Your Opinion: Exercising freedom of religion

Dear Editor:

What causes my hackles to stand up is the "Memories Pizza" interview in Walkerton, IN. concerning an over zealous cub reporter who almost pushed a microphone into the face of the business owner Crystal O'Connell riddled with questions concerning the Indiana Religious Freedom Law and if she would cater a gay wedding. O'Connell responded, "No one has ever asked her to deliver a pizza to a gay wedding, but would refuse if asked because of her Christian faith, but would serve gays inside the restaurant." The following day after the publicity the doors were closed to the business because of threats and intimidation from the public.

The business owner never said she would refuse to serve gays, only to deliver pizza. She said she would serve gays inside her restaurant. For example, conscientious objectors refuse to serve in the armed forces or to bean arms on moral or religious grounds. The far left have sought to silence O'Connell's First Amendment right to freely exercise her religion.

The government limits freedom of religion by forbidding certain religious practices. For example, it prohibits human sacrifice. It also bans polygamy, though Islam and other religions permit the practice.

In addition many governments limit freedom of speech and of the press to protect pubic morals. For example, many states of the United States have laws against pornography (indecent pictures and writings.)

In the 1970s there was heated controversy concerning the definition of pornography in America. The Supreme Court ultimately decided to allow the local communities and states decide what is pornographic to protect the social norms.

In August 2010 after a controversy concerning alleged prostitution at a local adult men's club located outside the Jefferson City limits at Apache Flats, Gov Nixon banned nudity at all Missouri strip clubs which violates First Amendment freedoms of speech and expression and is a violation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which allowed local communities to decide on what is moral.

There is one thing I am going to try to make very very clear. Sometimes we must tolerate things we do not necessarily like. If we start drawing up walls against what some of us think is obscene, we will wake up one morning and find walls drawn up everywhere we did not expect and that's not freedom.