As the arguments develop
surrounding the HHS mandate required insurance coverage and the practices of
Catholic schools, hospitals, and charities, we need to note the advocacy of the
ACLU that has now come forward. The ACLU argues that “This (HHS) rule respects
religious liberty while preventing religiously affiliated organizations from
using religion as an excuse to discriminate and deny services to others.
Organizations that operate in the public sphere should play by public rules.
That’s not a war on religion; that’s the Constitution.”
Oh, really? I thought it was
the U. S. Supreme Court that determines what is constitutional and what is not.
And just exactly what do we mean by “religious liberty” and what does the ACLU
mean by it?
More ominous is the
implication behind the ACLU’s stance. It assumes that whatever is public falls
under the control of the government. Where do we find that idea in our Constitution?
Furthermore, what other
governmental mandates will be applied to other aspects of the Church’s life.
Will churches be decreed to be “public” simply because they open their doors to
the public and that therefore they cannot hold to the practice that only men
can serve as ordained priests and bishops? What is meant by the term “public”
and is everything public under the control of the government? The ACLU’s
position sounds fascist to me. Isn’t that how Adolph Hitler controlled the
German population?
Additionally, if I am a
licensed obstetrician-gynecologist and I am an observant Catholic must I be
obliged to perform abortions on demand? After all, my medical practice is
something that is “public;” it is licensed by state government. If the state
licenses me the state can revoke my license.
I was taught that our Constitution
was established to limit the powers of government. Now it seems to be used to
expand the powers of the government while at the same time limiting and
constricting the boundaries of our personal powers and our religious practices.
We should prepare ourselves
to return to the catacombs because Caesar demands that we render him too much
and that what is left over we can “freely” by governmental permission render to
God!
To rewrite the biblical
phrase: “The government giveth and the government taketh away. Blessed be the
name of the government.”
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