Maurice Bessinger wanted to deny services to an entire class of people, African Americans, because of his religious beliefs. Today, we’re hearing arguments that businesses should be able to deny goods and services to other groups of people, usually members of the LGBTQ community, on the basis of owners’ religious beliefs.

The courts have been clear that creationism can’t be taught in public schools because it’s grounded in religion. Creationism takes a literal interpretation of the Bible favored by fundamentalist Christians (but rejected by millions of mainstream, moderate and progressive Christians) and tries to dress it up in a lab coat.

The “Christian nation” myth is malicious and un-historical. Worse, its persistence prevents us from telling the real story of America. That’s a story of how a nation originally settled by yes, a small band of avowed theocrats in Massachusetts, eventually became the diverse and vibrant beacon for religious freedom that we know today.

Today is Religious Freedom Day, a good time to reflect on the status of religious freedom in America. That principle, rightly cherished not just by Americans but by people worldwide, stands in jeopardy in our nation. We are seeing nothing less than an attempt to redefine what religious freedom means.