Ground zero for religious liberty

Richard A. Sokerka

In his speech at the University of Notre Dame’s Law School, U.S. Attorney General William Barr pointed out that because the Trump Admin­istration, in which he serves, firmly supports accommodation of religion, the battleground for religious freedom has shifted to the states. Barr said that some state governments are now attempting to compel religious individuals and entities to subscribe to practices, or to espouse viewpoints, that are incompatible with their religious beliefs.

Barr pulled no punches when he said, “Ground zero for these attacks on religion are the schools. To me, this is the most serious challenge to religious liberty. For anyone who has a religious faith, by far the most important part of exercising that faith is the teaching of that religion to our children. The passing on of the faith. There is no greater gift we can give our children and no greater expression of love. For the government to interfere in that process is a monstrous invasion of religious liberty.”

Barr points to the secularists attacking religious liberty through public schools. “Many states are adopting curriculum that is incompatible with traditional religious principles according to which parents are attempting to raise their children. They often do so without any opt out for religious families,” said Barr. As an example that ground zero is in our schools, he pointed to our home state. “New Jersey recently passed a law requiring public schools to adopt an LGBT curriculum that many feel is inconsistent with traditional Christian teaching,” said Barr. “Similar laws have been passed in California and Illinois. And the Orange County Board of Education in California issued an opinion that ‘parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction.’”

This is what our children are facing in our public school systems. As Barr stated, “We must place greater emphasis on the moral education of our children. He went a step further, saying, “Education is not vocational training. It is leading our children to the recognition that there is truth and helping them develop the faculties to discern and love the truth and the discipline to live by it.”

He is passionate about Catholic school education. “If ever there was a need for a resurgence of Catholic education — and more generally religiously-affiliated schools — it is today. I think we should do all we can to promote and support authentic Catholic education at all levels. We cannot have a moral renaissance unless we succeed in passing to the next generation our faith and values in full vigor.”

Although Barr has our backs and is ready to fight for the freedom to live according to our faith, he cannot do it alone. Every person of faith needs to be vigilant against the forces of secularization attempting to drive religious viewpoints from the public square in an attempt to marginalize the free exercise of our faith.