--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With each passing year, people of faith…" description: "\"With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly distressed by the hostility of public institutions toward religious expression. We have witne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg" --- # With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly… ![“With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly distressed by the hostility of public institutions toward religious expression. We have witnessed the steady erosion of the time-honored rights of religious Americans - both as individuals and as communities - to practice what they believe…” quote by Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg) > “With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly distressed by the hostility of public institutions toward religious expression. We have witnessed the steady erosion of the time-honored rights of religious Americans - both as individuals and as communities - to practice what they believe in the public square.” [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religious people feel increasingly threatened by government actions that limit public religious expression. **In simple terms:** Faith groups feel threatened by public hostility. Key Takeaway Defend religious freedom in public spaces. Themes religion politics rights public policy Mood concerned defensive Type political advocacy When to use this quote - church meetings - court cases - legislative hearings - community organizing Key Concepts secularism civil liberties cultural conflict Questions to Reflect On - How can public institutions respect faith without endorsing it? - What legal tools protect religious expression? A Different Perspective Balancing secular governance with religious liberty is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Erosion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erosion/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Hostility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostility/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [One of the reasons the Europeans don't like the Muslims is because they are religious. Americans like the fact that they are religious. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-quinn/one-of-the-reasons-the-europeans-don-t-like-the-muslims-is-because/) [Sally Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-quinn/) > [It is no wonder that advocates of Obamacare blindly push forward with their agenda to force religious Americans to violate their own precepts: in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/it-is-no-wonder-that-advocates-of-obamacare-blindly-push-forward-with/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [“Religious Americans donate more and volunteer more time to charitable institutions than do secular Americans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/religious-americans-donate-more-and-volunteer-more-time-to-charitable/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [People of faith find themselves marginalized and ridiculed. In a nation where our coins carry the motto, 'In God We Trust...'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/people-of-faith-find-themselves-marginalized-and-ridiculed-in-a/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Bill Maher is right to condemn religious practices that violate fundamental human rights. Religious communities must do more to counter extremist interpretations of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/bill-maher-is-right-to-condemn-religious-practices-that-violate/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Religious freedom is one of the most fundamental of human rights because religious freedom comes from the dignity of the human being as God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suharto/religious-freedom-is-one-of-the-most-fundamental-of-human-rights/) [Suharto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suharto/) > [Blessed be the memory of those few brethren who contended so strenuously for their constitutional rights and religious freedom, against such an overwhelming force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/blessed-be-the-memory-of-those-few-brethren-who-contended-so/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [ In a free government the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights. ...under the republican forms \[of government\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-a-free-government-the-security-for-civil-rights-must-be-the-same-3/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Whenever equality rights and religious rights collide, equality rights trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-toews/whenever-equality-rights-and-religious-rights-collide-equality-rights/) Vic Toews > [In a free Government, the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights. It consists in the one case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-a-free-government-the-security-for-civil-rights-must-be-the-same-2/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I do believe that religious liberty, the First Amendment, gay rights, and transgender equality can all coexist. I'm also a constitutionalist, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-do-believe-that-religious-liberty-the-first-amendment-gay-rights/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [I heard the prophet Joseph Smith say the time would come when this nation would so far depart from its original purity, its glory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-r-snow/i-heard-the-prophet-joseph-smith-say-the-time-would-come-when-this/) [Eliza R. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-r-snow/) > [In a free government the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-a-free-government-the-security-for-civil-rights-must-be-the-same/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [As a follower of Jesus, I am called to work for justice and reconciliation, and to be an advocate for those who cannot speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-wolf/as-a-follower-of-jesus-i-am-called-to-work-for-justice-and/) [Frank Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-wolf/) > [Rights mean you have a right to your life. You have a right to your liberty, and you should have a right to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/rights-mean-you-have-a-right-to-your-life-you-have-a-right-to-your/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) ## More by Ralph E. Reed, Jr > [I honestly believe that in my lifetime we will see a country once again governed by Christians...and Christian values. What Christians have got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/i-honestly-believe-that-in-my-lifetime-we-will-see-a-country-once/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Women's right-to-know laws are supported by the overwhelming majority, not just of men, but of women, and 70% of the American people favor bans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/women-s-right-to-know-laws-are-supported-by-the-overwhelming-majority/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [We should resist the temptation to identify our religious convictions with the platform of a party or the platitudes of favored politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/we-should-resist-the-temptation-to-identify-our-religious-convictions/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [What our children need more than to learn to read and write and add and subtract is to know Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/what-our-children-need-more-than-to-learn-to-read-and-write-and-add/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [You have to organize, organize, organize, and build and build, and train and train, so that there is a permanent, vibrant structure of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/you-have-to-organize-organize-organize-and-build-and-build-and-train/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [In 1962, the Supreme Court banned organized prayer from public schools. Since then, federal, state, and local courts and officials, including public school administrators,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/in-1962-the-supreme-court-banned-organized-prayer-from-public-schools/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [What good is religious liberty if it can only be practiced behind stained-glass windows on Sunday?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/what-good-is-religious-liberty-if-it-can-only-be-practiced-behind/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Antireligious bigotry is not confined to the classroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/antireligious-bigotry-is-not-confined-to-the-classroom/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [The establishment clause was transformed from a shield for religion into a cover for the official sanctioning of religious tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/the-establishment-clause-was-transformed-from-a-shield-for-religion/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Religious conservatives still lack a theology of direct political action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/religious-conservatives-still-lack-a-theology-of-direct-political/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Freedom of religion has been replaced by freedom from religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/freedom-of-religion-has-been-replaced-by-freedom-from-religion/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [The time has now come to amend the Constitution to restore freedom of speech for America's people of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/the-time-has-now-come-to-amend-the-constitution-to-restore-freedom-of/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Our legal and political culture has created a bias in the law that borders on censorship against reading, displaying, or quoting the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/our-legal-and-political-culture-has-created-a-bias-in-the-law-that/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Students are not to read the Bible, jurors are not to hear it, prosecutors cannot quote from it, and teachers are not to display…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/students-are-not-to-read-the-bible-jurors-are-not-to-hear-it/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [I paint my face and travel at night. You don't know it's over until you're in a body bag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/i-paint-my-face-and-travel-at-night-you-don-t-know-it-s-over-until/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) [Explore all 26 Ralph E. Reed, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly distressed by the hostility of public institutions toward religious expression. We have witnessed the steady erosion of the time-honored rights of religious Americans - both as individuals and as communities - to practice what they believe in the public square.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph E. Reed, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-grow-increasingly-distressed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-grow-increasingly-distressed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/ralph-e-reed-jr-23105_believe_with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-g_1178950.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With each passing year, people of faith grow increasingly distressed by the hostility of public institutions…” — Ralph E. Reed, Jr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ralph E. Reed, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With each passing year, people of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-grow-increasingly-distressed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/with-each-passing-year-people-of-faith-grow-increasingly-distressed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```