Catholics, Christians, all
religions and those of no religion must unite to issue a clear, strong call for
the defense and protection of our Constitutional religious liberty: “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof.” America has always been a nation in which all
are guaranteed the protection of their God-given rights to religious liberty
and freedom of conscience. Yet in
these times, we are facing unprecedented challenges to our treasured right to
religious freedom from our own government and from rising and aggressive
atheism. This is a call to all Americans to stand together to defend religious
freedom.
In a healthy culture,
science and sociology cooperate with faith and religion to bring order and
protect human rights. Government guards the
natural rights granted by God: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. Our government has historically worked alongside religious organizations to serve the needs of the citizen, independently of one another but in harmony, in a unique system of cooperation and freedom that has served our country well since its founding.
In stark contrast, China represents a chilling example of a repressive
government that stifles religious freedom. The Chinese government believes that
freedom is from the State, not from God. Religion, considered useful as “the
opiate of the people,” is allowed to function only under governmental control,
permitting limited freedom of worship while excluding religion and morals from
the public square. The Chinese government does not permit the constraints of
moral or natural law to interfere with national goals of accumulation of wealth
and power, instead utilizing any means necessary to achieve these goals.
Disregard for the environment, manipulation of the global economy, and
exploitation of the worker: all are permissible under the banner of State
Capitalism. Natural law is ignored as the government seeks to manipulate its
own human population by means of their coercive and draconian one-child policy.
In a country where the State reigns supreme, the government dictates every
aspect of life and death.
In the United States, such human
rights abuses have never been tolerated under our Constitution. American’s
unique policy of freedom of religion and the free marketplace has positioned
our country as a world leader. Our
prosperous economy, our military and moral strength, our leadership in
innovation and ingenuity, all reflect the wisdom of our Founding Fathers in
creating a government that respects and guards religious freedom and human
rights.
Yet in recent years, there has
been an alarming and parallel erosion of both our freedoms and our strengths.
Changes which erode religious freedom have been introduced quietly, often without notice. The most egregious example is the recent
Mandate by the Department of Health and Human Services requiring all insurance
plans to include free contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs
without a religious exemption for Catholic or Christian charitable agencies,
hospitals, social service agencies, or individual employers or employees. This represents
an unprecedented attack on religious liberty and freedom of conscience. In its
attempt to reduce religious liberty to Sunday worship and remove rights of
conscience from the Christian institutions, which have historically lived out
their faith as active providers of valuable public services, the government is
taking a step that will have serious repercussions for all of us, regardless of
our religious views.
In response to these attacks on
religious liberty, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have issued
a statement entitled, “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” outlining the
reasons for their concern: *
“We are Catholics. We are
Americans…To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over
the other… That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which
guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our
common life together….
“Religious liberty is not only
about our ability to go to Mass on Sunday.... It is about whether we can make
our contribution to the common good of all Americans. Can we do the good works
our faith calls us to do, without having to compromise that very same faith?”
“This is not a Catholic issue. This is not a
Jewish issue. This is not an Orthodox, Mormon, or Muslim issue. It is an
American issue… That is our American heritage, our most cherished freedom… If
our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by
the government, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the free, and a
beacon of hope for the world.”
What can you do as a Catholic,
Protestant, Mormon, Jew or Muslim at this critical time? Let us not allow
theological or philosophical differences to divide us. Join with us in the
“Fortnight 4 Freedom” prayer campaign, beginning on June 19th and culminating
on the 4th of July, and stand with us in defense of our most
cherished freedoms.
Rev. Dr. Mac
Culver Msgr. D.P. Dillon,
Chairman
Rev. Art
Moore
Nancy M. Murray
*For the full
statement “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty”
&
for more information about the prayer campaign, visit the USCCB website:
Comments
Post a Comment