Archbishop Chaput-Divided Hearts: Americans, Religion, National Policy

One of the books that shaped my thinking as a teenager was George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Most of you know that it’s a political fable.

Orwell imagined an English farm where the animals revolt and throw out their human master. But instead of creating a utopia, they get a regime run by pigs. The pigs behave even worse than the humans. And whenever anyone tries to question the rules, the pigs bring in a chorus of sheep, who bleat “Four legs good, two legs bad; four legs good, two legs bad,” again and again, until everyone gets confused and goes home.

I’ve been thinking about those sheep all year long. I remember them every time someone tells me that Catholics shouldn’t try to impose our beliefs on society. I remember them every time somebody warns me that religious believers need to respect the separation of Church and state.

I think these two concerns – “don’t impose your beliefs on society” and “the separation of Church and state” -- aren’t the real concerns at all. They’re slogans. They’re sound bites designed to shut down serious thought.

Good article by Archbishop Chaput.

Full article here.