As I fly through the blogsphere and land in the blogcity of several different views, backgrounds, and beliefs, I venture through many blogs who are approaching this question on religious freedom…when, how, why, if we should stand up for religious freedom.
Do we even know what religious freedom means?
Is religion just something a person does on the side, like say, a hobby, you know, something to do once in awhile but to shelve it when it’s time to eat, play, work, or go outside?
Why should we stand up for freedom of religion?
If it’s a commodity, like say, our car or or house, do we really need to pay that much attention to how we are allowed to express it outside of our home?
What about in our home? If religion is just a product, like say, the latest in men’s clothing, can it wear out, be tossed out, be assigned certain looks to keep up with the current fads, or be taken away from us when we can’t afford the payments?
What does it mean to have freedom of religion?
When is it good to stand up for religious freedom?
Do people not know what the loss of religious freedom means because it is not in their personal realm of experience?
Is it because they trust no one or because they think they know everything?
If the loss of religion is out there, in another country across the world, will they feel it then?
How about if it is in the country next door?
What about when it comes into their national laws?
Maybe when it comes into their state?
How about when it actually starts coming in their town?
What if their neighbor doesn’t like their expression of religion and he sues others or can put them in jail for walking to church?
What if your spouse said he/she wanted to remake your religion, tell you what you should believe, who you should allow into the house, who you should let be with your kids, what your children should be taught about what is good and was is not, what you should do with your body, how you should wear your clothes, what food you should eat?
What if your spouse decided to bring someone else into the marriage and make love with that person in front of you, told you this was the new belief in healthy sexuality, took your children to jail to learn freedom of sexual expression, gave you dishwasher detergent to drink, gave your children the same doses, let you only wear paper clothing, and told you that you can’t eat meat, vegetables, or bread from the local grocery since those are all part of his/her new religious beliefs?
Is that religious freedom?
When did you start to feel the oppression getting too close?
Do you wait for it to come into your home?
Or is it already there?
Isn’t one religion taking over, a religion that wants to tell everyone else what they should and should not believe, isn’t that a loss of religious freedom? But since many people don’t feel the constraints yet, are they just going to let it be? Doesn’t this new religion accept no religion, so it will let no religion be free? Will it be the master of everyone’s religious destiny?
When is a good time to stand up for religious freedom?
Have you ever experienced the loss of religious freedom?
How about the loss of freedom of speech?
How about the loss of the freedom to take care of others?
Do we know what religious freedom means?
“Nobody can be forced to act against his religious convictions, nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits.” This right is based on the very nature of the human person, whose dignity enables him to freely assent to the divine truth which transcends the temporal order. For this reason it “continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it.” (CCC 2106, from Dignitatis humanae)
The right to religious liberty is neither a moral license to adhere to error, nor a supposed right to error, but rather a natural right of the human person to civil liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in religious matters by political authorities. (2108, also from DH).
Comments as ever will be much appreciated!
lamehousewife
the time to stand up is now!!
Hey sis,
For me, my religion would be Faith and Believer. I say it like that because, I choose (freedom) not to get caught up in the denomination aspect or as I refer to it (no disrespect to anyone’s denomination or religion) division. I believe in Christ, and so I do my best (no tthe world’s or the people I know) to live the way Christ did in regards to how I treat people and fufilling my purpose. My faith in God is as free as free can be, because of my past (domestic violence survivor) this is what allows my faith to be so strong. We should stand up when it comes to what you believe in and your faith. Not in a competitive way, but in a way that will bring honor and of course with respect, dignity, and love.
Be encouraged. Be inspired. Be who He created you to be.
Love,
Bella Grace
Thank you Bella Grace for your reply. God bless you for sharing your testimony as a domestic violence survivor! I too think we should be able to stand up for what we believe in…in a way that is respectful to the dignity of others as well. I appreciate your final thoughts, too. Excellent! God bless you, Bella.
I think that the saddest thing about the Fortnight of Freedom was the fact that people were saying that the sleeping giant just awoke (the Catholic Church). I hope that is true. But for the turnout and participation of local parishes it looked more like a sleeping church mouse that decided to go back to sleep.
It did seem to be the “usual suspects” at our parish, so I didn’t see much in the sense that more people wanted to actually pray for religious freedom. Do you think that we have already been giving up our religious freedom, at least over the past 40 or 50 years or so, and that we are just facing another part of the erosion?
There is no doubt that we let much slide in the past. It was about time that the bishops spoke up and they should have done so over many instances in the past. Is it too little too late? I never think that when the Church can still marshall a mighty plea to our Lord for change. Never lose the virtue of hope.
Good word. Hope. I have yet to lose my hope, but that doesn’t mean what we may be facing in the next few years will be easy. The Church will survive, of course, but it will be interesting to see under what conditions that will be in this country. God bless, brother…
And may the Lord be with you as well.
I just long for the day when the world is free of religion (But then you knew I’d say something like that anyway!).
Of course, hobbit-humanist, but I thank you for stopping by:)
I’ve seen so many articles and headlines from the uninformed left (and I hate to throw around the word “left”) stating: “You don’t know what you are talking about when you use the term religious freedom” — as if they owned the expression. Unfortunately, most of these people will never read the CCC, let alone Dignitatis Humanae. The question has been itching in my mind ever since these headlines started appearing: How can we educate? Is it possible?
We can! Start here. Start with our own, our children, our families, friends, colleagues. The beauty of the moment is that this is the opportunity to evangelize. God wants us to seize the moment. Blog on!
Yeah! I also figure that if anyone who is not so convinced while reading it, it may come back to them later and make sense. God has a way of making things stick in your mind even when you’re not ready for them, Thanks Biltrix! And blog on, brothers! God bless…
(loud applause)
Thank you…:)