Contrasting Responses to Obama’s Attack on Religious Freedom

Following up yesterday’s post on Obama putting birth control and Holy Obamacare above freedom of religion, two responses are notable and contrasting.

First, Roman Catholic bishops had letters on the subject read during masses this past Sunday. Here’s one example:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Obama Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Obama Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience,to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Obama Administration’s decision.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+Alexander K. Sample

Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample 
Bishop of Marquette


By the way, I think Obama shot himself in the foot with this decision. With parishes across the nation having it spelled out to them during Mass what he has done, I suspect he lost a lot of Catholic votes this past Sunday. Psalm 7:15 comes to mind.

In sharp contrast is the response from the bootlickers at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice which “applauds” Obama and Sebelius.

Because you just know “reproductive choice” is soooo much more important than freedom of religion.

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MORE: You think I’m being hard on the Obama regime on this? Then read Bishop David Zubik.

The money quote:

Kathleen Sebelius, and through her the Obama administration, have said “To hell with you” to the Catholic faithful of the United States.
• To hell with your religious beliefs,
• To hell with your religious liberty,
• To hell with your freedom of conscience.

Obama’s “Freedom of Worship” in Action

Back in July 2010, I warned that the Obama regime’s use of “freedom of worship” rather than freedom of religion in its rhetoric was reason for concern.

Why was I so alarmed?

…genuine freedom of religion includes much more than the freedom to worship in one’s church, synagogue or home. It includes the freedom to live according to one’s religion (without unduly impinging on someone else’s freedom). For real freedom of religion, mere “freedom of worship” will not do.

And I feared that “freedom of worship” signaled that genuine freedom of religion would come under attack.

No, I am not a prophet.

The regime’s proposed Obamacare rules on birth control prove that Obama’s “freedom of worship” indeed does attack and violate freedom of religion. Church health insurance plans will have to provide birth control even if in direct contradiction of said church’s teaching. As my readers know, this is a particularly serious issue for the Roman Catholic Church. But all churches should be alarmed. The secularist attack on freedom of religion will not stop here as European Christians can tell you.

Wesley Smith also gets that we are now seeing Obama’s freedom of worship in action.

Obama in the Book of Daniel!

Back in the 70’s in my Christian radio listening days, I remember one huckster - I mean - preacher of the word who would, show after show, tease his listeners by telling them he was about to talk about the United States of America in Old Testament prophesy.

Well, it turns out the U. S. of A. really is in the Bible!

This past Wednesday night at my church as we studied Daniel, we came to the following passage:

Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom . . . Daniel 11:20 KJV

Filled with the Holy Ghost, I immediately blurted out, “Obama!”

And there was much holy laughter.

School Superintendant Threatens 15-year-old for Opposing Gay Adoption

We’ve read numerous stories about the state attacking the free speech and religious freedoms of Christians in Canada and the U. K. But now there seems to be more and more stories like this here in the U. S. A. It makes me wonder how long before the whole West is one big anti-Christian gulag.

Some details can be found here, including links to the offending column written by the 15-year-old boy and a statement from the superintendant. The column is hard to read due to small print, and I can certainly quibble with it. Heck, I can quibble with my book God Knows What It’s Like to be a Teenager of just over ten years ago. But the column is certainly not bigoted except to those who have a chip on their shoulder. (Here’s a better quality pdf of the student’s column.)

As for the superintendant’s letter, I am not buying it. But then I wasn’t there.

Whatever the exact facts of this case, I agree with Christopher Johnson that it has gotten to the point that “when it comes to The Issue, there is only one right answer.”

Conflict of Interest? Nahhhh!

Richard Griffin was not only “recess” appointed by Obama to the National Labor Relations Board when there was no recess in violation of the law and the Constitution, but he will continue to be paid by the International Union of Operating Engineers while on the NLRB.

But Mitt Romney’s tax returns and Newt’s past infidelities are much more important to the “mainstream” news media, don’t you know.

No scandal here. No conflict of interest. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Housekeeping

Until now, I have never put restrictions on anonymous comments.

But last night, I received a completely anonymous comment, and I could not tell if it came from a genuinely interested reader or from a political operative playing the internet. And I did not find it edifying, so I deleted it.

With various political campaigns frolicking around and spinning blogs, I think I will now be more selective with anonymous comments. If an anonymous comment is edifying and passes the smell test, I will gladly post it as in the past. But if not . . . .

Perhaps this seems somewhat arbitrary. But either posting all anonymous comments or deleting all anonymous comments is a choice I find unpalatable. So I choose to pick and choose.

As in the past, I will post almost all named comments. Those really have to cross a line or two for me to delete. (But I would not advise testing me.)

Obama’s Illegal Immigration Willie Horton?

This ought to be Obama’s Willie Horton.

Immigration officials released felon Kesler Dufrene instead of deporting him. He went on to murder three, including a 15-year-old girl.

So why was he released?

So, what was the deal? Why was Dufrene never deported? Because of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Obama administration issued a temporary moratorium on all deportations to the island nation. . . .

The more troubling issue here is that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials couldn’t detain Dufrene until deportations to Haiti resumed. A pair of Supreme Court rulings in 2001 and 2005 specify that foreign nationals who cannot be deported may not be detained for more than six months.

Obama putting the “rights” of illegals over the protection of citizens now has a casualty count.