Religious Freedom

I am an unabashed Roman Catholic and active Knights of Columbus member.  Recently there has been a rising voice in the circles I haunt and in the press that "religious freedom" is under attack.  There have been many times in the past when Roman Catholics have come under attack by the State e.g. see the Calles Law in Mexico  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calles_Law which resulted in desecration of religious objects, persecution and murder of priests a lay members and anticlerical legislation.

Is that happening here?  No of course not, but that could be next according to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as the Supreme Knight in the U.S..

The cause of concern is the Obama administration's law that compels all employers including the Catholic Church, to provide free contraceptives and morning after pills to its employees.  This goes against the Church's culture of life teachings and in the Bishops' eyes, could encourage contraception and abortion.  The bigger issue though is can the State enforce a secular rule on a Church that forces the Church to violate its own tenants?

Closer to home Bill 13 in Ontario requires that all provincial schools implement anti-bullying activities such as setting up Rainbow clubs that promote acceptance of gay students.  Once again the Catholic Church (school board) is caught in a tight spot as it does not support gay lifestyles.

Are the above examples really encroachment on my religious freedom?  i.e. is the State telling me I have to use contraceptives, have an abortion or publicly support gay individuals and lifestyles?  Hardly.  More accurately, these are cases of  church freedom infringement. So is Church and religious freedom the same?  According to many Catholic Bishops and 42 other Catholic organizations, it is as they have just launched a suit against the health plan legislation in the name of religious freedom.  I certainly hope they win.

But its a matter of personal conscience whether or not I use contraceptives, entertain an abortion or out myself as gay.  Not so fast.  As a Roman Catholic I accept that the Catholic Church is the body of Christ and that there is an unbroken chain of papal and episcopal (bishop) command since Christ handed the keys of the Church to St. Peter.  Furthermore, personal conscience to a Roman Catholic means discerning the will of God in each concrete life situation and doing what God's voice tells one to do.  It is not making up one's own mind and living with the consequences as most people naturally think and do in the secular world.

Hence it is a bit of a dilemma to see my Church's freedom being infringed.  My guess is that this will blow over.  It's not making much news in the press so it will be soon forgotten.  Until the State tells me that I cannot worship in the way I wish, cannot join the Church of my choice, cannot think and say what I want about religion without fear of reprisal, my religious freedom seems safe.  Let's stop the hyperbole and get back to church.