Religious liberty, not religious tolerance.

• Author: Bishop, Donald M.
• Position: Viewpoint essay

America's career diplomats-the Foreign Service-are assured when they deal with thorny political, economic, trade, and development issues. During my own Foreign Service career, however, I found them uncomfortable speaking of religion.

Like it or not, I tell younger colleagues, religious values move peoples and nations, and faiths, theologies, loyalties and causes animate many of the world's conflicts. In too many cases, so are oppressions and killings, as horrific events in Paris, Nigeria, Iraq, and Syria have reminded us. Since American diplomacy must deal with the world as it is, it must learn how best to discuss religion and the issues it touches.

Many Americans' understanding of religious liberty goes no farther than Thomas Jefferson's phrase in his 1802 letter to Danbury Baptists-"a wall of separation between church & state." I have heard "separation" deployed by Foreign Service Officers in conversations with religious leaders as if it is the last word that may be said on the subject. In my observation, rote recital of "separation" is intended to signal that it's time to Change The Subject, dodge discussions of religion and morality, and place religion out of bounds in international relations. With a foreigner who takes religion seriously-and most people in the world do-mentioning "separation" ends any dialog before it has begun.

Given the opportunity to prepare Foreign Service Officers for their assignments in a world charged by religion, I make three points:

Because the American norm is religious liberty, the first freedom, it is always and everywhere a goal of American foreign policy.

Education on religious liberty begins with the First Amendment to the Constitution, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and George Washington's letters to religious congregations. Even after years of higher education, few young Foreign Service Offices understand the balance between the establishment and free exercise clauses in the first, and they have never read the last two.

Finally, I stress that discussions of religion and faith by American diplomats must begin with clear thinking and continue with clear word choices. Here's my primer on key words.

Establishment: The First Amendment prohibited "an establishment of religion." The examples that the Framers knew were European. The Church of England was (and is) an established church with the monarch as head. Roman Catholicism was established in France and Spain. In the eighteenth century, there were many variations, but in general monarchs gave their sanction to one "state church," raised the cathedrals, paid its clergy, controlled ecclesiastical appointments, and set boundaries on religious doctrine.

Even in the 21st century, there are state churches in England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Costa Rica, Monaco, Greece, and Tuvalu...