Religious freedom is an establishing element of American
society – a backbone, if you will.
It has been a factor of American life for almost four hundred
years. The pros of religious
freedom are that residents in America do not have to attend a certain religious
function or utter words that have religious connotations. They have the right to have total faith
in their religion or lack thereof, and be able to preach about those
beliefs. However, religious
freedom can lead to conflict.
Since American residents have freedom to practice according to their own
belief systems, others in America feel threatened when those belief systems are
thought to antagonistically converge with their own.
In the play, Inherit the Wind,
religious freedom was tested as a result of the imprisonment of Cates. The backbone of America was shattered,
broken, and disassembled and the bones and cartilage that made up the great
bodily entity were scrambled. The
pieces were scattered. It was not
until the ability to question and think freely was introduced to the community
of Hillsboro that the pieces were somewhat recovered and peace was restored. At the end of the
play Drummond says, “A giant once lived in that body. (Quietly) But Matt Brady
got lost. Because he was looking
for God too high up and too far away.”
(Act 3, page 128) The key to religious freedom is that it remains grounded. - J. A. Kind
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