Dear Editor,
I congratulate the Dalai Lama for his “peaceful” condemnation of China’s communist government and its efforts to suppress religious autonomy.
China’s Marxist government falsely presents itself as the authentic spokesman for the hopes and aspirations of the people, and claims to be able, though by recourse to violent means, to bring about the radical changes which will put an end to the oppression and misery of people.
In truth, atheism and the denial of the human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of Marxist belief which requires a total subordination of the person to the collectivity.
Marxism ultimately subsumes the autonomous nature of all spheres of existence: religious, ethical, institutional and cultural.
James Madison recognized religious freedom as a fundamental right that precedes the state and which cannot be severely curtailed or denied by it.
Put more broadly, and as Pope John Paul II put it, religious freedom is the “first freedom.” It is “the premise and guarantee of all freedoms that ensure the common good.”
The two spheres of Church and State are distinct, yet always interrelated to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice – to build a just social and civil order.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Kokoski
