Commentary Freedom is nothing if not the freedom of personal belief. More integral to concepts of freedom than even bodily integrity or corporate behavior, the right of belief extends into deeply personal spaces where states exercise no authority. For a world weary of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and never ending anxiety over everything from virus variants to military actions, the Christmas season brings hope and lessons about what free societies must represent. The 13th century philosopher and theologian, Thomas Aquinas, posited that action flowed from belief as the first order of events. All our beliefs about freedom of bodily integrity or collective behavior flow from the first order freedom to believe what an individual believes is right. Frequently thought of as a freedom of religion, embodied in the United States as the first amendment, a freedom of belief forms the unspoken core of key political rights. Freedom of association and speech …