Welcome back to
the Liberty Insider.
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Before the break
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with NARLA executive
director Melissa Reid,
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and shame on you
if you don't know
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what NARLA was
because it means you wasn't,
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weren't watching--
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Didn't watch the
first half of the show.
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But NARLA is the North American
Religious Liberty Association.
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Yes.
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And Melissa Reid
is executive director.
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We were talking
generally about NARLA
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and getting more
particular about the need
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to involve young
people on college campuses.
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Absolutely.
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Well, you know, I'm
really impressed about
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when I see young
people get involved.
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We talked a little
bit about their enthusiasm
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and their passion
but they also have
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really great ideas that,
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you know, and ways to
sort of share the message
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or grow the movement in way
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that I really would never
have though of or identified.
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And so they're are
great resource too.
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And so, I don't think I shared
the website before which is
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www.ReligiousLiberty.info.
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Not .com .info. So
ReligiousLiberty.info.
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And so, if you would
like to become involved
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or even establish a
religious liberty chapter
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in your community
or on your campus,
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please do contact us.
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Another way for individuals--
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Please, that's a request. Yes.
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We want the
million of people out there
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that potentially
can watch this program
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for them to respond
and, you know, you could have
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tens of thousands
of little local groups
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doing something practically
and taken together, you know.
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We hear about cells all the time
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in the negative sense
Al-Qaeda and all the rest of it.
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They're destroying the world.
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And there's not
many people really
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but their cell system
increases their power.
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Why not for something very good
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literally have this
ground root cell linkage
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where just a few people
here and a few people here
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but together they can
move legislative mountains
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and change public
attitudes for the good.
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Absolutely.
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It's just like our
little organized church plants
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that we are, you know,
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we are doing
across the United States.
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And the other thing is,
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you know, some
people do not live in areas
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where there are lot of
other like minded believers,
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they're in, you know, sort
of more of an isolated situation
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or, you know, they
just even if, you know,
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they want to connect
with other communities,
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with other outside individuals.
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I remember as a young
person being very interested
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and I grew up in a small town
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and I wanted to know
what else was out there,
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what else was out there.
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And if there were other people
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who were, you know,
sort of seeing the world
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or thinking the same
things that I wasn't.
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So we actually have hired
on a social media coordinator,
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someone who is
actually working with Liberty
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as well as with NARLA,
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and again
coordinating that message
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in the sort of partnership.
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And so, Facebook is a
great way to be involved
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in the NARLA
community without, you know,
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if you don't have
a particular chapter
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or it's just sort of, you know--
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Share information.
Sharing information.
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Dynamic Facebook
work. Absolutely.
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So, if you go to Facebook,
facebook.com/narlafreedom,
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so narlafreedom, facebook.com
or you can just look up,
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North America
Religious Liberty Association
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on Facebook and
you can do the same,
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you can find
Liberty Magazine on the same
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and sort of find a community
of readers there as well.
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But, so that's a
real way, you know to--
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Let me ask you an
interesting question.
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I don't even know
how you will answer this.
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Okay.
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NARLA began in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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structurally we know that.
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Is it designed
to be self-limiting
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or is it open for anyone?
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Well, the way that it's designed
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is that we
adhere to the principles
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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and we take
positions that are consistent
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with the Seventh-day
Adventist Church's positions.
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On religious liberty
related? On religious liberty.
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Not on, it's not a--
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It's not a
theological organization.
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Theological other
than there is an underlying
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biblical theology of
religious liberty of course.
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Yes, absolutely.
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So, it's not sectarian
or it's not denominational?
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Exactly.
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And so we look to the
church's position on particular,
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you know, social issues
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or religious
liberty related issues
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and then, you know,
advocate in consistent manner.
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So conceivably
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someone not even connected
with any particular church,
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just interested
in religious freedom
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and the constitutional norms
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that make United
States special in its claims.
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They can do that.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
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Yes, we'd love to have,
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you know, those
individuals involved.
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You know, one of the
things that I really enjoy
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about the work that
we do is that very often
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we are involved in
religious freedom coalitions.
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Meaning that we work
with other faith groups
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who have
completely different beliefs,
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spiritual beliefs than we do,
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but recognize the
need to be respectful
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of general religious freedom
and freedom of conscience.
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There not just
so much respectful,
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I mean, that goes with it
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but we have common
cause on certain issues.
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Common cause on certain issues--
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So, you don't have to
really have an opinion
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say on Buddhism, or Hinduism--
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Yes.
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To meet with the
representative of that religion
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in common cause
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say for continued workplace
accommodation for faith.
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Absolutely.
That's absolutely is.
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And a lot of our own
members misunderstand that.
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They're very often suspicious
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of a syncretistic
accommodating sort of approach
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between religions which
we are not involved with.
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But religious
liberty historically,
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it's been socially
and in an advocacy sense
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involved with all
sorts of religious
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and even irreligious
group, so antireligious.
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Some of them
antireligious. Yeah.
