Liberty : man's greatest gift! * ^^The Voice of the Vicar of Christ^’ popularized edition of the En- cyclical Libertas Humana^ on Human Liberty, by Pope Leo XIIL BY Rev. Gerald C. Treacy, S.J. LIBERTY THE PAULIST PRESS 401 West 59th Street New York 19, N. Y. Encyclical (en-cyc'li-cal, -sik'li-kal) is a Big word that tends to frighten Young Catholic America in our schools. It sometimes frightens not a few of their elders. The simplified edition aims at removing that fright by presenting the THOUGHTS, TRUTHS, TEACHINGS of the Encyclical in plain language. The Encyclical teachings are precious gems of TRUTH, encased in the long sentences and long para- graphs of the Latin language. The simplified edition places these gems of God’s Truth, in the setting of another language. We appreciate the beauty of the gem in a familiar setting. When the reader has appreciated the teachings of the Encyclical in its simplified setting, he will be ready to turn to the complete edition of the Encyclical with interest and profit. The Encyclical is the teaching of our Lord applied by His Vicar on earth to modern problems. It is the key answer to modern problems. Do you want to know the answer? Know the Encyclicals. Imprimi Potest: Nihil Obstat : Imprimatur : New York, May 22, 1945. James P. Sweeney, S.J., Provincial. Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Librorum. Francis J. Spellman, D.D., Archbishop of New York. Copyright, 1945, by The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle IN THE State of New York PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U. S. A. BY THE PAULIST PRESS, NEW YORK 19, N. Y. LIBERTY Man’s Greatest Gift! 1. God’s greatest gift to man is liberty, for by it man is ruler over his own actions. The greatest good and the greatest evil depend upon its use. Man is free to follow his reason and achieve the destiny God has given him. He is also free to do the opposite and wreck his destiny. Many think that the Church is opposed to liberty. This is wrong. The Church has ever reverenced and protected man’s liberty. The Church has always opposed the false ideas of liberty, for these pervert liberty and turn it into license. Modern Liberties 2. We have on another occasion called attention to the good and bad in the modern theories of liberty. Whatever is good in them is as old as truth itself and is approved by the Church. Whatever is new in these theories is due to the disorders of the present time, and is a perversion of true liberty. We wish then to ex- plain what liberty means. The Meaning of Liberty 3. Liberty means the power of choice. It means the power to choose means in order to gain an end. It belongs to man naturally because man has reason or [Page 3] intelligence. As man has reason to guide him, unlike the brute who is guided by instinct, man’s liberty de- pends on his reason. Man looking at many things has the power to choose what he wants among these things. So he is master of his actions. And he is re- sponsible for his actions. Man’s reasoning power comes from his soul which is created by God. His soul is simple, that is without parts. It is spiritual, that is immaterial, unlike his body which is material, made of matter. And his soul is intellectual, capable of reason- ing. This is the foundation of liberty. For when man has reasoned out something, he is able to follow out his reasoning by willing. So he is a free agent. That is the meaning of liberty. And it is according to man’s nature. So we call it natural liberty. \ The Church, Defender of Liberty 4. As the Church has always maintained the sim- plicity, spirituality and immortality of man’s soul, so likewise has she ever maintained its freedom. When- ever the liberty of man has been attacked, the Church has gone to its defense. History proves this. The Church has never made a truce with fatalism. Intellect ond Will 5. The intellect is the power to know, the will the power to do. Man’s soul possesses both powers. When a man chooses something, he does so because it ap- peals to him as good or useful. But before he chooses he must know. So the will cannot choose until man knows what he is about. [Page 4] Defects in Intellect and Will 6. As both intellect and will are human powers they are imperfect. So it can happen that the intellect thinks of something as good which really is not good but only appears to be good. Then the will chooses accordingly. As error and the possibility of error are defects of the intellect and prove its imperfection, so the will choosing the appearance of good shows its im- perfection. However this very defect is a proof of our freedom, just as a disease is a proof of our vitality. So it is that God being infinitely perfect, free and intelligent, cannot choose evil. Neither can the saints and angels, enjoying the Beatific Vision, choose evil. St. Thomas Aquinas often discusses this point in prov- ing that the possibility of sinning is not freedom but slavery. He says: “Man is by nature rational. When therefore he acts according to reason, he acts of him- self and according to his free will; and this is liberty. Whereas when he sins he acts against reason. There- fore whoever commits