As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 237th
birthday on July 4th, it might be a good time to review the
Declaration of Independence, especially the preamble which begins…We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc
Committee for Religious Liberty published the following statement on April 12,
2012:
"We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complimentary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. 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."
Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty
Both documents give us something to think about this week!
-Robin Swank
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