likely to believe in the Bible. I don’t share their perspective. I don’t see the incompatibility of Biblical faith and scientific inquiry. I don’t think that knowledge threatens faith. I do think that their interpretation of the Bible is often shallow and devoid of an understanding of the context of the Bible. It seems to be a series of texts pulled out of context rather than an attempt to understand the Bible as the narrative of a people of faith. Then, again, I don’t worship a particular English translation of the Bible. I treasure the Bible as a way to learn more about God. I am curious about the history of translations. I have studied original languages. I have worked hard for the knowledge and love that I have developed for the Bible. It offends me slightly when someone says, “The bible says . . . “ followed by some opinion that came not from the Bible, but from their prejudices.

I don’t think that public schools are a threat to religious freedom.

I did, however, read an article that made me worry about religious freedom in our country. The National Public Radio website has the text of a report that was aired about extending “Zero Tolerance” to people who help migrants along the border.

Teresa Todd is a four-time elected city and county attorney in west Texas. She was driving at night in February when a man in a white shirt ran out into the road. He was pleading for help. She stopped and he told her is 18-year-old sister was in trouble. The sister was dazed and could hardly walk. She allowed them to get in her call while she texted a friend who works for the U.S. Border Patrol, asking for help. Before she received a reply, a sheriff’s deputy showed up. The deputy called the U.S. Border Patrol, who arrested Todd. Eight days later a search warrant was executed for her phone. She was told it would be returned in a matter of hours. It took 53 days before the phone was returned.

It turned out that the young woman who Todd had stopped to help was on the brink of death. By the time she got to the hospital, doctors told her she nearly died.

In 2018 there were more than 4,500 people federally charged for bringing in and harboring migrants. that is a more than 30% increase since 2015. We don’t know how many of those people had simply stopped to help someone in distress.

My faith is clear. You don’t have to study the Bible much at all to see the mandate to stop and help those in need, regardless of who they are. Read the parable of the Good Samaritan. Read the parable of the sheep and the goats. Our faith teaches us to be compassionate. Our faith teaches us to reach out with generosity to those who are in need.

If it is illegal to offer shelter to a person who is dazed and stumbling and near death, we live in a country where our religious freedom is severely restricted. Forget about who gets to lead prayers in elementary school. A law that makes it illegal to show compassion is a threat to religious freedom.

I don’t live near the border. I am unlikely to find myself in a situation like that of Teresa Todd. But if I ever find myself in that situation, I know what I will do.

When our children were in elementary school, I told them that it was not illegal for them to pray in school. Despite what others might say, if they prayed quietly and didn’t disturb anyone else, they would be allowed to say thanks for their meals and ask God for help. I am unaware of any problems that they encountered. I intend to live my faith in the same way. When I see a person in distress, I try to render aid. When someone asks me for help, I try to see what I can do to help. I welcome strangers into our church and I don’t ask anyone their immigration status when they ask for food or other help.

“Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” - Matthew 10:41-42

I find clear instructions in the Bible. And if following the Bible results in being arrested and having my phone confiscated, then that is a risk I’ll have to take.

Copyright (c) 2019 by Ted E. Huffman. I wrote this. If you would like to share it, please direct your friends to my web site. If you'd like permission to copy, please send me an email. Thanks!