Tag: freedom of religion

On
Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison

Freedom of religion is at risk worldwide

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

Worldwide, Christians are being killed explicitly for their faith in alarmingly large numbers these past years. North Korea, the Middle East, and Africa are some of the top hotspots for Christian persecution.

Believers in Christ are being systematically driven out of the Holy Land through intimidation, prejudice, and lack of opportunity. Soon, there will be almost zero Christians in the country where Jesus lived. More martyrs are being born through a bloody death than any time since the early Church!

Religious freedom at risk

Here at home, we do not face such overt violence because of our religious beliefs, but some significant shifts in political praxis have put our religious freedom at risk.

The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees religious liberty in our country. This right is not some beneficent gift from the government; it is inscribed in our human nature as an inherent right to exercise freedom of conscience. No one can either compel or restrict religious belief or practice. Faith is a sacred gift nurtured in the heart and soul.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Protect freedom to worship and serve

At their spring assembly held June 14-15 in Indianapolis, the U.S. Catholic bishops voted to made their ad hoc religious liberty committee a permanent committee.

In some ways, it is unfortunate that we need this committee at all. However, freedom of religion has eroded in our country as it has in many other parts of the world.

Freedom curtailed

Although Catholics in the United States can worship freely in our churches and homes, the freedom to practice our religion in the public arena has been questioned and even curtailed.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Freedom of religion: It should mean more than worshipping freely

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Many of our ancestors came to the United States to enjoy freedom of religion. They lived in countries where they were not able to worship freely and some may have been persecuted for their beliefs.

For many of the early settlers of our country, freedom of religion didn’t just mean being able to attend the church of their choice, for example, Catholics going to Mass on Sunday at a Catholic church.

It also meant being able to wear religious symbols such as crucifixes in public, praying at public gatherings, talking about one’s faith in public, sending children to Catholic schools, and receiving health care at Catholic hospitals.

Being good Catholic employers

Many Catholics started their lives in this country as farmers and workers in factories or other businesses. But eventually many of them became owners of farms and businesses. As owners, they wanted to put their Catholic teaching into action by providing just wages and good benefits to their employees.

The Catholic Church itself became an employer in its institutions. At first, priests and members of religious orders primarily worked for the Church. But increasingly, especially in the 20th Century, more lay people were hired by Church institutions, including schools, colleges, hospitals and other health care facilities, and social service agencies. Not all of those employees were Catholic, but they realized that they were working for the Church and would have to adhere to the Church’s policies and procedures.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Living ideals in the Declaration of Independence

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is also known as the Fourth of July.

It is associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies. On Independence Day we also celebrate other events concerning the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

Read More
On
Greg Wagner

Mandate should be seen as attack on religious liberty

To the editor:

At a recent gathering at our parish, I overheard a group of people discussing the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate. The consensus of their conversation could be summed up as follows: “The bishops are getting way too riled up over this issue. It is an election year after all and the president will back down on this.”

As Archbishop Chaput stated, “The  current administration prides itself on being measured and deliberate. The current HHS mandate needs to be understood as exactly that.”

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler

Faith and public life: Religion should not be relegated only to the private sphere

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

During the holiday season, we were subjected again to  “Christmas wars” about public displays of Nativity scenes and controversies over calling a Christmas tree by its real name.

These squabbles are really part of a deeper effort to relegate religious practice to the private sphere. There are those who say, “It’s okay for you to practice your faith, but do it behind closed doors.”

Read More