>> when need to find unity of religious traditions if we are to preserve robust freedom and religious liberty. in the short time that i have today, i want to call attention to a new player in the arena of religion and public life and was commonly called the west -- so- called eastern orthodox christianity can no longer be described or confined as a religion of the east. our world today is global and movement is at an ever increasing rapid pace. technology has broken down borders. access to information, of course, has contributed greatly to the discovery of a different christianity by those living in the west and also those who have lost their faith and spiritual roots two decades of godless communism or persecution and intimidation by life under intimidation byyolk. as we contemplate the threat to our religion today, in the last century, orthodox christianity has produced more markers for the fate then in all the previous two dozen years of christian history combined. orthodoxy know by experience the tierney of communism and life as a minority religion in regions dominated by islam. the religious liberty enjoyed by christians living in western countries has not been experience of most orthodox christians and the world. the religious liberty we enjoy today was absent for most orthodox christians living in the former soviet union, eastern europe, middle east, and parts of africa. we orthodox recognize the signs of persecution even those of the more subtle variety found in most western societies today. to message seems now to be very clear in the west -- the message is that christianity can be tolerated as long as it remains within the confines of the walls of our churches. what comes next? i believe that like a canary carried by minors, that the orthodox christians to our unique history of living in parts of the world that religious liberty is not normal. through our experience, reliable marker is predict that something is wrong and maybe even a life threatening. judaeo-christian foundations that inspired christians to found hospitals, orphanages, universities and countless other centers for the good of society for believers and nonbelievers alike is now very weak in much of the west. theology which was once the centerpiece of universities is now, for the most part, simply an isolated discipline somewhere in the religion department full professors mostly with little conviction of any stripe. one president of a major university stated he would abolish the religion department of his university if he could. he believes that god is simply a word for people with an incurable nostalgia for something that never was. we must ask why and how this happened. why has this misguided interpretation of the doctrine of the separation of church and state been allowed to bar any talk of god, faith, and borrows from the public square in countries that supposedly value the doctrine of freedom of religion? these are countries that value free speech and a so-called liberal education. could the fault actually lie with christians? as divided christianity been the basis for isolating the judeo- christian foundation as a building block for the western world which once honored such ideals as the common good of man, the golden rule, the right to life, freedom, and democracy? could are teaching of what i call locale theology and the let's all get along theology caused our witness to become anemic and irrelevant? it is not the present crisis of what i call the fairness doctrine. life is to be live without values, moral guidance or much else beyond the present moment. the concern for the threat to our american religious liberty is real. orthodox history comes with some bible lessons. here's one from recent history that should inspire us to leave here today determined to raise our voices loudly in defense of our religious freedom. most of us present here today recognize with great enthusiasm the influence that ronald reagan, margaret thatcher, and pope john paul ii had in ending the cold war and bring it and to communist rule and the soviets -- and bring an end to communist rule. there's also the powerful influence of the millennial celebration of what is called the baptism of the ruse which took place in 988. mchale a tour -- mckelway gorbachev in 1988 it would not go back on for the russian orthodox church was up from the underground and there was no going back. holy mother russia turned quickly into the got less bolshevik state where religion and religious liberties were under attack, large portions of the faithful simply remained silent. we cannot afford to not learn from this historical lesson that is only one of many that are almost identical. an author notes about ronald reagan -- religion has been an essential component of massive interest in the soviet union. in russia, religion is alive, beleaguered, tormented, but alive. the author had written this after her first visit to the soviet union in 1967. in a state where great cathedrals have been turned into anti-religious museums, this is a sublime example of his enduring strength in the hearts of men. she had studied the history of the russian orthodox church for her book. the church is always represented the aspirations of the russian people and provided them with the inspiration and strength from the darkest hours of their history. this passage in form inspired president reagan. the must ask ourselves today if there is not a lesson to be learned about just how quickly things can change and cultures where religious liberties are chipped away and eventually forgotten altogether. let us be attentive as we often repeated in our orthodox liturgies. orthodox christianity is now finding a home in places like western europe and north america and beyond. this is the christianity tried and tested by the oppression of every sort in very recent times. in many places in the west, she can still be found hiding in safe havens or ethnic ghettos but this is changing quickly as the fear of being different dissolves. converts from every cultural background are now and bring in new kind of zeal to orthodoxy. they are bringing with them what i would call a familiarity with the way that americans do business. it is has been said that to live aboard a large christian life is to be engaged in an endless series of risk-taking. this step -- the status quo can indeed be changed. our history testifies to this fact. not by forcing our beliefs and common on willing but by living individual christian lives that reflect the light of christ in a darkened world. "find inner peace and thousands around you will be saved." i