And another pithy message

Archbishop Chaput does not mince words. If we have lost our way, it’s because we weren’t paying attention to the map.

As studies have shown for decades, Americans have a very poor grasp of history. For a powerful country, that’s a dangerous form of amnesia. Without an accurate memory, people will fall for nearly any lie, as long as it sounds articulate. Three of the biggest lies in current public debate are that religion is a purely private matter; that religious believers should keep their convictions out of the public square; and that the Founders somehow intended to kick God out of American public life. None of this is true. The historical record proves exactly the opposite. In fact, all of these falsehoods are recent, and they would have made no sense to American citizens living before World War II. They’ve gained traction only in the last 50 years — pushed aggressively in the courts and media by a secularized political minority.

So there. That’s telling the emperor he has no clothes. It’s the naked truth. Furthermore,

modern secularism — the bigoted, pseudo-scientific materialism that sees religious faith as a superstition or personal idiosyncrasy — is not just misguided but dangerous. It cannot give a reason for why the human person deserves respect. It can’t even provide the kind of moral reflection needed to maintain itself.

The good news…is that a bishop like Chaput is boldly speaking out like this. Election season — especially with South Dakota and Missouri facing monumental life issues on the ballot — is perfect timing for the message.