sin is the slave of sin.” This is what the pagan philosophers meant when they said “the wise man alone is free.” For to them the wise man was the man trained to act according to his nature, that is the man of justice and virtue. Liberty Needs Law 7. Haying understood the meaning of liberty, it is easy to understand that liberty needs light and strength to direct its actions to good, and to restrain them from evil. For without this, liberty easily becomes license, and license spells ruin. First of all there must be LAW. [Page S] Law means a fixed rule declaring: “This is to be done; this is not to be done.” Law is the rule of reason. As our free acts must be in accordance with reason, law is needed to guide those acts. It tells us what is right, and what is wrong. It is foolish to say that because man is free, he is exempt from law. For this would mean that in order to be free I must be deprived of REASON. The truth is we are bound to submit to law, precisely because we are free by our very nature. For law is the guide of man’s actions. It turns him toward good by its rewards; it deters him from evil by its punishments. The Natural Law 8. First comes the NATURAL LAW or the LAW of NATURE which is written in the mind of every man. God having created man for an eternal destiny, lovingly guides man toward that destiny. His first step in guidance is the Natural Law. The Natural Law is man’s reason telling him to do right and avoid wrong. Nevertheless all commands of reason can have the force of law only in so far as they are the voice of some Higher Power, on which man’s reason and liberty necessarily depend. Since law imposes obliga- tions and grants rights, AUTHORITY is the one and only FOUNDATION of all law. For authority means the power to fix duties and define rights, to assign re- ward and punishment. It is plain that this cannot be found in man. For he is not the Supreme Legislator nor is he the ruler of his own actions. The Natural Law is the same thing as the [Page 6] ETERNAL LAW implanted in man’s mind, directing him to right conduct which leads him to his destiny. It is the ETERNAL REASON of God, Creator and Ruler of all men. To help man observe the law of his nature, which is the eternal law implanted by God in his mind, a special strength is needed. And God gives this strength to man’s will. It is divine grace. It brings light to the mind and power to the will, so that the use of liberty becomes less difficult and less dangerous. This grace of God does not hinder the freedom of the will. It works in harmony with it, because it flows from the Creator of that will. As St. Thomas Aquinas notes, it is because grace comes from the Author of nature, that it is so admirably adapted to be its safe- guard. Human Law 9. What is true of the liberty of individuals, is true of these individuals when they are considered as mem- bers of civil society or the State. What reason and the Natural Law do for individuals, human law does for the citizen. It commands the citizen to follow what is good and avoid what is wrong, and at the same time adds a proper sanction. Human law which deals with what is good or bad by its very nature does not get its binding force from the fact that it comes from civil society. It is declared by the law-making power of civil society, but its origin is not in civil society. Its origin is in the Natural and consequently in the Eternal Law. For example theft and murder are forbidden by human law not [Page 7] because the human legislator says they are wrong, but because they are evil in themselves, for they are against the Natural Law. The binding force of the human law comes from that fact. Civil society did not create human nature, so it is not the author of the good that befits human nature, or the evil which is contrary to it. The laws govern- ing the welfare of human nature come before men live together in human society. Human laws that contain commands of the Natural Law get their binding force from the Natural Law. There are other human laws which do not come directly from the Natural Law. They decide points which the Natural Law deals with only in a general way. For example the Natural Law tells all men to be good citizens by contributing to the common good of the State. Human law determines how this is to be done. Particular rules of conduct, made by com- petent authority directing men toward good and de- terring them from evil make up what we call human law. The Eternal Law and Liberty 10. The Eternal Law is the principle of all law. On it all law depends for its value, as it is the founda- tion of all law. So St. Augustine says: “I think that you can see that there is nothing just and lawful in temporal law unless what men have gathered from the Eternal Law.” And so the Eternal Law is the one and only standard of liberty, not orjly for man as an individual but for man in society. For liberty does not consist in doing what one pleases as this would [Page 8] lead to chaos and anarchy, and to the overthrow of the State. True liberty means obeying the civil law, so as more easily to obey the Eternal Law. The liberty of those in authority does not mean the power to en- force