These are not the droids you are looking for
Very good.
Great article, worth the whole read.
A Blessed Chanukah to you. I love that holiday!
No one has the "right" to worship any "gxd" other than HaShem, or to create or practice false religions, or to create new holidays, or to violate the objective laws G-d has given us to live by.
The Chashmonaim were not fighting for eighteenth century "enlightenment" style "religious freedom" as we think of it today, but in order to observe the commandments of G-d.
The rebellion began when Mattityahu, seeing a Hellenistic Jew sacrificing a pig, killed him. Jews did not have the "freedom" to sacrifice pigs.
Of course, even Catholics now thump "religious freedom," so I know what you meant by posting this article. But really . . . the "official American Jewish leadership" has twisted Chanukkah into a celebration of Voltaire. Aren't we finally beyond that?