Category: Religious Freedom
Report: The Extent of Religious Persecution in America
Posted on January 18, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The Texas based Liberty Institute has released a report showing the extent of religious persecution in America for the 2013 year. The report is called: UNDENIABLE: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America
The thorough 190 page report discusses such topics as attacks on religious liberty of churches and ministries, attacks on religious liberty in the public arena, and attacks on religious liberty in the schoolhouse.
Citing legal cases from around the country this report shows definitively that there is a concerted effort to persecute people of faith for simply living out their religious convictions. This effort is being perpetrated by many groups that all seek to remove religion and God from our country’s public life while forcing religious expression into the walls of the church.
I would encourage you to take a look at this report in order to understand just how assaulted our religious freedom truly is. And also to motivate you to defend religious freedom both in private and in public. Now more than ever America needs people that believe the sentiment of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Major Victory: A&E Reinstates Phil Robertson Amid Public outcry
Posted on December 29, 2013 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
As many people predicted, A&E grossly underestimated how deeply held the Robertson family values are. A&E foolishly assumed they could strong arm the most popular family in America by firing the family patriarch. Now, with egg on their face and eating humble pie, they have reversed their decision and reinstated Phil after one of the largest public outcries I’ve ever seen.
A statement issued by A&E reads:
I am quite positive that A&E thought they would have some sort of leverage when they decided to suspend and then fire Phil Robertson from his own very successful show. Yeah, that didn’t happen. A&E has since been scrambling to minimize the damage and keep the Robertsons from leaving A&E to go to another network.
Meanwhile, Americans from coast to coast have been showing incredible support for Phil and his right to free speech. Most notably, well-known homosexuals like CNN’s Don Lemon have defended Phil Robertson and his right to hold views not considered “politically correct.”
But many want to show a more tangible support for Phil Robertson than just signing a petition or hitting “like” on a Facebook page. So one social media savvy person created the Chick-Phil-A day event to give people an outlet to support the Robertsons. A recent article explains:
“The invitation tells supporters; ‘Stand For Free Speech. Sit For Good Food.’ It goes on to include a couple of simple instructions on what to do on the day: 1. Wear your Duck Commander or camouflage gear. 2. Eat at Chick-fil-A. The event page connected to the Chick-Phil-A Day post about the January 21 dine-in already has tabulated more than 42,000 RSVPs.”
Victory for SBC and Christians Against ObamaCare
Posted on December 24, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
AP: “A federal judge granted an injunction Friday that prohibits the government from enforcing the federal health care law’s requirement that insurance coverage include access to the morning-after pill and similar contraceptives on almost 200 religious organizations that have filed a class-action lawsuit to block the mandate. The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Timothy DeGiusti will prevent the government from enforcing the mandate as the religious groups’ lawsuit makes its way through the legal system. The lawsuit was filed in October on behalf of 187 ministries that provide their employees with health benefits through GuideStone Financial Resources, the health benefits arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
This is fantastic news for Southern Baptist ministries and every one that believes it is wrong for the government to force people to violate their faith. This decision – like the Hobby Lobby case and nearly every case against the HHS mandate – has decimated ObamaCare in the courts. Even the Obama administration is now seeking to alleviate penalties, change laws, and accommodate citizens after the pummeling in the courts.
For Southern Baptists and people of faith, this is another victory in the fight to defend religious freedom from government intrusion. I hope verdicts like this continue to roll out of the courts until Obama and his administration finally admit what every other American knows: it’s a bad law that needs repealed. Click here for original article.
Join Me in Thanking A&E for Firing Phil Robertson
Posted on December 21, 2013 in Marriage, Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Would you join me in thanking A&E for firing Phil Robertson for sharing his personal views on sexuality?
I know many are upset over this decision to fire one of the most popular television personalities in history for simply sharing his religious beliefs when asked. But I want to take a moment and thank A&E for doing so.
While others are sharing viral images, meme’s and signing petitions demanding A&E reverse their decision to punish Phil Robertson, I am going to thank A&E.
Does Anything On This Flier Seem “Ludicrous” to You?
