Are You Ready for This?

It can't really be argued that the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion in American has not been under attack of late. In the courts, photographers and bakers and florists and owners of bed and breakfasts and the like all lost their right to their free exercise of their religious convictions when their convictions clashed with potential customers. In the legislatures attempts to move to protect this First Amendment right have met with public opposition, killing it, for instance, in Arizona. The growing public sentiment voiced is "You're free to exercise your religious convictions ... as long as your religious convictions don't appear in public." In this climate, then, many were glad to see Hobby Lobby's case come out as a victory for the free exercise of religion.

Not so fast. It appears that this victory is resulting in a new attack.

In the wake of the Hobby Lobby decision, the ACLU and "several major gay rights groups" are withdrawing their support of the dreaded ENDA law swirling around Washington DC. What's ENDA? It's the Employment Non-Discrimination Act designed to forbid discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or the like. "Wait," you say, "did you say they are withdrawing their support? Isn't this in their favor?" Yes, without a doubt. "But," they tell us, "if you're going to provide for religious exemptions, then we aren't going to support it."

The aim, then, of these groups in "employment non-discrimination" legislation? The aim is to terminate your rights to your moral perspectives. Your business may have the right to refuse to serve someone without shoes or shirt, but not someone who is a homosexual. You may think a "men's bathroom" and "women's bathroom" is clear and sufficient, but you would be wrong because (as in California) anyone can choose any bathroom if they feel like they're that gender and you can't say otherwise. You don't get to decide that you don't want a transgender to be the pastor of your youth group. Last year Heather Clements, a theology professor at the Christian Azusa Pacific University, decided that she would no longer be "Heather" and would now be "Adam". Azusa Pacific decided that they didn't want a transgender as their chair of theology and philosophy. Under ENDA (without religious exemptions), Azusa Pacific would have had their hands tied.

"Oh, Stan, you're overreacting." Maybe. But just a couple of days ago Democrats in Congress announced that they were introducing legislation to override the Supreme Court ruling. It is outrageous that the court would rule in favor of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Their aim is to remove the religious freedom of business owners in favor of their own agenda. The Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act would override the RFRA (passed unanimously by the House and 97-3 by the Senate in 1993). The basis of the cancellation of religious freedom here is "for profit". If you make a profit, you forfeit your religious freedom. Indeed, Senator Harry Reid sees this as ammunition against Republicans in the November elections. "If you favor the free exercise of religion for Christians that own for-profit companies, you're not going to be in power" is the thinking here.

The point? "If we can't push you to our side with loud public opinion, we'll do it with legislation. You are free to exercise your religious beliefs ... as long as they don't conflict with anything we find objectionable. And we object if you don't embrace our 'sins' as you call them." Don't think that the Hobby Lobby decision was simply a victory and we're headed for blue skies. They squeezed by (5-4) on that one. It's not getting easier. At some point you may have to choose between working in the public world or holding to biblical principles ... as in "either/or" instead of "both/and". It won't be improving. At least, not without Intervention (with a capital "I").