On the Square Today

George Weigel on religious freedom vs. exclusive humanism :

The Church asks for free space to be itself: to evangelize, to celebrate the sacraments, and to do the works of education, charity, mercy, and justice, without undue interference from government. The Church freely concedes that the state can tell the Church to do some things: to obey the local sanitary laws in church kitchens hosting pancake breakfasts, for example. But the Church refuses to concede to the state the authority to tell the Church what to think and preach, or how to order its ministerial life and serve the needy. Moreover, the Church asks, and if necessary demands, that the state respect the sanctuary of conscience, so that the Church’s people are not required by law to do things the Church teaches are immoral.

Also today, Anna Williams on makers vs. takers :

We are all takers, and very nearly all of us are makers, at some point in our lives. Unless you sprang from your mother’s womb fully mature and self-sufficient, you were a ‘“taker” as a child. Unless you die before you reach retirement, you will be a “taker” in your old age. Unless you never hold a job or do anything productive over the course of your entire life, you’ll be a “maker” at some point.