| St. Thomas More: "I die the king's good servant, but God's first." |
Why Americans Must Defend the First Amendment
Saturday, June 30, 2012
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Nash Auditorium, Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, Virginia
Speakers
What Is the First Amendment?
Mr. Vincent Terreri, founder, Annunication Academy
Religious Freedom and Democracy
Legal Fronts in the Fight for the First Amendment
James Cottone, former Grand Knight, St. Francis de Sales parish Knights of Columbus Council 1136, Purcellville, Virginia
A virtuous citizenry committed to transcendent moral truths is the bedrock of American democracy. In his famous examination of early American culture, Alexis de Tocqueville made note of the influential role of religion. He wrote, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Freedom of religion—including a robust presence of religiously informed moral truths in public life—is an indispensable foundation for freedom. If we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, forbidden by the state, then we can no longer claim to be the land of the free, for we will not be free. Democracy is not a machine that can run by itself. It must be built on a firm cultural foundation rooted in the virtues of the people. When those virtues and the moral truths that shape them are banished from the public square, the foundations of the house of freedom are weakened.
The remedy is for the people to educate themselves and work together to demand that the state respect their exercise of freedom of religion. Please join us in doing just that.
Free and open to the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment