Religious freedom American core value

When my wife and I were attending college in Hawaii, one of our favorite places to visit was the National Cemetery of the Pacific, known by locals as “Punchbowl” because it sits nestled in Punchbowl Crater right in Honolulu. It is an extraordinary, beautiful, quiet and sacred space where over 34,000 veterans are interred. We’ve taken our children back there twice so they too can feel the spirit of dedication and sacrifice that is found there. I can never visit Punchbowl without weeping for gratitude for the men and women who gave “the last full measure of devotion” so that my family and I can remain free.

Graves are great equalizers. No matter the length of their lives, the background or battles or triumphs or tragedies, the earthly remains of all 34,000 of these great patriots have been laid to rest in the same space, with a simple marker. The same will be said of all of us. One of the most interesting things about the Punchbowl graves, however, are the religious symbols placed on the headstones. Many — perhaps most — religious symbols are crosses of all sorts such as Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic, Adventist, Greek Orthodox and Episcopal. Many others are Jewish Stars of David. Many have no religious symbols at all. But there are a host of others — the Buddhist Dharma Wheel, the Mormon Angel Moroni, the Shinto Gate, the Sikh double-edged sword, and dozens of others.

I find it particularly striking that men and women from a variety of faith backgrounds all spilled the same American blood to ensure my liberty. They didn’t check with me first to see if my religion was good enough to fight and die for. The graves at Punchbowl cemetery are a great reminder that religious freedom was a uniquely American idea, and remains one of our core and most important freedoms.

The history of religious persecution demonstrates that religious freedom does not come naturally, and must be guarded and kept secured with persistence and diligence. One of the first signs of the crumbling of religious freedom comes in the form of religious intolerance. Every faith at one time or other has been the one on the “outside,” persecuted or bullied or denied the basic human freedom to worship God how they please without the fear of reprisal. As a Mormon, the history of persecution is still vivid within me and in the collective consciousness of our people, and the same can be said of all other faith traditions at one time or another.

Once a month I have the privilege to sit down and meet with leaders of many different congregations and faiths. It’s been wonderful to break down barriers and learn to work with and love each other, whether we are Catholic or Presbyterian, Lutheran or Mormon. As we have met and discussed our struggles and concerns, it becomes obvious that their concerns are my concerns; the breakdown of the family, the plight of the poor, and the loss of religious faith and the threat to religious freedom. We don’t need to agree on specific doctrines in order to feel compassion for our fellow man and try to do something to alleviate it. I have learned for myself that religious tolerance is no threat and opens doors to serve our fellow man.

I am privileged to call these men my friends. We, as members of all faith traditions, or without any religion at all, can join together, unified by our desires to bless the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, the imprisoned and the unfortunate. I implore my fellow North Idahoans to actively and purposefully seek out those of any faith who desire to have more decency, goodness, kindness, charity and compassion in our society, and to join together, in spite of doctrinal differences, for the good of all of the children of God.

Aaron Nicholes is a resident of Post Falls and is the President of the Coeur d’Alene Idaho stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.