Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1288439
6 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 2020 | DENVER CATHOLIC A s Americans, we tell ourselves not to talk about two things in public, or even at the dinner table. You know what they are—religion and politics. Those of us who have learned proper social etiquette have heard this since we were young. And it seems it's a good rule of thumb. After all, most people can't discuss either subject very civilly or with an open mind. So, if we keep our political or religious views to ourselves almost every gathering goes better. But this quickly turns into a chicken or egg riddle. Isn't the reason most people can't discuss these issues civilly or with an open mind precisely because we don't discuss them enough? And as the polite, docile, or pious among us have abided by this rule, we've denied ourselves and others the most fundamental critical thinking exercise – how to share, how to question, the deepening of our own think- ing, and the other steps necessary for adult learning. To make matters worse, while the meek or thoughtful may wrestle with serious ideas or the consequences of what they say, bullies, fools, and the ideologically pos- sessed do not suffer this same timidity. Today, secular-minded people feel as empowered as ever to voice their opposition to or advocacy for any number of hot button issues. At the same time, most Christians continue to abide by a code of silence and prac- tice a "private" faith. As a result, we are losing our religious liberty because we are not exercising it. By not speaking enough about public issues from a Christian perspective, other voices are swaying the ethics of this nation. Additionally, the historic project of maintaining a reli- giously "neutral" public square has given secularists the opportunity to shape the conscience of our nation with anti-Christian ideologies. This has been accomplished by means of state power, especially through public education and judicial activism. Moral norms are always legislated, regardless of how we feel about it. The question is, whose morality? R E LI G IO U S LI B E R T Y Religious Liberty is More Than You Realize