Freedom From Religion
or
Freedom of Religion?

As I talk to people who are deconstructing I often here them frame their deconstruction in terms of "freedom from religion." Sadly, such folk often end up with a self-satisfied nothingness that is really not an alternative that provides any framework for living in our fractured culture.


Rev. F. Forrester Church on "Freedom of Religion" —

Freedom of religion too easily translates into the emptiness of freedom from religion. Without strong and vigorous structures, vital worshiping communities, and a faith that sustains more than a self-satisfied few through times of crisis and hardship, our much vaunted freedom and openness remain spiritless abstractions. We must not forget that what we offer is an alternative religion, not an alternative to religion. It is religion modified and shaped by the principles of freedom and open process; it is a liberal religion, but a religion nonetheless. – F. Forrester Church, “The Church Of The Future In Light Of Our Past

Read the entire address in A Universalist Heritage beginning at p. 31.

Frank A. Mills
Sheffield Lake, OH
November 23, 2024