Controlling the Church

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.”