From the President: On Frailty & Freedom

By Dr. Chris Seiple on 05 November 2003

It's hard to believe, but it has already been six months since the fall of Saddam Hussein, and two years since the collapse of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Freedom has come — haltingly — to these troubled parts of the world. But we've all seen the images of chaos, and heard the stories of journalists and friends who come back from the front lines of war and reconstruction, wondering how the advance of freedom has, disappointingly, brought on so much instability. It's worth wondering out loud whether, in such environments, it's even worthwhile promoting religious freedom. After all, won't it just make things worse in the short-term?

At the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a simple inscription: "Freedom is not free." The addendum might as well be: "Neither is it easy." The incumbent irony is that the long process of forging freedom is fraught with peril. In the case of religious freedom, we can get more than we bargained for: even with a climate of tolerance and respect by the majority, the possibility of terrorism by a minority is always present. It was, after all, too much religious freedom in northwest Pakistan that allowed the madrassas to teach rote hate. When you legally protect a corrupted faith, as happened in Pakistan, you have to be vigilent lest hate quietly be sown among the tolerance.

The truth is that freedom — and religious freedom in particular — is always frail. But religious freedom is also necessary, now more than ever.

On one level, it is necessary because it is part of the gift of what it is to be human. Freedom begins with choice. (Though as a Christian, I would argue that it cannot end there — that true freedom is an active choosing of the good.) Without choice there is no belief, and without belief there is no identity. It is by choice that we acknowledge our common dignity and the sanctity of life; it is by choice that we return honor to something greater than ourselves. Religious freedom is not a luxury, or simply a pragmatic accomodation to democratic realities. It is a gift from God and must be honored as such.

On another level, though, religious freedom is necessary because, in spite of its fragility, it creates over the long run societies that are more stable and more secure. It is, one might say, an unavoidable near-term risk in the development of a strong, pluralistic culture.

Consider the American experience. Today religious freedom is an accepted part of the American mantra, a right that is as natural as voting. But it was not always so. Religious freedom took root only when Roger Williams fled the theocracy of Massachusetts to found the colony of Rhode Island in 1636. (Williams legally established religious freedom through charters from England in 1644 and 1663). It would not be until 1791 that the freedom of belief became the foundation for the federal Bill of Rights, and not until the 1830s that all states abandoned the vestiges of religious establishment.

In this light, we might reevaluate the progress that has been made in Afghanistan and Iraq. American blood and treasure have created an opportunity for freedom in these countries. But true freedom will not come until it is revealed in the context of their respective cultures. We cannot expect our understanding of religious freedom, which has 367 years behind it, to take root overnight! What we can do is encourage a culturally congruent form of religious freedom — consistent with the best of the Sunni and Shi'a traditions — to take root. This will not happen by next year's presidential election and may not happen in our lifetimes. But it is profoundly worth pursuing.

As we watch our messy "interventions" continue to unfold in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, we would be wise to remember that, here or abroad, the best path to security is not the one of least resistance. Religious freedom may not be the shortest route to stability, but it is the surest. Properly implemented, as part of a culturally-appropriate balance of liberty (freedom to) and security (freedom from), religious freedom provides the cornerstone for a strong society. It provides a potent counter-point to a history of stifling theocracies, and gives people of faith new opportunities to contribute fully to their communities and their countries.

Religious freedom does not come easy. It is frail. It is messy. It takes time to develop. And it must be done in a manner consistent with local culture and traditions. But this freedom — whether seen as a gift, or a shrewd policy position — is, now more than ever, our necessary choice and challenge.

Last updated 13 January 2009