Religious Freedom Remains Alive

Religious Freedom Remains Alive and Well For many years there has been significant discussion surrounding religious freedom and politics relating to the state or the government. At times they are distinct and separate from one another, yet at other times the two intersect. The two men credited for their insight into the “Catholic social thought in the United States were foundational for upholding a core principle in Church social teaching, namely, the distinction between civil society and the state.” In the article, “Religious Freedom in a civic culture”, by Fr. Ron Ketteler, the differences between the two core principles are explored, whereas civil society often exists independent of the government, there would be no government were it

Civil society tends to adhere to the common good, not by governmental enforcement, but in the interest of mediating institutions of society. These institutions are the religious bodies that represent the religious freedom of the people. The mediating institutions refer to the church and the body of religious believers; they serve as the buffer between religious freedom and law. Since the writings of the American Constitution, society has been granted the freedom of religious expression. However, this was not in the interest of society converting everyone to their own beliefs, but a statement in good faith to maintain peace among the people. Religious freedom, when exercised, goes way beyond that of a political nature. Society is more inclined to do the right thing and further the mission of the church when they truly believe it in

“The political community or the state constitutes a distinct component of a society that holds a unique role, for it is “the center of political authority”.” Having order in a society, enforcing laws, and maintaining rules is very important to maintain a peaceful society as Father Murray pointed out from the First Amendment. For those who would go on to argue the religious clauses in the First Amendment, he further points out that “these provisions are the work of lawyers, not of theologians or even political theorists. They are not true dogma but only good law.” As mentioned previously, civil society is comprised of a full host of various people, each one with a unique contribution to their society. Those involved in politics concerning the state or governments are only a small portion of those extrapolated from society, their job focuses on describing a piece of behavior. They are relying strictly on the laws set forth by the government to rule. They observe behavior and depending on what the law says is right or wrong, enforce the consequences of wrong behavior. Reasoning is involved in this process, and the piece of behavior is observed and determined to be good or evil, based on subjectivity, and not objective moral values. Civil society has a lot of input into determining what is good and evil based on the significance of behavior and what