Speeches
The Divine Unity of Faith and Freedom with Former Congressman Richard Swett and CEO Katrina Swett
On April 4, the Southern Virginia University campus community gathered in the Knight Arena to listen to former congressman Richard Swett and CEO Katrina Lantos Swett speak on the importance of faith and the freedom to exercise it.
Though Richard had already built a successful career as an architect, he felt a desire to make a difference and influence the world for good and decided to run for Congress. He emphasized the importance of developing a personal relationship with Christ and living each day to the fullest as a means of organizing his life while he prepared to work in the government.
“Find a way to make that relationship with your Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ a real one where you can feel their presence, and where you know that what you are doing is found to be acceptable and blessed in their eyes,” said Richard.
“I don’t know when my time on Earth is going to end,” he continued. “But I want to make sure that I have done everything in my power to improve myself, and, more importantly, the world in which I live, so that when I leave it, it’s a better place than when I came.”
Emphasizing the intrinsic value of religious freedom for humans, Katrina shared a personal story of her father, Tom Lantos, who is the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. Taken to a slave labor camp in German-occupied Hungary, her father refused to acquiesce when a Hungarian commander compelled a group of Jewish boys to convert to another religion.
“I think in some deep, deep place, my father understood that if he were to relinquish this fundamental identity that was his to claim and his to own, he would be losing something very precious that went to the essence of his integrity as a human being,” said Katrina. “Somehow, even in that dark place, even at a time of incredible vulnerability, that was a compromise he was not willing to make.”
“International religious freedom, and religious freedom in general, is so important because not only is it intrinsic to our identity and dignity, but it helps us to build societies where the rights of all are well protected and defended,” continued Katrina.
Acknowledging that there are times in history when religious convictions led to religious absolutism and intolerance, Katrina emphasized the importance of pluralism as a means of encouraging all beliefs to flourish and protecting civil rights.
“When men and women are free to pursue and understand truth for themselves without compulsion, they become empowered to build societies that honor the claims of conscience and fundamental liberties of all people,” said Katrina. “It’s my prayer and my hope that we will all use our God-given liberty to do just that.”
The event featured a musical performance by the Symphonic Band of “Into the Silent Land” composed by Steve Danyew, directed by Michael Black, and narrated by Amaree Cluff. It ended with the traditional singing of “Love One Another.”