can say to you today that we orthodox are not only finding our interior way but we are finding our external voice. orthodox pirates have issued many directors over the years but i believe the following statement is the first record of protest against the infringement of religious liberty given in response to the recent unpleasantness with the department of health and human services. the orthodox bishops joined their voice with the u.s. catholic conference of bishops and call upon all orthodox christians to contact their elected representatives to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the sanctity of the church's conscience. they go on to write," in this ruling by health and human services, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives including some abortion- inducing drugs and sterilization for their employees regardless of their religious convictions of the employers." the first amendment of the u.s. constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. this freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for contraceptive services including abortion-inducing drugs that directly violate their religious convictions. providing such services should not be regarded as mandated medical care. we, the assembly call upon the hhs secretary kathleen sibelius and the obama administration to rescind this unjust ruling and respect the religious freedom guaranteed all americans by the first amendment. the orthodox have begun to be confident americans. the united voice of orthodoxy is being heard in a way that is, in the opinion of this baker, simply long overdue. the lines we formed today does much to give body into our efforts to call attention and defend religious liberty for every american. the once unknown christian witness from the east is now sinking deeper into new places including this land of the free and home of the brave. we bring our history and experience from recent times and we know the importance of not being intimidated and silent when something as precious as religious liberty is at stake. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, it is an honor to be here with you, my teacher, today and be part of such a distinguished panel of clergy. i recently came upon an extraordinary letter that was written in 1787 by dr. benjamin rush, then the formal physician in america. he was a devout christian and an american founding father signatory to the declaration of independence. in his 1787 letter, he recounts to his wife julia his experience having just attended a jewish wedding in philadelphia. the only firsthand account of a jewish wedding from this error which i am aware. he tells his wife upon being invited to attend his wedding at the home of a jewish associate," i accepted the invitation with great pleasure for you know i love to be in the with adding to buy stock of ideas upon all subjects." the ceremony began with "the erection of a beautiful canopy composed of white and red silk in the middle of the floor." this structure is the chupa under which a jewish brides and grooms are traditionally married. he goes on to confirm that all jewish homes are the same everywhere and reported to his wife that when he went after the wedding to bid farewell to the mother of the bride, she "put a large piece of cake to buy a pocket for you." you can't leave a jewish home without having cake. [laughter] let me talk about the chupa which tells us something profound about jewish life. it is the embodiment of a home that the man and wife tend to build their home. it is an odd home to build because there are no boundaries, a breeze and all sides. it is perceived as an act -- as a abraham and sarah. it opens doors and all four of its sides. the open sides symbolize their commitment to bear the monotheistic message of the four corners of the air. under the chupa standing in the medical -- metaphorical shadow, the man and wife commit themselves to the abraham a commission to carry judea's and into the world around them. judea's and is affirming. it obligates them wherever they need be or go or whatever they may do or say or become whether in their own home or in the public square on to the four corners of the earth. what is striking to me about the account is that rush, a devout christian, is the one describing it. the fact that he was there shows how welcome jews felton a relatively open about their faith they were in an era which would have been on welcome in most other parts of the world. in the europe of the enlightenment, jews were tantalized by the vision of full integration into german or french society but only if they're willing to sacrifice their public jewishness to do so. when european jewish intellectual went so far as to famously capitulate to these demands by saying, "i shall be a jew in the 10th but a german industry to." the chupa embodies the traditional jewish belief that one cannot become a fundamentally different person upon crossing a threshold. one cannot check one's heritage at the door. the message of fidelity to fate was embraced by russia and fellow pitchers to understood the first amendment and the religious freedom means loyalty to your beliefs even if they are unpopular with tornadoes and engaged with those neighbors. a jewish wedding witnessed by a devout christian american founder embodies the pluralist a promise of america. teh chupa is a uniquely jewish symbol but it translates an american idea that anyone here can understand. our faith is an essential part of ourselves and cannot be amputated from our identity upon opening hour from doors. if we who are here today understand this, it is not clear that others do and this brings us to be hhs policy that 43 catholic institutions have challenged this weaken corporate the current policy exempts only religious organizations that do not employ members of other faiths. before congress, i noted that there are two important corollaries. by carving out an exemption, the administration acknowledges that forcing employers to purchase these policies may violate religious freedom. the of ministration also sones that those -- the administration also assumes that in order to engage with and serve members of other fights, no longer acting in a religious capacity and are not entitled to first amendment protection. this betrays a complete misunderstanding of the nature of religion. for orthodox jews, religion and tradition govern their religion, religion informs our conduct in the manifestation of religious beliefs from feeding the hungry to assessing medical ethics to a million things in between. in refusing to extend