Religious Freedom and the American Founding w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. & Prof. Phillip Muñoz 

The point at the 30 min minute mark, on anyone can be American, is on it's face great! However, natural rights and laws are not philosophical ideas. They are divinely created. This was eroded by the enlightenment area. The problems of today with "my truth" and "self-determination" is the logical conclusion when you take natural law and make it a philosophy devoided of the supernatural. Which is what our founders like Jefferson did. Love the interview, I'm not disagreeing in some big way or angry way with you guys. I've been shaped by the founders thinking and have recently entered the Church and have been reading a lot of articles from the Communio Journal. God bless you both! Please push back on me and my thoughts. It will only make me better.

Merry Christmas 😇😇😇😇😇🎄🕊✝🙏

0:43 lol Nice!

Re: "the rise of paganism and marxism; people being adrift because they need religion." I think the loss of "myth," plays a huge role in this and can be tied to the loss of cultural/ethnic identity in America, since "myth" is intrinsically tied to the generational family first (ie geography, language, tradition, and most importantly, RELIGION), then groups of families, which then creates "the state." I think Fr. Pine is correct in pointing out how large the U.S. is, and how that is part of the problem, which, I would argue, is also why Federalism is a problem. But, back to myths, as Aristotle points out when countering Plato's disdain for myth/poetry/etc, give people a higher standard by which to judge the finality of various moral and ethical dilemmas. Catholicism used to be so steeped in myth, legend, ect. that fueled virtue and supported the natural law and Divine law simultaneously. Ever since the 14th century, with the advent of Nominalism, Europeans slowly began divorcing the reality of God's will from myth and legend, as if this would prevent people from becoming agnostic/atheist, but it has had the opposite affect. I think this is also why we have Catholic Millennials being drawn to the Tridentine mass over the Novus Ordo or Charismatic experiences. I do not think this "triple melting-pot" will continue, even with "natural law," without moving away from federalism and back towards state's rights and governance. Then, we can have limited federal involvement and people can reestablish cultural myths and traditions based on free will and their religious ethnic identity. We already see this happening with Mormons in Utah, Jews in New York/Florida, and Catholic families more and more seeking out Catholic cities/towns. I see these groups as liquids of different viscosity that will never truly "mix," you can blend them for a while and it seems like a homogenous mixture, but unless you perpetually agitate it, it separates out. This is why the elites/federal government is constantly "agitating" us, that is the only thing keeping us from separating based on religious ethnicity (NOT racial), whic would diminish the power of the Federal institution.

As usual, very interesting. The last point in presidents, I somewhat differ. Trump was a weak president, but US has been lucky to have statesmen who truly served the country, regardless of whether we agree or not. Lincoln comes along once in a blue moon; Exceptional. Another point, US has not won a war since ww2. I doubt that is the culprit. But you are 100% right that we need a Lincoln to lead us through what's coming. I'm going to look for your book

Does religious freedom in the US limit inherently harmful religions?

Nice revisionism. Novus Ordo Dominicans come only second to Novus Ordo Jesuits. Keep it up!

Religious freedom? No, a religious duty