any laws they feel like. That would be tyranny. It means the power to enact laws that are in agree- ment with the Eternal Law. A law that is not in keep- ing with right reason, is no law at all. For it violates justice and will lead men away from the good which is the purpose of civil society. God's Law Protects Liberty 11. Whatever view we may take of liberty, it means the necessity of obedience to a supreme and eternal law, which is nothing else but the authority of God commanding good and forbidding evil. And God’s authority over men far from destroying liberty, pro- tects and perfects it. For it shows men how to use their liberty in reaching their destiny, which is God. The Church's Teaching On Liberty 12. These truths which we can know from reason, the Church has always taught. The Church has al- ways been the guardian and protector of the civil and political liberties of the people. By the influence of her teaching, slavery which paganism practiced, was grad- ually abolished. From her, savage and barbarous people have learned the vital lesson of the brotherhood of all men in Jesus Christ. Civilized nations too have prospered by the teaching of the Church for she has brought them the treasure of Christian culture. History [Page 9] shows us the Church always opposing tyrants, defend- ing the weak and the innocent, and supporting every form of government provided it is just and secures the common good. Lawful and Unlawful Obedience 13. The highest duty of every man is to respect lawful authority and obey just laws. . For lawful au- thority is from God, and “he who resists authority resists the ordinance of God.” This is what makes obedience noble, for man obeys God when he submits to lawful authority. Unjust laws must not be obeyed. Disobedience to man in this instance, means obedience to God. “We must obey God rather than men,” was the reply of the Apostles to the Jewish leaders who forbade them to preach Christ. This is an effective barrier to tyranny, and a safeguard to the rights of the citizen. Thus all men are free to live according to right reason and law. This is true liberty. Liberty and Liberals 14. It is false to say that the Church is opposed to liberty. Those who boast the name Liberals, advo- cate not liberty but license. They make the cry of Lucifer their own watchword: “I will not serve.” Liberalism and Morality 15. What the Naturalist and Rationalist teach in the realm of philosophy, the Liberal teaches in morality and politics. The basic doctrine of Rationalism is the supremacy of the human reason. That means that [Page 10] human reason is independent of Divine Reason, and is itself the supreme principle, source and judge of truth. So the Liberals deny all divine authority, and make man a law unto himself. Their ethical system which . is called independent morality exempts man from obedience to God, and opens wide the door to license. The effect of this teaching on society is plain. As individual reason is the only law of life, so is the col- lective reason of the whole community the supreme law. Authority is derived from the people alone and the majority possesses all rights and duties. It is plain how false these teachings are. For to deny any bond of union between man and civil society on the one hand, and God the Creator and Supreme Lawgiver on the other, is to go against the nature of man, and in fact of all created things. All effects must in some way be linked to their cause, and in the order of nature the lower must be subject and obedient to the higher. Dangers of Liberalism 16. The dangers of Liberalism to the individual and to the State, are evident. Once admit that human . reason alone has the authority to decide what is true and what is good, then there will be an end to the real distinction between good and evil. There will be no difference between honor and dishonor for each individual will decide for himself. Pleasure will be- come the standard for what is lawful. With such a code of morality man’s passions will soon lead to uni- versal corruption. Public authority will become the plaything of those passions, and anarchy or tyranny [Page 11] will certainly result. Sedition and revolt will become the order of the day. Force will be the only thing left to control human greed. We see this today in the struggle that the State is facing with Socialist and other subversive groups. Once repudiate the Law of God and religion will have no meaning. Duty and conscience being ruled out of life, man becomes noth- ing but a brute. Common sense tells us whether such teachings promote true liberty or destroy it. Moderate Liberalism 17. There are some who wish to moderate these doctrines of Liberalism. They would have liberty ruled by reason and the Natural and Eternal Law. Man as a free person is bound by no law of God except that which He makes known to us by our natural reason. This is to limit God the Lawgiver. As God has made known other laws, man is held to obey these laws just as much as he is obligated to the Eternal Law. For they have the same origin as the Eternal Law, are in conformity with reason and perfect the Natural Law. For God is their Author. God's Law and