If you’re an atheist or a secularist who finds all things religious offensive, to whom do you turn? Why, the American Civil Liberties Union, of course. By now, everyone should realize that the ACLU is a foe of organized religion. While more than 90% of Americans claim belief in a higher power, the 10% that do not wields the power increasingly in our courts.

On November 3, an award will be presented at the Waldorf Astoria to Kevin Hasson, who established a foundation to combat this assault on the religious freedom that the forefathers of this nation sought to protect.

Mr. Hasson is the founder and chairman of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm that defends the free expression of all religious traditions. He is the author of “The Right To Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America.”

The Becket Fund is named after Thomas a Becket, who steadfastly refused to allow King Henry II to interfere in the church and was martyred defending this religious liberty.

These days, the host of “The O’Reilly Factor,” Bill O’Reilly, is conducting an admirable campaign to alert the public on how far the ACLU has gone to ensure rights that are not covered by the Constitution. In Oregon, the ACLU has championed live sex shows as freedom of expression covered by the Bill of Rights. Mr. O’Reilly said, “This isn’t about freedom. This is about imposing a radical secular progressive agenda on a country that has traditionally voted on public policy issues. If the live sex act initiative was put on the Oregon ballot, it’d be voted down big time. Remember, Oregonians voted against gay marriage. So once again, the ACLU is using an activist court to undermine what the folks want. This isn’t democracy. This is judicial fascism.”

The ACLU has also taken up the cause of the North American Man-Boy Love Association, which is being sued by the family of a boy murdered by a member of the group, which had distributed child molestation literature on its Web site. Many are asking, “Where is this country headed?”

I may be of the minority opinion, but I see signs that are very encouraging, and the fact that this Becket Fund even exists is one of them. According to its mission statement:

“Freedom of religion is a basic human right that no government may lawfully deny; it is not a gift of the state, but instead is rooted in the inherent dignity of the human person. Religious expression (of all traditions) is a natural part of life in civilized society, and religious arguments (on all sides of a question) are a normal and healthy element of public debate. Religious people and institutions are entitled to participate in government affairs on an equal basis with everyone else, and should not be excluded for professing their faith.”

The ACLU has been given free rein to influence the social fabric of this country, and if one believes that this influence is negative, then why not support its polar opposite, the Becket Fund (www.becketfund.org)?

Mr. Hasson is being recognized by the Youth for the Third Millennium, a 501 (c)(3) organization that challenges young adults to change the world through international, national, and local humanitarian missions. The award is fittingly named the John Paul the Great Threshold Award, after the late pontiff who had so much faith in and respect for future generations.

Over the summer, millions of young people came from all over the world to hear the new pope, Benedict XVI, speak in Germany. This pope isn’t as newsworthy as John Paul, and consequently the networks ignored the XX World Youth Day 2000 event. At Mass, we heard from one of the parish members who had made the trip.

Ebi Ogbu, 19, spoke of the hardships of the pilgrimage, the long walks, the heat, the hunger, the thirst, the cold ground they slept on. She learned that a pilgrimage is not a vacation. It’s something you have to survive. Yet a million young people gathered to hear the German pontiff who lived under Nazism warn them of the increase of anti-Semitism and how they must all recognize its evil and battle against it.

Ms Ogbu ended her talk with these words: “I thought I should share that each time you say the Lord’s name in vain, He runs up to you with His ear to your mouth listening to what you have to say and is broken hearted when it’s not to pray.”

A million young people came away from Germany inspired and challenged to make the world a better place. How can I not feel hopeful?