“Well, I’m not saying anything. But, yes, I’m praying in my mind.”
“So, you are praying?” the policeman repeated.
“Well, yes.”
“Then you’ll have to come to the station with us, ma’am.” And he put Isabel Vaughn-Spruce, a local leader of 40 Days for Life, under arrest.
Tragically, denials of what have historically been the sacred freedoms of religion, speech, assembly, and conscience are happening more and more as leftist tyrants and their all-too-willing toadies in the press, schools, business, and government bureaucracies ramp up their intolerance of the ideals of Western civilization, Christianity, and Christians.
We have, of course, been dealing with this sad injustice for awhile now. Bakers, innkeepers, and florists are denied the freedoms of religion and conscience. Coaches cannot pray with their teams (no matter how willing the student/athletes are to do so) and valedictorians are not allowed to mention Jesus to their classmates. Wearing a Christian T-shirt gets you thrown out of the mall, the school, the public library, the company picnic. And on and on.
Indeed, the arrest of Mrs. Vaughn-Spruce provoked a vivid reminder of a similar situation I encountered a few years ago outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. It was the night before the March for Life and Claire and I were in town with three of our Omaha colleagues for the event.
But on the night before the March, we had gone to spend a few minutes in prayer outside the U.S. Capitol, the Senate and Congressional offices, and now we were at the Supreme Court. It was late. It was very quiet. There was no one besides the 5 of us on the whole plaza. But just a few seconds into our corporate prayer, one of the Supreme Court police (yes, they’ve got their own) interrupted us and told us that we couldn’t pray there. Though incredulous and angry, I was calm, respectful, and very courteous in my response…as was he. Here’s how it went:
“Officer, thanks for checking on us. But let me ask, did I hear you correctly that we aren’t allowed to pray here?”
“That’s right.”
“Good grief. May I respectfully ask by what authority you make this remarkably un-American demand?”
The Supreme Court policeman was a bit disconcerted. “Look, I know it doesn’t seem right but they’ve told us not to let crowds gather here or to let anyone do any demonstrating.”
“Officer,” I spoke gently, “are you considering five people a crowd, especially when we’re the only ones in this whole plaza? And do you really interpret the five of us quietly standing here a demonstration? And I haven’t even mentioned you telling us we can’t pray!”
“I know it doesn’t seem right, sir. But I’m just following orders.”
“Okay, let me ask you this -- when I saw you coming across the plaza, it looked to me like you were already determined to chase us away. But what if we were simply tourists enjoying the sights of D.C.? Would you have ordered us to leave?”
“No, of course not; that would have been fine. But I could tell that you were praying by the way you had your heads bowed.”
“Wow; that’s interesting. So, let me get this straight; you’re suggesting that it wasn’t the prayer itself that bothered you. It was seeing us in a posture of prayer.”
“Yes, I guess so. Because the way you looked, anybody could see that you were praying. And that’s I when I could get in trouble.”
“Got it. But I’ll bet you’ll agree with me that with all the murders and the rapes and the robberies in this city, you’ve got to feel at least a little silly for telling us that praying in this empty place at night is the crime you’re determined to prevent.” He looked kinda’ crestfallen at that and so I followed up quickly, “Look, I’ve got an idea. You and I are not going to settle here tonight the Constitutional legality of our freedom to assembly. And I have no desire to get you or me or any of my friends here in trouble. So, here’s my suggestion. Why don’t you walk away and leave us alone for another few minutes. I promise we won’t get on our knees or bow our heads or intertwine our fingers. We will look just like tourists -- tourists that are simply appreciating the beauty of the Supreme Court lit up at night and thinking about the things it has traditionally stood for…things like, say religious freedom and other stuff! Then you walk back by here in ten minutes and we will be gone. What do you say?
“I guess that would be okay. ‘Cause, you know, I don’t want to be a hard-case about all this. Still, I’m pretty sure that when I walk away, you folks will probably start praying again.”
I smiled. “But, officer, even if we were so bold to do that, you wouldn’t know. Nobody would know. And why? Because you came over here and warned us against assuming a posture of prayer. Mission was accomplished. I promise we won’t do that. And, like I said, we’ll just be here a few minutes more. How about it?”
The fellow paused a moment. “Okay, goodnight, folks.” He finally walked away and left us to finish our prayers (abstaining from a prayer posture, of course) before we headed back to our hotel. It was a memorable night, for even though we managed to escape penalties for praying in the public square, it was a clear warning of what was coming. And, as I suggested, that incident came back in a rush when I watched the video of Mrs. Vaughn-Spruce’s arrest. “So, you are praying? Then you’ll have to come with us.”
My friends, because of the accelerating hatred of the world for God and because the Church has cowardly surrendered so much of her responsibilities to live holy, separated lives as well as to lovingly speak truth into the culture, this is going to keep happening. The powers that be will tell us -- “Sure, it’s fine to have your religion. We will graciously allow that. However, your religion must be a totally private (even secret) thing that finds no expression whatsoever in the public square, the schools, the marketplace, politics, the local library, etc. And, as long as your convictions give way before the ideals (and compulsory orders) of Science, Progress, the State, and the “enlightened elite,” you can feel as many religious feelings as you’d like. ‘Cause, you know, we don’t want to be a hard-case about all this.”
Lord, have mercy. Help us to hold on tight to a heavenly perspective regarding the trials of living all-out for You. Please be our strength and shield as we pursue godliness in our personal lives and as we undertake the light-bearing responsibilities we have been given as Your ambassadors.
