Freedom for "People of Any Faith or No Faith At All"

I'm sincerely glad that America's national election is over.


(Non Sequitur, Wiley Miller (October 28, 2012), used w/o permission)

Instead of this week's scheduled posts, I shared my views about the American national election, and some issues:

• "Remembering the '60s; Praying for America"
  (November 6, 2012)
• "Election Night, 2012: Issues; Assumptions; and Responsible Citizenship"
  (November 6, 2012)
• "Eugenics, Compassion, and Cooperating with Evil"
  (November 5, 2012)
• "An Election, Citizenship, and Expectations"
  (November 4, 2012)
• "An 'Objective Moral Order' "
  (November 4, 2012)
• "Being a Good Citizen"
  (November 4, 2012)
• "America's Election, Religious Freedom, and Other Annoying Topics"
  (November 4, 2012)

Now it's time to get back into routine, with my take on the news.

Not all of it. I only picked one story this week:

1. "Rooted in the Dignity of Every Human Person"

But first, a quick look at what I think about freedom and authority.

---

Freedom, Citizenship, and All That

I've posted lists like this fairly often, but I think it bears repeating. I'm a Catholic, so I'm supposed to:

• Support religious freedom
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104-2109)
  • For everybody
    (Catechism, 2106)
• Take an active part in public life
  (Catechism, 1915)
• Contribute to the good of society
  • In a spirit of
    • Truth
    • Justice
    • Solidarity
    • Freedom
  (Catechism, 2239)
• Submit to legitimate authorities
  • Refuse obedience to civil authorities
    • When their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience
    (Catechism, 2242)
  (Catechism, 2239)
  (June 1, 2012)

Depending on a person's assumptions, 'submitting to ... authorities' might sound like a nice, meek, go-with-the-flow rule: or an order to 'put your mind on hold, do as you're told.' It's neither.

Catechism, 2242, means that 'I was only following orders' isn't an acceptable excuse.

Moving along.

---

1. "Rooted in the Dignity of Every Human Person"

"US bishops launch religious freedom website"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (November 6, 2012)

"The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a new website dedicated to encouraging education, prayer and public action to protect religious freedom at home and abroad.

"As our first American freedom, religious liberty is 'a founding principle of our country, protected by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights,' said the U.S. bishops on their new website.

" 'It's a fundamental human right, rooted in the dignity of every human person - people of any faith or no faith at all,' they added.

"Launched just days before the Nov. 6 election, the new website, firstamericanfreedom.com, includes sections promoting education, prayer and action regarding the right to freedom of religion...."

Here's that link, again:

• First American Freedom
  (firstamericanfreedom.com)

The parts of the website I saw were easy to navigate, with short, clear statements. I plan to go back for more, since I think this is a good idea:

"...stay up to date on the latest religious freedom issues, including opportunities for action. Share this information on social media. Engage your friends and neighbors. Together, we can help protect our first American freedom for generations to come!..."
(First American Freedom)

A tip of the hat to Joanne Mercier (twitter.com/Ritualdiva), for the heads-up on this article: twitter.com/Ritualdiva/status/265988404330770432.

Maybe all this loose talk about freedom and religion gives the impression that I'm one of those radical conservatives you read about.

I'm not:

• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican?
  No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)

Related posts:

• "Freedom: A Privilege for 'Us,' and not 'Them?' "
  (August 20, 2012)
• "John Fisher, Thomas More, and the Big Picture"
  (June 22, 2012)
• "The Establishment Clause; Religious Freedom; and Getting a Grip"
  (October 5, 2011)
• "Religious Freedom, Niemöller, and Muslims in America"
  (April 7, 2011)
• "Fugitive Safe Surrender: My Take"
  (November 5, 2010)
  Particularly
  • What Am I? One of those Pinko Cracker Bleeding-Heart Conservatives?
  • Fugitive Safe Surrender and the Religious Menace
  • Henry VIII, Cash Flow, and Consequences