Are Religious Freedom Advocates Struggling To Stay Relevant?

LOL! Yes, I think you actually did answer your own question! I think human nature is such that it will always have a change of heart for a champion when a change of opinion for a topic no longer suits a specific or particular agenda, religious or otherwise...

Being the son of a longtime missionary and the descendent of many other ministers, including the eleventh great grandson of Elder William Brewster (look him up), I have lived a life surrounded by religious people and religion, itself. I'll make this very brief because this a major soapbox issue for me: I, too, am spiritually inclined, but not a Sunday service attendee for two decades now. First, religion, the word, the concept, whatever you conceive it to be noun-wise, is defined, IMHO, by one word, adjective-wise - intolerance. Regardless of the basic tenets of most religions, the masses of members in those same religions still believe that "mine" and "mine alone" holds the key to salvation. Don't believe me, try telling a Southern Baptist that the Bible IS NOT literal!!! I love a good, healthy religious debate with a devout Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Jew, Catholic, you name it. As for Pope Francis, this very down-to-earth man is severely challenging the core beliefs of many Catholics today, mostly North American ones, when he says things like 'you don't need to belong to a specific faith to be a good person' or 'being a good person in life is sufficient to gain salvation.' And those statements are just the tip of the iceberg in the Catholic Church today under Pope Francis. But that's what I believe, as well. Though I was raised in a 24/7 church environment, I experienced a life-altering rebellion in 1998. I completely agree with the Pope on the comments I listed above. I do not need a Sunday morning, Wednesday evening, mortar and concrete, stained-glassed window structure in my life to lead a good life. And on and on...which is where I'd be well advised to leave this discussion.

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