On Misguided Sincerity

I learned some interesting things while reading Joseph K. Grieboski's column in the Huffington Post about America's apparent need to have an Ambassador for Religious Liberty. Despite his exhortations, I find myself unable to agree with Grieboski's premise. Every problem he wants the next Ambassador for Religious Liberty to address could (and should) be addressed by a variety of other members of the Department of State.

Rep. Peter King, R-NY

Aside from the domestic political realities preventing this position from being filled--Obama's limited political capital quickly comes to mind--there simply isn't a need to fill this position. In fact, I think it should be eliminated. Why, for example, must an Ambassador for Religious Liberty be appointed before our foreign policy experts begin to address the persecution and violence faced by Copts in Egypt? Furthermore, why isn't human suffering alone enough to warrant intervention? I would hope that the religious practices of a people in peril would not be a prerequisite for international assistance. Callous as it may be, these issues have likely not been addressed to Greiboski's satisfaction yet because of the enormous list of things the Department of State consider more important.

We must not ignore the problems fueled by religious discrimination. Still, it is not the responsibility of the United States to provide representation for oppressed groups to their own governments, which is partly what Grieboski means when he vaguely references giving "a voice" to oppressed religious peoples.

I see nothing in Grieboski's article that convinces me we should further blur the lines between secularism and religion in the government by promoting bureaucratic redundancy through an appointment to the position of Ambassador for Religious Liberty. And even if I did agree that the country needed this position filled, we would have to overcome the image problem caused by our own religious intolerance before we could ever be taken seriously by the leaders of other countries.