Catholic Diocese Of Joliet

The Bishop continues his overview of the Declaration on Religious Freedom ("Dignitatis Humane") from Vatican II. In this podcast, he talks about the declaration being based on the dignity of the human of person - which means everyone is created in the image of God and God is calling everyone into a relationship with Him. Christian faith is a free act of the will. If you believe in Jesus, then that means you have free will, which is the essence of religious freedom. The call to faith is an internal one; there is an obligation, but it shouldn't be imposed on the outside. Jesus expected His listeners to accept His teachings as truth, since it came from God and directed by the Holy Spirit, but Jesus would not coerce people on the outside, like the Jewish or Roman authorities, to force others to believe.