the spiritual climate on campus
YA L E | On Campus
For God and Country
MEESE, YALE ’53, REMAINS PASSIONATE ABOUT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
E
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d Meese, the U.S. Attorney Gen-
eral during the Reagan adminis-
tration and a Yale alumnus of 1953,
paused to reflect on the godly legacy of
the United States – and warn of its ev-
er-expanding secular drift – during an
appearance at Christian Union’s Staff
and Faculty Conference this summer.
“We are in a time of great peril, both
governmentally and culturally,” said
Meese. “It’s very important that we
recognize where the country is today.”
An octogenarian, Meese remains
active in championing moral causes,
especially in acting as an ambassador
for The Heritage Foundation, a con-
servative think-tank based in based in
Washington, D.C.
At the conference, Meese trum-
peted the need for contemporary
citizens to enjoy increased personal
religious liberties and decreased gov-
ernment involvement.
In a democratic-affirming repub-
lic, residents should be free to reflect
doctrinal principles, even in market-
place operations, without fear of gov-
ernment harassment, said Meese,
author of The Heritage Guide to the
Constitution. “Our citizens are increas-
ingly ignorant of the Constitution.”
In a recent column entitled “The
Gathering Storm: Religious Liberty
in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution,”
Dr. Albert Mohler recalled Meese’s
“prophetic” warning three decades ago
regarding looming threats to religious
freedom from “ideas that have gained
influence in some parts of our society.”
“The ideas of which Mr. Meese
warned have only gained ground in
For many years, he has urged judg-
es to respect the text of the U.S. Con-
stitution in a practice he termed a
“Jurisprudence of Original Intention,”
rather than subtle or overt policymak-
ing.
Meese cautioned that the United
States faces a “time of great
peril,” both in terms of mount-
ing government intrusions
into religious liberties and
cultural decline.
“There seems to be a dis-
mantling of our culture,” said
Meese, who highlighted wide-
spread abandonment of mo-
rality. That is especially
apparent in colleges, where
Christianity often is mocked,
and in public corridors, where
Ten Commandment displays
are scrutinized.
Indeed, literature probing
the historical decline of titan
Ed Meese (Yale ‘53), the former Attorney
nations points to moral and
General of the United States, spoke
cultural decay, as well as the
at Christian Union’s Staff and Faculty
unfettered pursuits of pleasure
Conference in August.
and materialism as precursors
to societal collapse or even for-
foundation of human dignity, flour- eign conquest.
Likewise, it is especially critical for
ishing, and freedom.”
During the early 1980s, Meese was college students to embrace the rich
a member of the National Security history and modern relevance of the
Council and chaired the Domestic Pledge of Allegiance’s acknowledge-
Policy Council and the National Drug ment of “one nation under God,”
Policy Board. Most notably, President rather than accept the popular sup-
Ronald Reagan appointed Meese to position of the United States as a
become the 75 th attorney general in post-Christian country.
In a remarkable effort for its era,
1985. Seven years later, the Oakland,
California native published his mem- the forefathers of the United States
established the nation as a beacon of
oir, With Reagan: The Inside Story.
the last thirty years, and now with
astounding velocity,” wrote Mohler,
president of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary. “A revolution
in morality now seeks not only to
subvert marriage, but also to redefine
it, and thus to undermine an essential