You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. – Jeremiah 12:2

Today's Scripture Reading (July 6, 2026): Jeremiah 12

In many ways, North America was built on the concept of religious freedom. It definitely wasn't the only reason, but many people were willing to move from Europe to the American frontier because there they could worship as they saw fit, which ran counter to European practice, where areas seemed dominated by a single religious practice. However, the reality is that we have never been good at true religious freedom. We always seem to feel threatened by the religious practices, or non-practice, of others. We want the laws of the land to reflect what we believe and to protect us from others' beliefs. But that runs counter to the idea of religious freedom in the new world.

Enter Ronald Reagan Jr. and his television commercials supporting Atheism. Reagan likes to remind his audience that the United States was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state. Would it surprise you to know that Reagan is wrong? In fact, the separation of church and state is not a government directive, but was developed by well-meaning Baptist believers. The idea was that the state or the nation shouldn't have direct oversight of the religious practice. The New World was not Britain, where the reigning monarch is also the head of the church. 

I am continuously amazed at the reaction of atheists against the core beliefs of Christianity. I get it; they don't like the first four commandments, and I wouldn't expect them to. But when Jesus was asked which commandments were the most important, he quoted the last six.

"Which ones [commandments]?" he inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 19:18-19).

What is wrong with these commandments, even from Ronald Reagan Jr.'s atheistic position? I get that there is some pushback to the question of adultery, but keeping our promises, which is the essential problem with adultery, is something on which our societies are constructed.

The reality is that our society has been planted on an idea that has taken root and bloomed: the Freedom of Religion. We give support to this principle with our lips, but not with our actions. Our actions often declare that it is our way or the highway; only our beliefs should be protected by Law.

It is an extension of Jeremiah's words. In the case of Jeremiah, God had planted Israel, and the nation had taken root and bloomed. The people gave lip service to their God but did little to follow his principles, even if those principles were just the last six commandments. Israel said that they believed in God but gave very little thought to what that meant, just as we say we believe in the freedom of religion, but think very little about what that means in our society.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 23