STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

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AMERICA STANDS AT A CROSSROADS:
WILL WE STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM?

Our nation’s founding principles of liberty, justice, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience are facing an unprecedented attack from the very government that is charged with the responsibility of protecting these freedoms. Which path will we choose – will we stand up for religious freedom or allow it to be redefined out of existence – and what might it mean to every one of us, regardless of our religious views?

St. Thomas Aquinas defines freedom as the ability to choose the good. How do we determine what is good and what is evil? The lines seem blurred in these times, but there is a clear path, well known to people of faith. We must form our consciences with guidance from God, the Ten Commandments, and the natural order of creation. Natural law and the tenets of the Judeo-Christian faith provide sure guideposts to help us to choose that which leads to life – and reject what leads to death.

Consider the issue of abortion, often defended as a “choice” - a “compassionate” solution to an unplanned pregnancy. But reference to God’s commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” and to natural law provides the truth. Nature reveals that the unborn child is a human being with a unique pattern of DNA from the moment of conception, a person that must be protected. When we reject God’s law and natural law, our freedom to choose life becomes license to choose death. Abortion is redefined as a “reproductive right”, leading to the destruction of millions of unborn children and the devastating toll of grief and regret experienced by millions of women and men.

The effort to legalize same-sex marriage is also presented in terms we associate with goodness: equality, civil rights, and compassion. But God’s commandment clearly shows that a man and a woman are to join as one flesh in a fruitful, lifelong, marital union. Nature also reveals that men and women are made to complete one another and to bring forth children. Marriage between two people of the same sex is not possible according to nature and God’s law, but the attempt to reframe the issue as one of equality has been quite successful. Already those who defend traditional marriage are being accused of discrimination or worse. The impact on religious freedom and freedom of speech is just beginning to be evident.

Now, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), government is attempting to redefine good medical care. The Department of Health and Human Services Mandate requiring all insurance plans to provide free contraception, sterilization, morning after pills, and even the abortion drug Ella, changes the meaning of preventative care. These drugs and procedures do nothing to prevent disease. Pregnancy is not a malignancy; it is a natural and healthy state that brings forth new life. In addition, contraception is already widely available and affordable and often subsidized by tax dollars. This mandate, not necessary for “access” to contraception, represents a deliberate and unprecedented attack on religious freedom and conscience protections. The use of these abortifacient drugs is morally repugnant to many employers and employees, yet the religious and conscience exemption for these laws is so narrowly drawn that most religiously affiliated organizations will not qualify. Catholic charities, hospitals, universities, schools, private Catholic employers and employees – none are exempt. The focus on contraception is aimed at isolating Catholic agencies from the mainstream, since contraception is so widely accepted as a “good”, while the inclusion of the abortion drug Ella is calculated to definitively strip our freedom of conscience. If the government can force a Catholic agency to pay for abortion, there are no more limits. This is an attempt to redefine freedom of religion as “freedom of worship”. If we are not free to live our faith in the public square, we no longer have freedom of religion.

If we do not stand together, our religious freedom and freedom of conscience will be a thing of the past. The great American experiment will have failed. Do not sleep while your rights are stripped. Stand with us now or you may stand alone later. Stand for truth, for freedom, for good.

TAKE ACTION!

  • Visit www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com for info about the Rally for Religious Freedom. The Richland, WA rally will be held June 8, 12 noon – 1:00 PM at the Federal Building

  • Join the Conference of Catholic Bishops in prayer for the “FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM” June 21st – July 4th www.fortnight4freedom.org

  • Come to the Rally for Religious Freedom at St. Joseph’s Church, Dillon Hall, 520 S. Garfield, Kennewick on Sunday, June 10th, from 3:00-4:00 PM

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