04/03/2026
I heard about this man Padre Pro and the 100 year anniversary of the Cristero War in Mexico. Truly fascinating. Especially all of the martyrs.
One has to admit that it doesn't take a lot for things to get out of hand, even with the best of intentions. Mexico during the 1920s under their constitution and later the Calles Law intended on limiting the role of religious influence on government and eventually society. Within a few years the government was executing dissidents and attempting to contain a guerilla war.
This is one of the things Ben Franklin warned against that we can have a republic if we can keep it. Meaning that we need to have restraint in our public law and that without proper restraint things can get out of hand fairly quickly.
I fear we have become very complacent and we saw greater movement in this direction in the four years following COVID for the same reasons stated in the Mexican example, its always in the name of protecting the citizens, mostly from being offended. Of course Its not limited to only those years as progressive policymakers have attempted and enacted over the past 100 years here and in Europe a number of laws that have disproportionately affected religious organizations while being somewhat camouflaged as broad initiatives that restrict all charitable organizations. Such as the inability to speak politically from the pulpit without risk of losing tax protections, a complete violation of the first amendment.
While more glaring examples can be seen in Europe where the population is more secular and people seem to have an appetite for compliance with the tyrannical. People are prevented from outward expression of religious beliefs in public, so there is no toleration of street proselytizing with any speech that can be considered offensive, in some countries people are fired for openly wearing religious jewelry, and of course the worst is the UK with its outright arresting and prosecuting people for merely praying outside of abortion clinics.
Unfortunately, our culture and progressive left tends to follow their lead and as greater numbers of our population are secular it is certainly a concern for future America. All in all, the lesson is that we must always be vigilant to ensure the first amendment is not to be eroded over time to pursue freedom from religion rather than what it expressly states therein, there can be "No Law prohibiting the free exercise thereof".
Blessed Father Miguel Agustín Pro, a martyr during the Cristero War in Mexico, with his arms outstretched in the form of a cross before being executed by firing squad on Nov. 23, 1927. | Credit: Unknown, public domain, via Wikipedia Jan 20, 202...
