I am one of what appears to be a dying breed in the United States— those citizens who consider themselves both Christians and political liberals. As such, the opinions expressed by Joseph Green in his article regarding Barack Obama’s moral values trouble me for several reasons. I strongly support the rights of the people to hold whatever beliefs they feel are most in line with their personal religious views, however, as a free people, we must separate our religious beliefs and ideals from the secular protections of liberty provided by the law.

The passing of Proposition 8 has created a situation almost unprecedented in American politics. The Supreme Court in California recently recognized same-sex unions as fundamentally protected by the constitution of that state. With the proposition’s passing, the people have in effect, by only a simple majority, repealed a fundamental right of a minority group. Regardless of people’s personal religious or political beliefs, everyone should see this as a frightening precedent to be set in this country. Green talks about his fear that the free speech of Christians will be limited under the Obama administration. Yet with this passage of this proposition, the door has been opened to limit the freedoms of any group based on the opinion of a simple majority. And who is to say that Christians will not be the target of such limitations in the future?

I could go into the argument he had regarding Obama’s views on abortion, which left out the fact that Obama has publicly stated on several occasions that he wholly supports a ban on late-term abortion except in extreme cases when a mother’s life is at risk, but I will leave that alone. Its significance pales in comparison to the idea that constitutionally recognized freedoms may now be repealed or limited in some jurisdictions by a simple majority of voters.

I believe that God has given people the right to choose freely how they will live their lives. The job of the government is not to intervene and place limits on the freedom of the people. Instead, the government is meant to protect the freedoms of individuals, and especially of minority groups. Otherwise any group in the future, Christians included, may be subject to a loss of freedom and fundamental rights. And that’s something that no American should stand for.

Jason Hope

Spanish and international studies junior