As a former reverend-turned-feminist, I pay very close attention to the churches and religious organizations that lobby against gay marriage, abortion, and are now attempting to cut off birth control access.
Although religious entities and their followers have the freedom to believe what they want, they do not have the right to deny basic rights to individuals. Essentially their religious freedom ends when it puts another person in harms way. Abuse runs rampant in religious organizations of all kinds, but over the past few years my work as an activist and advocate for those who've faced abuse from evangelical clergy, I've learned that it's tough to find justice. Religious leaders simply have too much power and money and they've taught those they've abused that they must remain silent.
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