Quite possibly Europeans do have more religious freedom than we do…at least potentially. As far as I know, European governments have not forced Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilization to their employees. As far as I know, no European government has failed to allow Catholic institutions to be funded or even operate if they do not provide access to abortion or (in the case of child placement) force Catholic institutions to place children with homosexuals.
If I’m wrong about that, you can correct me.
I’ll grant that religious freedom was a big factor in my Irish ancestors’ leaving Europe. No question about it. But my other European ancestors didn’t leave for that reason. They came from countries where the Church was not oppressed. But those countries were then ruled by elites that would not allow personal industry to be rewarded. Those elites were largely, but not entirely, hereditary elites. But because many or most of Americans’ “ancestral memories” include a desire for personal freedom from dictatorial elites who demand too much in the way of fealty and tribute, approximately half of us react negatively toward it when it manifests itself here.
Even some recent immigrants feel the same way. A friend of mine is a Frenchman who came here to start an industry because, he said, you can’t get anywhere in France if you’re not connected. In addition, he says, in France he had no freedom to hire who he wanted, to fire who wasn’t doing his job, and faced taxes (and corruption) at every turn.
Here, he says, you can do what you want to do if you work hard at it, and don’t have to be well connected to do it. He, for one, is very opposed to Obama because he believes Obama has the same mindset as the people he left France to get away from.
AMEN!!!