religious liberty beyond the parameters of what the above decision chooses to dean religious conduct, the administration denies people of faith the ability to define their religious activity. not only is this a threat to the root -- peaked liberty of religion by requiring individuals and organizations to violate their religious tenets but also the administration and played -- impedes religious freedom. [applause] this, as it were, is an attempt to well up chupa, to force americans to relegate religious beliefs to the private domain. several months after attending the jewish wedding and mentioned earlier, benjamin rush participated in celebration of another union -- a parade in honor of the american constitution had had just been ratified by the state. he noted the parade featured a spectacle impossible in the europe of his death. "the clergy of the different christian denominations with the rabbi of the jews walking arm in arm." he reflected this was a most delightful site. he said there could not have been a more better emblem that opened says the offices to every sector of christian but were the men of every religion. the freedom to remain loyal to one's own fate while engaging americans of other faiths is the essence of what this country and its constitution means to jews and it is this quintessential american idea that is now being challenged by the of ministration. to the clergy on my pal, it is my privilege to join arms with all of you and the fate of this troubling attempted to restrict the very rights the first amendment was crafted to protect. when my fellow americans are threatened and the definition of religion is being redefined by bureaucratic fiat, i am proud to stand with you. thank you for having me. [applause] >> maybe you see why i am so proud. thank you to all of our panelists. it is wonderful to have this wide representation of traditions, five major traditions in the united states represented. of course there are people from other traditions as well who are doing heroic work in the battle for religious freedom. we could expand the panel if we have more space and more time. one thinks of islamic figures for the back of fund for religious freedom t --eh beckett fund for religious for, members sikh fund. this is a cause that unites us across christian and judeo- christian lines but even more broadly. with that, let's have a little discussion appear on the panel and then, i understand, you will have the opportunity to send some questions up from the audience. if i could begin, i was struck by something that c shipor teleone said. catholics had to work toward a truly robust understanding of religious liberty that embraces the broader principles of democratic-republican government. my own sense of that and i would be curious to know your perspective is that part of it had to do with what the for raised"religious liberty" meant to a church whose hierarchy for a long time really was european. the experience of the french revolution really shaped the idea that catholics have about religious liberty and that meant things like religious indifference or relativism and the idea that religious vows did not bind or that it is immoral to take religious vows, attempting to bind your own conscience against future reflection and a complete comprehensive subservience of the church to the state. it was only when the church got a sense of a different idea about religious liberty, when i think that americans can camp -- can claim some credit for. it was strongly to test from the french idea. it would not relegate religious liberty to a secondary status. catholics really could step forward with the conception of religious liberty. and my near the mark on this? >> you would know better than i. [laughter] >> i don't have one chains. [laughter] >> the difference between the french revolution and the american revolution -- a. yes the french concept which would make the church subservient to the state and that religious indifference whereas the concept of the founders of our nation was a different understanding with the importance of the role of religion and public life that they call this an experiment in democracy. if the experiment is going to work, they knew it had to be based on a body of virtuous citizens. and helping people develop those virtues necessary to make this society work. we know how they endorsed the importance of the american people having that religious sense without establishing a particular religious tradition or church as the state religion. >> timothy, you can help me on this. it looks to me that although the catholic church took a while longer to get there in its formal pronouncement, when one reads, if one or a baptist, which you of course are, one would not find a lot to disagree with their. >> item that anybody has a perfect record on religious freedom including baptists. we have been champions but sometimes an hour on practice, we have not lived up to what we profess. if you are right, and when the documents i have been recently involved with, the most recent document. it is a common based tax. --text. there's a coalition of religious concern the drowsiness represent the historic christian doctrine of god, really, as well as the christian tradition in talking about what religious freedom means in our world today. the only other thing i would like to comment on is that there is something that runs for all of our comments on the panel today. that is that we are each speaking, i think, deeply and with conviction that out of our own firmly held religious convictions. there is a kind of argument for religious freedom that opposes that kind of religious conviction and sees it as an impediment to religious freedom, that always digs about religion as provoking religious wars and violence. what we are trying to say is that within our own religious convictions and tradition, there is a common core of commitment that allows us to respect one another and enter into dialogue with one another and to stand for one another when religious freedom is under assault. it seems this is a far better way. that is the way forward. >> i was struck by something you said as well about the jewish experience in europe compared to the experience in the united states. especially bad bargain offer -- especially the bargain offer from europe that choose, you will get something you always wanted but never had in europe which is full citizenship and liberation but at a cost, the cost is you have to keep your religion private and in your public life, it cannot bear. a lot of people in europe on both sides of the divide believed th