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This Thanksgiving, Americans are Reaping a Harvest of Religious Freedom

by Jorge Gomez • 5 min read

Thanksgiving is a time-honored tradition for millions of Americans. It’s an opportunity to gather with family and friends to express our gratitude to God for all the blessings we have in our lives and our nation.

This year, First Liberty is feeling extra thankful. 2022 has been a very fruitful year in the fight to restore and protect our constitutional freedoms. From coast to coast, Americans are reaping a harvest of religious liberty. Every American is experiencing more religious freedom today than we’ve had in decades. Religious expression is thriving. This is the greatest comeback for religious freedom in the last 50 years.

Thanks to your generous support, we secured two precedent-setting legal victories in a single year at the U.S. Supreme Court. These wins were some of the most consequential rulings favoring religious freedom of our generation. Thanks to you, we won:

• Coach Joe Kennedy’s case (Kennedy v. Bremerton School District), a landmark win that upheld Coach Kennedy’s right to take a knee in quiet, solitary prayer after games. This ruling changed the future of religious freedom and set a major precedent affirming that the government cannot censor private religious expression.
• Treat Children Fairly (Carson v. Makin), a win that opened the door wide for school vouchers and other government assistance for all private schools, including those that are religious. This was a huge victory not just for religious education, but also to ensure that government assistance programs treat religious organizations and businesses the same as everyone else.

These wins have sparked a national revival for faith and freedom, and that’s something for which we’re incredibly thankful. After decades of hostility, religious people grew accustomed to playing defense. But the tide has turned. This is a new era for religious freedom when you have the strong legal foundation to go on offense. This is a unique time for YOU to Restore Faith in America.

Now you can help make sure prayer returns to public places:

• If opening prayers at city council meetings were censored, now you can ask your local leaders and councilmembers to bring those prayers back.
• Athletes at your local high school can ask teammates, opposing players and coaches to pray together on the field or the court after a game.
• If you’re a school administrator or public employee, you can now say a private prayer at work or during your lunch without the fear of being fired.

Now you can also restore and rebuild religious monuments, memorials and displays that were taken down. For example:

• In public schools, teachers can put up 10 Commandments posters or display America’s national motto, “In God We Trust,” in their classrooms.
• You can ask your city to put up a menorah for Hanukkah and a nativity scene for Christmas outside city hall or at a public park.
• Your local police station can put up a memorial for fallen officers containing Proverbs 28:1 or the “Police Officer’s Prayer.”
• Your local veterans memorial can contain a verse from Scripture or religious imagery, fully protected from those who would claim they are “offended.”

This Thanksgiving, we feel a deep sense of gratitude that expressions of faith no longer have to be tucked away. Wherever your faith has been muzzled, religious freedom can confidently be put back where it rightfully and legally belongs.

We encourage every American to seize this tremendous opportunity. There’s renewed hope that we can reclaim our nation’s heritage of religious expression, restore the freedoms that were stripped away and rebuild the foundation on which our Republic is built.

To restore faith in America, we need you to spread the word on how to revive faith in your community. We encourage you to share your expressions of faith on social media. Tell your friends, family, congregation, pastor and your elected officials to restore faith in your community. YOU are the catalyst that can help kindle a new fire for faith and freedom.