Everyone deserves to be respected

To the editor:

Some people believe that any law defending religious freedom has nothing to do with discrimination. The former protects personal conscience. The latter protects equal opportunity. Separate issues, right? Not really. Remember the Kansas church members who traveled to funerals in the Midwest, where families were mourning the death of a relative who had been serving in the military? The church group knew nothing of the deceased or their family, but had chosen these personal situations as a setting for them to demonstrate their opposition to same-sex relationships and changing social policies in the military (stretching to make a point, or a leap of faith?).

The 1st Amendment to the Constitution protected this church's right to free speech and to protest in public areas. However, by any other social or political standard, this church's public demonstrations were judged misguided, inappropriate, tasteless and mean-spirited. When I think that Indiana or any other state's Defense of Religion law could actually provide protection or comfort to this group, or any future zealot, manipulating their flock with hot-topic issues, I would say that religions do not need to be protected, but sometimes people need to be protected from religions. Politicians traveling through Iowa have used this mocked-up issue of religious freedom to energize their base supporters. Don't drink their Kool-Aid. Pitting groups against one another is nothing more than a devil's playground. Regardless of your faith, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

Bob Hamill

Cedar Rapids