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The need to defend religious liberty, a key issue this year for the U.S. Catholic bishops and other religious leaders, will now have a new venue for discussion and action in a handful of state legislatures. Leaders from nine states -- Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee -- announced October 9 that they would be part of a new group of state religious freedom caucuses to develop state policies to protect religious liberties. The initiative was spearheaded by the American Religious Freedom Program, which is part of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a Washington think tank. Tim Schultz, the program's state legislative policy director, said in a teleconference that there has been a "renewed interest in religious freedom" in the United States. He said the discussion of religious freedom should extend beyond the courts to determine proper boundaries of religious freedom and give a place in each state where people of faith can voice their concerns. State Rep. Steve Precourt, R-Fla., told teleconference participants that religious freedom caucuses "can work to ensure that the courts are not the only recourse" for those who feel their religious rights are being challenged. He also noted that the issue of religious liberty is not a new one but "a movement that has been brewing for some time." In Florida, the issue is on the November ballot. Voters will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment to prohibit discrimination against individuals and institutions on the basis of religious beliefs and on the issue of removing a long-standing ban on public funding "in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution." And this is what it has come to in the United States. With the continual assault on religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular, the prayer warriors are fighting back. Since Louisiana is not mentioned in the list, perhaps it is time for us to contact our legislators and join the cause.
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