As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we find ourselves standing at a historic crossroads. We are navigating a season of profound political and cultural friction—weathering the harsh and systemic impact of Project 2025, and with it, the emboldened use of faith not to uplift people, but to divide us, control us, and limit our freedoms.
For those of us working on the ground here in Colorado, the weaponization of the First Amendment and religious identity has become an alarming reality. We see an aggressive, well-funded effort by Christian Nationalists and their allies to turn a historic constitutional safeguard into a tool of exclusion. To this group of extremists, our faiths are not traditions of worship, devotion, and enlightenment or bridges of understanding, but swords to wield against others.
As we mark our nation’s 250th anniversary, we would do well to remember that our history is defined not by the forces that seek to restrict us, but by the people power that rises up, responds, and helps us live up to our true founding principles and values.
Faith Is a Shield, Not a Sword
True religious freedom belongs to everyone, or it belongs to no one. It is a shield meant to protect the vulnerable, not a sword to dominate the public square. This fundamental right must remain the reality across our entire state—from the Front Range to the Western Slope—encompassing not only Colorado’s Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus and other faiths, but our non-religious and secular neighbors alike.
True faith cannot be coerced by the state; it requires freedom of conscience to flourish. And our traditions and leaders echo this reality:
The Holy Qur’an offers this timeless decree with absolute clarity, that faith cannot be compelled by our fellow man because it is a gift from God:
“There is no compulsion in religion”* (Al-Baqarah 2:256)
And as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel reflected:
“God’s voice speaks in many languages, communicates itself in a variety of ways. What is required of us is not to agree on every point of doctrine, but to realize that we are all engaged in a common quest to preserve the sacredness of human life.”
Finally, the 19th-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said it perfectly:
“I am quite clear that the state cannot meddle with religion without doing mischief. Christ’s church is quite capable of taking care of herself without the assistance of any government.”
The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado has spent more than 25 years building a resilient network of over 400 congregations representing more than two dozen faith traditions. Our work has taught us that true religious pluralism is the ultimate antidote to authoritarianism.
We see this pluralism in action when our communities stand together—whether we are pushing back against policies of selective enforcement that tear apart our neighborhoods, defending our LGBTQ+ youth from harmful conversion practices, or advocating for communities and institutions that are welcoming and safe for every Coloradan.
For many, the gap between America’s founding promises and our lived realities has always been vast. But as the late, great civil rights champion, Representative John Lewis, reminded us:
“Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”
As we honor and reflect on the 250th anniversary of the nation, we also look forward. We remind ourselves that the path forward is not apathy or despair, but a radical, joyful dedication to working together with our common values at the forefront. Rooted in compassion, justice, and a desire to uplift others, we recommit to putting our values into action and rededicate ourselves and our nation to the project of an inclusive and pluralistic democracy.
These commitments are reflected in our current and upcoming work. After a busy year at the Colorado Legislative Session, we published our 2026 Legislative Report, which showcases the bills we worked on and how our shared values showed up at the capitol. Interfaith’s team has also been monitoring decisions coming out of the Supreme Court of the United States, and will soon be publishing our Supreme Court Digest detailing how these decisions affect people of faith and conscience in Colorado and beyond. We are also super excited to be unveiling our Interfaith Poll Chaplain program, which will engage faith leaders around the state in supporting community members leading up to and moving through the upcoming November Election.
If you want to stay up to date on our work and get more involved, join our email list or contact us at info[at]interfaithallianceco[dot]org.
Excellent article. Timely and urgent!
Masha’ Allah – “Religion is Shield” to safe your-self and help others from being harmed in this world and here-after, and “not a Sword” to go after others to hurt. Beautiful. Rightly timings.