Obama Care Verses the First Amendment

It would have been unthinkable at one time in our country, but not anymore. The federal government is running rough shod over an individual’s conscience and religious faith.

This past January 1^st, the Hobby Lobby company began being punished by the federal government with a $1.3 million dollar daily fine for not obeying a provision in Obama Care.  Hobby Lobby is refusing to pay for contraception and abortions in their health care plans.

The Hobby Lobby company is a national arts and craft store with more than 500 stores in 41 states. But it is not a publically held company, but solely owned by the Green Family. And the Greens are devout Christians. The Green’s believe “it is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured” and they desire to honor God by doing business “in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.”

The Green family believes the Obama Care mandate to provide the “morning after” pill and the “week after” pill violates their religious beliefs.  They believe in the sixth commandment that prohibits murder (Exodus 20:13). And they believe that abortion is murder. The company will provide health insurance for its employees but they do not wish to pay for health services they deem to be immoral. Hobby Lobby’s employees can still have access to contraception or abortions; they just have to pay for it themselves.

Hobby Lobby is being fined after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied Hobby Lobby’s emergency request to be exempt from the contraception/abortion clause of the new health care law. And as I said her ruling would have been unthinkable at one time. Why do I say this? I say it because of the First Amendment to our Constitution called The Bill of Rights. It states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

One would think “no law” means just that—no law! According to the Constitution, Hobby Lobby is not in the wrong, but parts of the new health care law are in violation of The Bill of Rights! Sotomayor’s ruling is a blatant act of aggression against religious liberty. Interestingly, however, this same Supreme Court Justice ruled in favor of a Muslim inmate who was denied Ramadan meals. She stated that the meal was religiously important to the practice of Islam—stunning! This is not impartial justice, this is law with prejudice. Citizens of the United States need to wake up to the freedoms they are losing. At least Hobby Lobby can still bring the issue before lower courts because the full Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the issue.

Finally, no matter what type of government you live under, you should never go against your religious convictions. Scripture tells us to honor laws and to pray for those in government who lead and serve (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1, 2). But when those in authority command us to act in a manner that goes against our understanding of the will of God, we must take our stand. The apostle Peter was warned by his government not to teach in the name of Jesus Christ. And the Bible reveals what happened: “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (Acts 4:18-20).’”

Do not allow yourself to be kowtowed into ever disobeying the will of God. And while you still have rights under the Constitution of the United States, defend your rights.