America's persecuted pastors are rapidly becoming some of the country's most vocal advocates for faith and freedom. These pastors are filing lawsuits from California to Maine, taking a stand to ensure all Americans have the freedom to practice their faith without government interference.

Religious freedom is a fundamental right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, but it is under increasing attack. These pastors are fighting so that ordinary Americans don't have to.

In California, Pastor Mike McClure calvary chapel At one point, Santa Clara County was fined nearly $4 million for spying during the COVID-19 pandemic. The county took proactive steps to enforce the fines, including installing a geofence around the church to monitor church attendance.

Geofencing is a tool It is typically used by police to investigate criminal activity and requires the government to request a warrant to track an individual via cell phone data in a specific area for a set period of time. The geofencing operation effectively amounted to a targeted sting operation by the government against members of the church who were not suspected of any crime, and was carried out over two years without any oversight, boundaries, or restrictions. .

Pastor Matt Gioia of Maine pines church faced discrimination while applying for a lease to use a local public school gymnasium for weekly religious services;

Pines Church was forced to answer questions about its stance on same-sex marriage, abortion and gender before making a decision on its lease application. These questions were not asked of the other organizations currently renting the space.

In both cases, local governments violated the rights of not only the churches but also the faithful who worshiped there.

These governments intentionally violate the constitutional rights of churches, pastors, and their members by spying on innocent Americans and forcing churches to pass social litmus tests for leases. did.

These are not the only cases.pastor jack hibbspastor jim franklinRev. Artur Pawlowski, Rev. Art Hodges All are examples Religious leaders targeted by the government.

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened the door to overt discrimination by governments. The moment we decided that places of worship were not essential, we gave local, state, and even federal governments permission to begin interfering with religion at the individual level.

These stories are not unique to our clients. For years, pastors, churches, and religious organizations across this country have faced deliberate attempts to silence their voices.

If we don't stand up now to protect religious freedom, it may be too late. With extremist ideologies infiltrating classrooms, religious persecution of American pastors, and social warfare impacting communities across this country, we need more than ever to share common values ​​and morals. We need faith leaders who will fight for us.

There are about 100 of us in the United States standing among politicians and groups who seek to take away your most sacred freedom: the freedom to worship and believe without penalty.

We must rise again and again until there is no persecuted pastor in this country.

Robert Tyler is president of Advocates for Faith and Freedom.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.