The relationship between America and religion has been quite interesting to watch over the country\u2019s relatively short history. After all, some could say the country was founded by the Pilgrims: those seeking freedom from religious intolerance. Of course, the Lenape, the Lakota and the Navajo, among many others, were here first. But that\u2019s a different article.<\/p>\n
Founded on the ability of its citizens to practice religion peacefully \u2013 no matter what religion that happened to be \u2013 there\u2019s a saying we all know that\u2019s supposed to inform government decisions: the separation of church and state. In other words, while those who lead are free to believe in whatever they\u2019d like, they can\u2019t use their power to force people to believe similarly.<\/p>\n
Which brings us to an interesting case that\u2019s sprouted up in Indiana.<\/p>\n
Does Jesus write traffic tickets?<\/strong><\/p>\n In August, Ellen Bogan was pulled over in Union County for an alleged traffic violation.<\/p>\n Everything seemed to be perfectly normal. In fact, some could argue it worked out even better than normal for Bogan, who received a warning instead of a ticket.<\/p>\n But just before Bogan thought the traffic stop was winding down, Indiana State Police Trooper Brian Hamilton decided to ask her a series of questions: Does she go to church? Does she believe in Jesus Christ? Does she realize Jesus died for her sins?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s completely out of line and it just \u2013 it took me aback,\u201d Bogan recently said<\/a>. After those questions were asked, Hamilton allegedly took out a religious pamphlet from his cruiser before presenting it to her and letting her go on her way.<\/p>\n Partnering with the American Civil Liberties Union, Bogan filed a lawsuit against Hamilton in a federal court in September. It remains to be seen how that case will unfold, and in the meantime, the police department says it\u2019s taken some sort of disciplinary measures. But that statement lacked specifics.<\/p>\n What\u2019s going on here, anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n At the very basic level, Hamilton should be ashamed of himself for his actions after pulling Bogan over.<\/p>\n Even though he might have been well-intentioned, the fact is that as an officer in uniform, he is a representative of the government. More specifically: a government that prides itself on keeping church and state affairs separate from one another.<\/p>\n Because of what they represent, most law-abiding Americans are going to be pretty scared during even the most routine of interactions with police officers. After all, state troopers are physical manifestations of law enforcement. We are taught from an early age to respect and\/or fear them, lest there be consequences.<\/p>\n And that respect usually entails listening to what they have to say and keeping quiet in order to not dig yourself into an even deeper hole.<\/p>\n Bogan did what most smart Americans would do: behaved cordially and kept quiet. But the experience to her, a non churchgoer, was so odd that she couldn\u2019t let sleeping dogs lie. And I guess that\u2019s understandable given today\u2019s political climate.<\/p>\n But at the end of the day\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n While Hamilton was clearly out of line here \u2013 after all, officers aren\u2019t allowed to detain you for longer than they need to if you\u2019re not going to be arrested for a crime \u2013 let\u2019s keep in mind that his actions, no matter how you want to phrase them, aren\u2019t grievous.<\/p>\n We of course can\u2019t just hop into Hamilton\u2019s mind and understand exactly what was going through it at a certain point, but it appears as though his offense is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Just consider the case of Daniel Holtzclaw, an Oklahoma City officer accused of sexually assaulting women<\/a> he pulled over.<\/p>\n Police officers are humans, too. Even the calmest, coolest and most collected officer will from time to time remember that he or she is more than a badge and a gun. That officer will show attributes that make him or her, well, human.<\/p>\n So is this story so outrageous because Hamilton was trying to convert a constituent to his religion? Would it be a nonstory if he asked Bogan whether he\u2019d buy Girl Scout cookies that his daughter was trying to sell? Or would that be going over the line, too?<\/p>\n I have to admit: I do expect things to be different in the private sector. I\u2019ve been accosted about my contribution to global warming while shopping at a local business<\/a>. I didn\u2019t really expect it, but that\u2019s Free Speech at work. Perhaps the better example would be another public servant, such as a teacher. Should teachers be able to proselytize to their captive audience? Of course not; some of the teachers I respected the most over the years were the ones who were obviously opinionated but didn\u2019t let their feelings enter into their work \u201cpersonas.\u201d<\/p>\n The bottom line here is that, as a country, we are too easily offended by just about everything. There was even a considerable uproar<\/a> over a recent Jeopardy!<\/em> category called \u201cWhat Women Want.\u201d While the category might have been poorly conceived, particularly in today\u2019s perpetually offended society, take a step back and realize that the family-oriented quiz show likely wasn\u2019t trying to make some grandiose political commentary on a touchy subject.<\/p>\n The easier answer? The producers made a mistake.<\/p>\n While Hamilton was certainly in the wrong in this particular scenario, is it really that big of a deal? Did anyone else come forward to say that the trooper had done the same thing to them? Would people care if an atheist asked a religious constituent whether he or she believed in no god?<\/p>\n We will never live in a perfect society. But with all the other craziness going on across the globe, it might be time for America to take a deep breath and pick bigger battles.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Image Credit: Keoni Cabral (via Flickr<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"