Posted on December 20, 2013 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A group in Indiana is under attack for speaking truthfully about the danger same-sex “marriage” presents to religious freedom. The group put out a bulletin insert to churches which listed “Just Four Dangers of Same-Sex Marriage” that is being blasted as “promulgating panic” by those who don’t agree. The flier says the four dangers are:
Dangerous: PA Bill Would Force Christian Schools to Employ Homosexuals
Posted on December 19, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A proposed bill in Pennsylvania would make it illegal to fire a person for violating the doctrinal beliefs of Christian or Catholic schools and other religious employers. A report discusses the case of a Catholic school where:
“Headmaster and school President Father James McCloskey noted that Griffin’s contract ‘requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment.’ The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts, as all sexual acts outside marriage, are immoral, and homosexual activity is ‘intrinsically disordered.’ Marriage is the lifelong and unbreakable union of one man and one woman. Fr. McCloskey says that when he confronted the teacher, Griffin ‘acknowledged that he was aware of this provision’ of his contract, ‘yet he said that he intended to go ahead with the ceremony.’ The school said it let Griffin go ‘with regret.'”
In other words, a Catholic school fired a teacher because he violated his contract which stated that he would abide by all Catholic doctrine. The teacher violated this contract by entering into a homosexual marriage and was therefore fired in accordance with his contract.
The proposed bill would make it illegal to fire someone based on these circumstances. This means Christian and Catholic schools, along with other religious employers, would not be able to fire someone for refusing to adhere to church doctrine. Not only is this dangerous for these schools, but it is not hard to imagine that churches will be next. This truly is an assault on religious freedom. Click here for original article.
James Dobson Sues Obama Administration
Posted on December 12, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
ADFMedia reports: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Obama administration on behalf of Dr. James Dobson and his “Family Talk” radio show and ministry, a Christian non-profit organization that is currently subject to Obamacare’s abortion pill mandate.
The lawsuit challenges the legality and constitutionality of the mandate, which requires religious employers to provide insurance coverage for abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception to employees regardless of religious or moral objections. Dobson and Family Talk object specifically to providing coverage for abortion drugs and devices.
“Our ministry believes in living out the religious convictions we hold to and talk about on the air,” added Dobson, Family Talk’s founder and president. “As Americans, we should all be free to live according to our faith and to honor God in our work. The Constitution protects that freedom so that the government cannot force anyone to act against his or her sincerely held religious beliefs. But the mandate ignores that and leaves us with a choice no American should have to make: comply and abandon your religious freedom, or resist and be fined for your faith.”
Share this post and stand with Dr. Dobson as he fights for religious freedom. Click here for original article.
Homosexual Tyranny Will Destroy Religious Liberty
Posted on December 12, 2013 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Writing at LifeSiteNews.com, Steve Jalsevac has penned what I would call a wake-up call to people regarding the “growing…very real tyranny” of activist homosexuals in America. In particular he centers on how homosexuals are already influencing the Catholic Church while seemingly ignorant or indifferent leaders do nothing.
Jalsevac wonders out loud where Catholic leaders were when Christian business owners were being persecuted through prosecution for simply adhering to a biblical definition of sexuality and marriage. He laments, “All I can recall, from the Catholics and Anglicans at least, was the usual, deadly, shameful soul and spirit killing silence that seems to happen all over the developed world on this issue.”
While Jalsevac directs his concern toward the Catholic Church, and rightly so, I would direct concern to every church in the United States that continues to confess the biblical definition of sexuality and marriage. As recent headlines have proven, the environment is right and activists are poised to seek not just recognition but full acceptance for their lifestyle from society; including the church.
Government Demands Christians Violate Religious Convictions
Posted on December 11, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In what can only be described as an appalling verdict, a federal judge has ordered a Colorado baker to violate his Christian convictions and serve cakes to homosexual couples.
Jack Phillips is the owner of Masterpiece Cake shop in Colorado. Last year a gay couple asked him to prepare a cake for them so they could celebrate their recent “marriage” in Massachusetts. Jack told the couple he could not serve them because doing so would violate his religious convictions. The couple, with the help of the ACLU, filed a discrimination lawsuit against Jack.
Now, a judge has told Jack that he must serve homosexuals or his business will face penalties.