Fear is a powerful thing, sometimes for good, sometimes for ill.  I think about this whenever I hear or read about a municipality or, worse, national government enacting measures or making decisions which have the net effect of denying adherents of religions other than those which they pursue the freedom to enjoy the various expressions of those beliefs.  We saw this rather acutely in France a few weeks ago, when police officers walked onto beaches to order women wearing a "burkini" to remove it; we notice it in America when municipal governments from Illinois to Georgia to Massachusetts deny Muslim groups permits to build a mosque or, oddly enough, a cemetery; and, looking at it from another vantage point, we see it when assorted factions of a religious worldview seek to prevent members of other factions from exercising their propensities in worship or practice.
     Ultimately, these responses to expressions of religious belief are driven by fear, fear of physical harm, fear of ideological tarnish, fear of political upheaval, and more.  As I said earlier, fear can help, and fear can harm.  In these instances, I believe it to be harmful. Yes, differences, particularly religious ones, make many of us uncomfortable, occasionally filling us with dread and trepidation.  On the other hand, we should recognize that we will never agree on everything, nor will we ever live in a world (unless it is one like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World) in which everyone thinks exactly alike. Jesus was not born in a monotone world, nor did Mohammad or Buddha emerge in a homogeneous culture.  But their beliefs thrive to this day.
     It seems that the power of God, however we define it, is more than able to surmount and overcome and resolve the fears of human beings.  We are simply called to believe.
     And we should--in every way.