the State 18. Other followers of Liberalism claim that the individual is bound by God’s Law but the State is not. This means that the State does not have to consider God’s Law when making its own laws. So Church and State should be separated, the popular cry of these days. As a matter of common welfare Church and State should not be separated. They should be in [Page 12] co-operation. They rule over the same people. The common welfare of the people is the concern of the State. That common welfare implies right living. And right living means living according to God’s Law. How then can the State ignore God’s Law? As God is the source of all goodness and human happiness, it is ridiculous for the State to ignore God’s Law. Human laws must not merely regard temporal welfare. The citizen is more than his body. Human laws have to consider his soul. The State that fails to consider this is abusing its power. False Liberty of Worship 19. Liberty of worship means that a man is free to profess any religion or none. This is false liberty. For God has revealed definitely and clearly the wor- ship, the religion, the Church that is His. If there had been no divine revelation then man would be free to worship as he pleases. In view of the fact that God has revealed His true religion, and man owes obedience to God, how can he be free to ignore God’s command? \ One True Religion 20. It is of supreme importance for man to know how he is to reach his destiny. God makes that clear by showing man the way. The way is God’s true religion, and not any other way. If that were not true, then God would have left man to his own devices in a matter of supreme importance. [Page 13] The State and Religion 21. Some modern false theories of liberty teach that the State should not honor God, that all forms of religion should be on the same footing, and that the State should take no account of religion even though the citizens profess the Catholic Faith. As man the individual is bound to worship God in the manner God prescribes, so is man in society or the State under the same obligation. That means the State officially is to honor God by professing God’s one true religion. In most countries today there are so many forms of religion that the State gives honor to God by allowing the free practice of individual forms of religion. This is a fact situation. But it does not alter the truth that there is but one true religion, and where all the citizens of the State acknowledge that religion, the State is bound officially to honor God just as the individual citizens are bound to honor God. Religion Aids the State 22. Religion is of immense value to the State. For since it teaches that all power comes from God, it reminds rulers of their sacred obligations to govern justly, gently and with charity. It likewise enjoins upon subjects obedience to those in authority, as God’s representatives. Religion moreover inculcates moral living, and moral living leads to true liberty. The les- son of history shows that the higher the morality of States, the greater the liberty, prosperity and influence they enjoy. [Page 14] Freedom of Speech and of the Press 23. The liberty of speech and the Press does not mean the right to say or print anything, truth or lies, to advocate justice or injustice. It cannot be repeated too often that right is a moral power and brings with it an obligation. Man has the right to property but he has the obligation to use that property without in- jury to his fellow-man. Man has not the right to spread truth or falsehood, justice or injustice indif- ferently. Man’s right is to propagate freely whatever is true, just and beneficial to society. The State for its own protection has the right and the duty to suppress lying and subversive propaganda that works harm to the individual and to the nation. If unrestrained liberty of speech and the Press is al- lowed nothing will remain sacred. This means license and license can be given no quarter if th^ State is to prosper. However in all matters of opinion which God leaves to man’s free discussion, full liberty of thought and speech is everyone’s right. For such liberty leads not to the suppression of truth, but to further discovery of truth and wider knowledge of truth. Liberty of Teaching 24. Liberty of teaching means the right to teach truth and not to propagate error. The duty of the teacher is to bring knowledge to those who lack it, and to preserve and increase knowledge in those who have it. The teacher has no right to teach anything he pleases. Truth and truth only is for the well-being and perfection of man. Error is not. The teacher [Page IS] holds a position of authority. His listeners for the most part are not capable of deciding what is true and what is false. They are too immature. And for the State to permit the teaching of error, is for the State to fail in its duty which is the safeguarding of the common good. Natural Truth 25. Truth, which alone is the subject of teaching is of two kinds. It is natural and supernatural. By natural truth we mean that which we arrive at by our reason. By supernatural truth we mean that which has been revealed to us by God. By reason man