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And the thing is, you
know, it's a reflection,
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I like this about, you
know, the work that we do
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and the organizations
that we're promoting
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is that we recognize,
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I mean, we just sort of
marrying Christ example.
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Right, God's example.
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You know, this is our
Creator who allows us to choose
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whether to server
Him or not, you know,
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and so for us not to
be mutually, you know,
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respecting of
other's individual beliefs.
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You know, it would be
inconsistent with our faith.
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I've told people usually,
privately and they look at me
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with little bit of
scan what I've said.
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You know, I
don't have to believe
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your religion has
any mirror whatsoever.
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I can find it principally purer.
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Right.
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Not you as an human being
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but I will defend your right
to believe it to the death.
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I mean, that's got to be
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the principle of
religious liberty.
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It's tied up to respect
for a fellow human being
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but it doesn't in any sense mean
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that you find their
beliefs and you got to be
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and I'm hope I'm right on this
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because if you need
to feel warm and fuzzy
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that means you won't defend
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as Liberty Magazine
did once at an article
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where they
attacked the editor on
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but they're defending the
right of the Santeria occult
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there in Miami
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to sacrifice
chickens in their backyard.
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Well, you know,
that's pretty animistic
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out of the social mainline,
but the same principle applies
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even though I find
it sort of bizarre.
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So I shouldn't
have to have a spectrum.
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Well, I like this religion,
so I could work with them
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even though I
wouldn't endorse it.
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It's all the same to me.
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Obviously, you want to
work with groups and people
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that on a human
dynamic will cooperate
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and have the common course.
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But it's not necessary
that we accept or endorse
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whatever these people believe.
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And we have
wonderful coalitions.
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I know the different
coalitions that our church
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and religious liberty department
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and now NARLA is working with,
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that whole spectrum
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they are not
just people of faith.
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Some of the organizations
are calculatedly secular
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and in parts of
what they are doing
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and may even be against
some religious expression.
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This is the great irony
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and I've talked
to you privately.
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We got to be a
little bit careful
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because on some issues,
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we might find a fellow travelers
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or the seculars who
really want religion
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out of the public's fear
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but they will defend as we do,
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the separation
of church and state.
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So, in that issue we might find
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that we are in
perfect agreement.
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Yeah.
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And I really
like that, you know,
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again we can be in a
coalition with someone
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or some
organization on one issue
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and not in others.
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You know, we are seeing it
differently at another issue
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and yet we are still,
you know, work together.
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Absolutely.
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And I'll throw
the example in that
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some of our own
church members forget.
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One of our main
pioneers Ellen White
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had almost a
prophetic role in the church.
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She was a great
activist for temperance.
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Was an in demand speaker
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not just for
her own church group
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but the Millerites and
then the Seventh-day Adventist
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but the Women's
Christian Temperance Union
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and other church groups
she went around talking.
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Well, the WCTU were
actually at the same time
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fighting for a Sunday law.
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She was adamantly opposed to.
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But she didn't see any problem
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in uniting with them
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on what amounted to
the prohibition circuit.
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Right, and I
remember her actually saying
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in a letter to an individual
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that it was important, you know,
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that this was an
opportunity to witness also.
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You know, our
continued involvement
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in these sort of coalitions,
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never had compromised
our beliefs in anyway
00:09:26.96\00:09:29.16
but having that
relationship and, you know,
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perhaps the Holy Spirit will
move individuals in that way
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but again going back
to the college campuses,
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you know, we talked about
this is sort of the time where,
00:09:37.07\00:09:39.84
where individuals
are really developing
00:09:39.87\00:09:41.74
their social conscience,
00:09:41.78\00:09:43.11
but again the
guidance is so important
00:09:43.14\00:09:45.01
and we talked
about religious freedom
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is part of our, you know,
our social sphere right now,
00:09:46.58\00:09:50.39
it's in the news every
day, but a lot of times
00:09:50.42\00:09:54.26
what I hear
described as religious freedom
00:09:54.29\00:09:55.99
and religious
liberty is on the news.
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It's not really
what I determine--
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Well, how I characterize it.
00:09:59.83\00:10:01.20
We've entered the
phase when people,
00:10:01.23\00:10:03.30
many in this country they talk
about religious entitlement.
00:10:03.33\00:10:05.97
Yes, and so--
00:10:06.00\00:10:07.34
And that can be bad for those
that don't share their view.
00:10:07.37\00:10:10.37
They want their
religious views empowered
00:10:10.41\00:10:13.38
and perhaps even as we
saw in high profile case,
00:10:13.41\00:10:16.58
I'm so empowered that
I can actually stop you
00:10:16.61\00:10:18.91
exercising your religious views.
00:10:18.95\00:10:20.35
Yes. Yes.
00:10:20.38\00:10:21.72
One of our
colleagues Brent Walker,
00:10:21.75\00:10:23.08
who works for the
Baptist Joint Committee.
