Speaking of that defeated old snake, C.S. Lewis wasn't the first to note that Satan hates being the butt of a joke. Thomas Moore once wrote: "The devil ... the prowde spirite ... cannot endure to be mocked." Martin Luther likewise wrote, "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."
Catholic institutions should not be timid about proclaiming their devotion to both faith and reason. Their faith that they are examining the handiwork of their Creator would lead them to conclude that they must never fudge the data of science to gratify their own egos and desire for prestige, because to do so would be like fudging the letter of Scripture. They would be “bearing false witness” about God. Catholics studying the handiwork of God should be more devoted to their craft, not less.
Freedom of religion, thus, is far more than being able to go to one’s house of worship once a week. Because faith makes a claim on the totality of our lives, it permeates every dimension of a believer’s existence and all the institutions with which he is involved.