Friday, April 4, 2008

Freedom of Religion and polygamy?

I found this article on CNN.com that talks about Warren Jeffs, the leader of a Mormon polygamist sect in the southwest. Specifically, his compound in Texas has been sealed off by law enforcement officials.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/04/texas.ranch/index.htm

Setting all the grotesque wrongdoing aside, such as rape, incest and sexual relations with a minor, I think the article touches upon some very pertinent issues that we’ve been dealing with in class, namely, the right to religious freedom through the fundamentalist church’s practice of polygamy. It begs the question: if this is part of their religion, and can done without unlawfully infringing upon the social order (even though it hasn’t here), is this a violation of his right to freely practice his religion? Granted, what constitutes a proper understanding of social order is debatable, as we as Catholics have a much different understanding tha secular liberals. But, it gets to the point, to what extent should the freedom of religion be granted?

The Roman Catholic Church proclaims the right to religious freedom as the most fundamental of human rights and a necessary aspect for the protection of human dignity. Even though the understanding is grounded on a far different from that of liberalism, is Jeffs’, and anyone who wishes to pursue their faith via polygamy, right to the freedom from state encroachment on religion being violated? Or should the freedom only be given, to an extent?

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