Religious liberty at 250: America’s most radical idea
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TL;DR
- Philadelphia is preparing for America's 250th birthday, a celebration that will highlight the nation's history of religious liberty.
- Religious liberty, the freedom for people of different beliefs to live together without government fear, is presented as America's most distinctive contribution to the world.
- The physical layout of Philadelphia, with churches, synagogues, and burial grounds within blocks of each other, visually represents this principle of coexistence.
- The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a prominent defender of religious freedom, is holding its Canterbury Medal Gala in Philadelphia.
- The gala will honor William P. Mumma, the organization's longtime board chairman, for his role in building Becket into an influential religious liberty defender.
- The article emphasizes that religious liberty is not just a legal doctrine but a central pillar of the American project, requiring continuous defense by generations.
- The coexistence of diverse faiths in America is seen as a radical and beautiful idea that continues to define the nation.