can know that God exists. By revelation, that is God speak- ing to man, God tells man that He exists, and tells him many other truths that he would never arrive at by reason. Supernatural Truth 26. For example God has told us that His Only- Begotten Son became man. to bear witness to truth; that He founded a Church to continue the teaching of truth to the end of the world; that if men wish to fulfill their destiny and gain everlasting happiness, they are bound to heed that Church. For the voice of the Church is God’s Voice. And man’s best teacher is God, the source and principle of all truth. The Supreme Teacher 27. To His Church Christ said: “Go and teach all that I have taught and I will be with you.” Relying on this command and promise the Church has ever [Page 16 ] been the supreme teacher of man. From her beginning she has ever claimed the right and liberty to teach, no matter how bitterly she was opposed. Her teaching far from being a hindrance to the pursuit of learning and the advance of science, has even been a guiding light to both. Truth is one and comes from God. It is impossible then for the divine teaching of the Church to come into conflict with natural truths and the dis- coveries of science. It is error masquerading as truth, and false science that conflict with the Teaching Church. For the same reason the Church is the great pro- tector of human liberty. For our Lord said: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John viii. 32). True science and true liberty welcome the guidance of the Church, whose laws direct human teaching and safeguard it from error. The Church and Learning 28. The mission of the Church is to teach faith and morals. But the Church is also fostering and pro- moting every kind of human learning. For learning is a good thing. If it is based on sound reason, it helps to confirm what we believe from revelation. The Church, it must be remembered has ever preserved the monuments of the past, has opened everywhere schools of the arts and sciences, aiding the development of modem culture. And in the vast field of experiment that has no relation to faith and morals, the Church encourages men to explore and develop with the utmost freedom. [Page 17 ] Liberalism's Strange Liberty29. The Liberals advocate a strange kind of liberty. They demand for the State and for themselves a li- cense which opens the way to every kind of error; at the same time they try to fetter the Church in every possible way. Yet from the teaching of the Church nothing is to be feared, but much is to be gained. Liberty of Conscience 30. Liberty of conscience does not mean the free- dom of every man to worship God or not, as he pleases. This is the meaning given it by Liberals. Liberty of conscience means that everyone may follow God’s will and obey His commandments. This is true liberty and worthy of the dignity of man. This is the liberty taught by the Church from the very beginning. For this liberty testifies to the absolute dominion of God over man. It has nothing in common with sedition. And it takes nothing from obedience to lawful au- thority. For the right to command derives from God’s authority. And if any human ruler commands any- thing contrary to God’s Law, it is the citizens’ duty to disobey. Liberalism Betrays Liberty 31. True liberty of conscience goes hand in hand with virtue and religion. Liberalism denies this, wants man to be free from God, and enslaves him to the State, making the State absolute. Man is thus helpless to resist any tyranny no matter how monstrous. [Page 18 ] The Remedy for Modern Evils 32. The evils of our day are the fruits mainly of this false liberty of conscience. There is but one remedy, the return to the practice of Christ’s teaching. That teaching must permeate every class of society. Liberalism’s exponents promised peace and safety to society. The result before our eyes today is exactly the opposite. Only in the restoration of the Christian life to the social order, will true liberty be found. The Toleration of Evil 33. The Church, as a kind mother allows for the weakness of human nature. So she approves of the toleration of certain evils by public authority, for fear that greater evils might follow and greater good be hindered. In this she is like God, her Founder Who permits evil, though He is infinitely good. So human law for the common good may tolerate evil. For it may be unable to prevent it, or in preventing it, may cause greater evil. But it should not .approve or en- courage evil. Human authority is powerless to prevent every evil, so it must “overlook and leave unpunished many things which are rightly punished by divine Providence,” says St. Augustine. Evil and Public Welfare 34. The State may tolerate evil only for the com- mon good. If this toleration is against the common welfare it is wrong and the State betrays its duty. The Church today tolerates many things that she is not in sympathy with. One thing she will not accept, the [Pag£ 19] false teaching of Liberalism that man is free to do anything and everything. For this is undesirable as it is against reason. Liberalism boasts of tolerance and unlimited liberty. Its teaching