Gonzales Chooses Odd Venue to Discuss Religious Freedoms

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was in the Music City earlier this week to talk about a "renewed push to protect religious freedoms." Curiously, Gonzales chose to discuss the administration's efforts to address religious discrimination at a gathering of Southern Baptists.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the country's largest Protestant denomination and arguably the nation's most powerful religious body. The President and other high ranking adminstration officials have addressed the SBC's annual meetings. (By contrast, the President has not addressed national gatherings of his own denomination, the United Methodist Church, which happens to be the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.) Essentially, the administration decided to tell an already powerful, influential, and well-connected faith community, "Don't worry, we're looking out for you." In my opinion, this message would have been more pertinent were it delivered to a gathering of Latter-Day Saints, Muslims, or better yet representatives of many faith traditions.