When Words Lose Their Meaning: The Bishops, Religious Liberty and Dubious Definitions

Lynn, Barry W., Church & State

One of the sayings attributed to Confucius is usually translated: "When words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom." I thought about this analect recently as I was reading a document from a decidedly non-Confucian source.

In mid April, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued its harshest assessment yet of policies from the Obama administration, New York City and state legislatures that add up in the hierarchy's mind to "Religious Liberty Under Attack." The USCCB "Statement on Religious Liberty" contains what are labeled "concrete examples," but in each instance, cited facts are misstated, government motivations are twisted and conclusions are erroneous.

And all of this rests on a faulty premise about what "religious liberty" can and does mean in a …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: When Words Lose Their Meaning: The Bishops, Religious Liberty and Dubious Definitions. Contributors: Lynn, Barry W. - Author. Magazine title: Church & State. Volume: 65. Issue: 5 Publication date: May 2012. Page number: 23. © 1999 Americans United for Separation of Church and State. COPYRIGHT 2012 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.