leads to confusion, as it makes no distinction between truth and error, honesty and dishonesty. Liberalism Calumniates the Church 35. Because the Church is the pillar and ground of truth, she rejects all the false teachings of Lib- eralism. The answer of Liberals is to calumniate the Church, for lacking patience and gentleness. They boast of liberty and at the same time deny the Church the freedom that is hers by divine right. The Sin of Liberalism 36. The sin of Liberalism is its claim that man is free from any obligation to God. It denies God’s authority over man. The truth is that man as God’s creature is completely subject to God’s authority. For man to act independently of God is not liberty but the treasonable abuse of liberty. Liberalism Perverts Liberty 37. To reject God’s authority and to refuse Him obedience in private and public life is the perversion of liberty. And this is the meaning of Liberalism in its complete sense. Moderate Liberalism 38. Moderate Liberalism admits the supreme au- thority of God over the world He created, but rejects [Page 20] all laws of faith and morals, revealed by God, because they are above natural reason. The moderate Liberals deny that the State has any obligation to give public loyalty to these laws. From this they argue for the complete separation of Church and State. Separation Means Segregation 39. Some argue for the complete separation of Church and State, so that in all interests of life, the State should carry on just as if the Church did not exist. They would allow the citizen to practice his religion privately. And to this attitude they give the name tolerance. This means nothing more than public or official contempt of the Church. Separation Means Subjugation 40. Other Liberals while admitting the right of the Church to exist, reduce her to the level of a mere human society, denying her the power to teach and legislate. They call her a voluntary society of citizens, subject to the State. Their call for separation of Church and State means the subjugation of the Church and the supremacy of the State. The Church Cannot Compromise 41. Others do not want this falsely called separa- tion but wish the Church to adapt herself to modern views. The Church can and does accept any modern view that is consistent with truth and justice. The Church cannot and will not compromise on questions of faith and morals. IPaqi; 21 j Unlimited Liberty 42. Unlimited freedom of thought, speech, writing and worship does not belong to man. These are not natural rights. Man’s natural right to liberty means freedom under God’s Law. Unlimited liberty means license. True liberty is freedom to do good. Liberty to Change Government 43. Governments are bound to secure the true liberty of their peoples. If they fail in this, the citizens have a right to seek a change of government. This is true freedom of action and not license. Forms of Government 44. The Church has no preference for any special form of government. She favors any form of govern- ment that secures the common welfare. She is opposed to any form that does not. Civic Duty of Catholics 45. Catholics as citizens should be in the forefront of every movement that promotes genuine liberty. Under whatever form of government they live, they should see to it that the government procures the com- mon welfare. Every form of government deserves support that is founded on justice and secures the well- being of its citizens. [Page 22] The Church and Nationalism 46. True nationalism has the approval of the Church. Each nation is entitled to its own way of life, independent of any foreign or despotic power. The greatest amount of liberty and prosperity should be enjoyed by the citizens of every nation. The Church has ever been the protector of civil liberty and has vindicated the right of every nation to self-rule. Conclusion 47. We pray God to shed the light of His wisdom and counsel upon all men, so that strengthened by these heavenly gifts, they may understand truth and live up to it. 48. Given at St. Peter’s in Rome, June 20, 1888, the tenth year of Our Pontificate. Leo XIII, Pope. (Page 23^ QUESTIONS LESSON I (Paragraphs 1-6) Why is liberty God’s greatest gift to man? Is the Church opposed to liberty? What does the Pope say of the modern theories of liberty? Define liberty. Why does it belong to man naturally? On what does man’s liberty depend? What follows from the fact that man is master of his actions? Where does man’s reasoning power come from? Man’s soul is simple, spiritual and intellectual. Explain. What do we mean by calling liberty natural? Explain the foundation of liberty. What has been the consistent attitude of the Church - toward liberty? What two powers does man’s soul possess? What necessarily precedes the act of choice? Why does a man choose one thing in preference to another? [Page 24] Are the intellect and will perfect powers? Does the intellect always think correctly? Is the will independent of the intellect in choosing? What is a proof of our freedom? LESSON II (Paragraphs 7-9) Can God choose evil? Is the power to sin freedom? What does St. Thomas say on this point? The wise man alone is free. Explain. What