Battle Ground and Christian nationalism have been in the news lately.
Personally, because they are contradictory, I don’t feel that Christian and nationalism belong together.
It is a political ideology and not a religion. However, as a veteran who took an oath to the U.S. Constitution, I strongly believe that people are allowed to believe as they wish even if I disagree.
As long as those beliefs in practice don’t infringe on the rights of others and those who disagree.
The other thing I know is that people bring their religion to work with them, and that includes the government. Our religious freedoms protect that. The U.S and Washington state constitutions mention what is called the freedom of conscience. Regarding religion, this means all beliefs are allowed and that the government will not interfere with those beliefs.
The Battle Ground mayor’s proclamation felt more like political theater typical of today’s politics and a rather blustery announcement of “we are here!” so I took it less seriously than some.
He has also taken an oath. An oath of office to the Washington state Constitution to serve the people of every faith in his community and there are state laws written to support that.
We should judge wrongness by actions instead of words. Actions show true intent and can cause either very good things or very real harm. I learned in the military that one of the defining characteristics of leadership is accountability.
Darrell Anderson
Battle Ground
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