00:10:23.12\00:10:24.52
Again, one of the partners
that we worked with for years.
00:10:24.55\00:10:27.19
He actually said,
00:10:27.22\00:10:29.46
he uses the phrase
religious liberty for me
00:10:29.49\00:10:32.03
but not for thee.
00:10:32.06\00:10:33.80
You know, and it's
the same sort of thing.
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.93
Yeah, and so I felt like,
again these local chapters
00:10:35.96\00:10:39.93
and becoming involved in
our social media community
00:10:39.97\00:10:42.94
is really a way of understanding
00:10:42.97\00:10:46.07
that this is
something for everyone
00:10:46.11\00:10:47.94
and sometimes, you know,
that can make us uncomfortable
00:10:47.98\00:10:50.85
but it's God's, it's the
way that He has designed us.
00:10:50.88\00:10:54.32
But I do think as you work
with young people in particular
00:10:54.35\00:10:57.19
and NARLA is not aids limited,
you made that very clear.
00:10:57.22\00:10:59.15
Very clear, yes.
00:10:59.19\00:11:00.52
But with activating a whole
new generation of young people,
00:11:00.56\00:11:03.16
that's very
hopeful initiative I think.
00:11:03.19\00:11:07.03
Only good can come from
that little payoff more and more
00:11:07.06\00:11:10.17
as those young people
move into the mainstream.
00:11:10.20\00:11:12.07
Right.
00:11:12.10\00:11:13.44
Well, you know, if people
are listening to the show today
00:11:13.47\00:11:15.47
and are at all interested,
I certainly do encourage them
00:11:15.50\00:11:18.51
to visit our website,
to visit the Facebook page.
00:11:18.54\00:11:21.51
And what can
they do as a follower?
00:11:21.54\00:11:23.51
Yes. You know, recruit.
00:11:23.55\00:11:26.98
Well, what I'd
love to see is for them
00:11:27.02\00:11:29.12
to actually come and
attend one of our events.
00:11:29.15\00:11:31.89
You know, I talked a little bit
00:11:31.92\00:11:33.25
about our annual religious
liberty summit that we have,
00:11:33.29\00:11:35.46
that we're holding in
Washington DC every year.
00:11:35.49\00:11:38.53
That's gonna be
happening this May
00:11:38.56\00:11:40.20
and I would
encourage individuals
00:11:40.23\00:11:42.70
to come and join us
and sort of, you know,
00:11:42.73\00:11:45.77
interact with fellow
religious liberty advocates.
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.87
Hopefully learn a little bit.
00:11:48.90\00:11:50.24
Hopefully be inspired
spiritually a little bit,
00:11:50.27\00:11:54.21
but I just really
encourage you, you know,
00:11:54.24\00:11:56.85
pray about it and
see if this is something
00:11:56.88\00:11:58.61
that you can make
happen in your own life.
00:11:58.65\00:12:01.38
So, www.ReligiousLiberty.info,
00:12:01.42\00:12:05.25
info or on Facebook
look for us as well.
00:12:05.29\00:12:10.19
I will remember
Dr. Adrian Westney
00:12:10.23\00:12:13.09
in the many different
meetings that he and I attended
00:12:13.13\00:12:16.06
invariably saying,
00:12:16.10\00:12:17.50
what about the North American
Religious Liberty Association?
00:12:17.53\00:12:20.60
When can we really get
behind to make it work?
00:12:20.64\00:12:23.71
Well, Dr. Adrian
Westney is long dead now
00:12:23.74\00:12:26.78
which is a sad
passage of a great pioneer.
00:12:26.81\00:12:30.31
But his dream is alive
00:12:30.35\00:12:33.01
and I want to tell Seventh-day
Adventists that are watching,
00:12:33.05\00:12:35.72
that your church is
now ready to mobilize you
00:12:35.75\00:12:39.19
for religious liberty.
00:12:39.22\00:12:40.56
I want to tell
anyone of any faith,
00:12:40.59\00:12:42.89
as long as you are committed
to upholding religious liberty,
00:12:42.92\00:12:47.16
the North American
Religious Liberty Association
00:12:47.20\00:12:49.83
is your organization.
00:12:49.86\00:12:51.73
Join with it.
00:12:51.77\00:12:53.10
Make this a mighty
army in a spiritual sense
00:12:53.13\00:12:56.00
that will proclaim liberty,
00:12:56.04\00:12:58.61
freedom from the housetops
as far and as broad as we can
00:12:58.64\00:13:03.61
and be true
activist to defend it.
00:13:03.65\00:13:06.68
Just speaking well of
something is not always enough.
00:13:06.72\00:13:10.35
We need to do and
to dare and to witness
00:13:10.39\00:13:13.32
and to write letters
00:13:13.36\00:13:14.69
and do whatever it takes
to defend religious liberty.
00:13:14.72\00:13:18.66
For Liberty
Insider, I'm Lincoln Steed.
00:13:18.69\00:13:21.86