does man need to prevent his liberty turning into license? What is law and why does man need -law? Because man is free he is exempt from law. Refute. What is the Natural Law or the Law of Nature? What is the one and only foundation of law? Explain the meaning of authority. Why is man not the source of authority? What is the Eternal Law and how is the Natural Law related to it? Why does God give man grace? How does grace affect the intellect and will? Is freedom impaired by grace? [Page 25 ] What does human law do for the citizens in the State? Is the origin of human law found in civil society? What does the law-making authority do as regards human law? Does human law make theft or murder wrong? What follows from the fact that civil society did not create human nature? LESSON III (Paragraphs 10-15) Where do human laws that contain commands of the Natural Law get their binding power? The Natural Law bids all men strive for the common good. How does human law act on this? Define human Taw. What is the principle of all law? Quote St. Augustine on this point. What is the one standard of liberty for man the in- dividual, and for man in society? What does true liberty mean and what is its motive? What is meant by the liberty of the ruler? When is a law unjust? How does God’s authority affect human liberty? How does history show the attitude of the Church on liberty? [Page 26 ] What is the highest duty of every man? How is human obedience made noble? Should man obey an unjust law? “We must obey God rather than men.” Explain. What is the basic doctrine of Rationalism? What do the Liberals deny? What is the effect of Liberalism’s teaching on society? LESSON IV (Paragraphs 16-22) What is the standard of what is lawful according to Liberalism? Enumerate the evils that follow in the train of Lib- eralism’s teaching. If duty and conscience are ruled out of life what will follow? Why must all laws revealed by God be obeyed? What is the fallacy in moderate Liberalism? The State does not have to consider God’s Law in making its laws. Refute. State and Church should be in co-operation. Prove. Should human laws regard only temporal welfare? Why is mail not free to worship as he pleases? [Page 27 ] Why must there be only one true religion? Why should the State honor God’s true religion? In today’s situation where there are many forms of religion what is the duty of the State? Why is religion valuable to the State? What follows when a State observes a high moral standard? LESSON V (Paragraphs 23-27) What is the true meaning of liberty of speech and of the press? Should the State allow unlimited freedom of speech and of the press? In matters of opinion what liberty should be allowed and why? What does liberty of teaching mean? What is the duty of the teacher? Is the teacher’s authority unlimited? Explain the meaning of natural and supernatural truth. Give an example of how supernatural truth gives man something more than his reason could give him. What commission did Christ give His Church? How has the Church regarded her teaching office? [Page 28 ] LESSON VI (Paragraphs 28-30) Why is it impossible for the teaching of the Church to conflict with natural truth? What really does conflict with the teaching of the Church? Why does true science welcome the teaching of the Church? Is the Church indifferent to human learning? What has the record of the Church been in respect to human learning? What is the liberty advocated by the Liberals? Explain the false and the true meaning of liberty of conscience. LESSON VII (Paragraphs 31-36) In freeing man from obligation to God’s Law, Lib- eralism makes the State absolute. Prove. What does Pope Leo say is the remedy for today’s evils? * Liberalism promised peace and security to society. What has resulted? Should public authority tolerate , certain evils? What reasons are there for such toleration? [Page 29] Quote St. Augustine in this matter. When would the State be wrong in tolerating evil? What is the attitude of the Church today in the mat- ter of toleration? What will the Church not tolerate today? Why does the Church take this stand? What is the attitude of Liberalism toward the Church? State the sin of Liberalism. LESSON VIII (Paragraphs 37-47) What does the liberty of Liberalism really mean? Liberals argue for complete separation of Church and State. Why? Why do Liberals reject all laws on faith and morals revealed by God? What does the tolerance of the moderate Liberal mean actually? The Churph is only a human society. Refute. Toleration of Liberalism means subjugation of the Church. Prove. How far will the Church adapt herself to modern views? Why is not unlimited liberty man’s natural right? [Page 30] If governments deny true liberty to their citizens, what may the citizens do? What form of government does the Church prefer? State the civic duty of Catholics. When the Church approves true nationalism what does she favor? What is Pope Leo’s concluding prayer? [ Page 31 J - . > r r ., . ot- I ' ' u ' -' * ' 'P. s^-: ,/ «''> a*' vi'isd t !'• v o . 1 i' ' ’ * r-.. . . . . > '• .-I * M - ' ’* . * ,.'r* I J 5>< - .'CJjf V,-. 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