Before Lathan came to First Liberty Institute, he spent much of his career in and around the political process. His first-hand experience in politics taught him that you are on the menu if you are not at the table. It is as simple as that. You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.

America’s Founding Fathers knew freedom without morality inevitably leads to the strong oppressing the weak. But everyone doing what is right in their own eyes is not freedom but tyranny. Our rights originate from our Creator and not from government. These are vital principles differentiating the American Revolution from the French Revolution.

It’s not just people of faith who should care about protecting religious liberty. Thomas Jefferson referred to religious freedom as “the right of conscience.” For people of faith, religious beliefs inform conscience. But the non-religious hold to a set of individual or group ideals that guide their life. Once the government invades individual ideals, there’s no limit to what it can do to infringe upon human freedom.

Lathan and First Liberty are devoted to defending religious liberty as guaranteed by our Constitution’s First Amendment. Protecting the proper role of religion in a free and civil society is incumbent on every citizen. We have a duty and an obligation to play a part in the political process of selecting who will govern us. Lathan reminds us there are people worldwide who would give anything to have this choice. It’s not something that we should take for granted.

Participating in the political process can be as simple as being an informed voter. Not everyone will run for office or work in politics, policy, or a non-profit think tank. But, at the very least, we must be informed voters who make the best decision possible.