The Reformed Advisor

Tag: religious

Breaking: Democratic Bill to Overturn Hobby Lobby Decision Fails

Posted on July 17, 2014 in Life by

The Supreme Court recognized the need to protect the religious freedoms of business owners in not forcing them to violate their conviction by supporting abortion. The extreme abortion-rights position of the left was in plain view in even considering a bill like this.

Records show that our very own John Rockefeller was a co-sponsor of the bill, but it appears Joe Manchin was not. However, both Joe Manchin and John Rockefeller voted in favor of the bill and support forcing employers to violate their religious convictions. THankfully John Rockefeller is retiring and will most likely be replaced by pro-life Shelley Moore-Capito. At least we (West Viriginia) will have one Senator that is not pro-life in name and words only.

Sen. Orrin Hatch said of the bill:

Did The Hobby Lobby Decision Violate Religious Freedom?

Posted on July 17, 2014 in Life, Religious Freedom by

I love reading articles like this from the left. This article not only misrepresents the facts by linking religious rights to taking four pills in question in the Hobby Lobby case, it disproves what it is trying to prove.

Here are some issues that should be apparent in the article by a little thought behind the words of the article.

1. They misrepresent teachings of Jewish history. It is clear that an agenda is in the works when this author says it is a religious requirement to support contraceptives. What the article cites is a disagreement among two ancient Jewish Scholars on the role of a form of birth control as it relates to two Jewish Principles. They discussed whether a sponge like material for the prevention of pregnancy is allowed and even use the phrase, “may use” to distinguish it from being a religious obligation, as this article seems to try to advance.

For instance, in my religious tradition I “may use beer.” This does not mean beer is required or part of my religion. Rather, it is something I am allowed to use.

How Nationalism Found Its Way Into the Church

Posted on July 14, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Theology by

In the 1950′s, we were engaged in a cold war with the Soviet Union that lasted until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In the cabinet and leadership of the United States was a growing fervor that the Cold War was a battle between two ideologies–a Christian worldview and an atheist.

Don’t get me wrong, there is some truth to that claim. The USSR thought they could build a country upon atheistic principles and operate their country better. They appeared to be succeeding in the 1950′s with the launch of Sputnik in ’57, our country was in turmoil. The Russians believed their order of society would out-pace American society and through war or ingenuity, they would win.

The U.S. Administration saw this as a battle between atheism and Christianity, a battle between two radically different views of the world.

Thus was birthed Christianity wrapped up in the flag.

Believe in Traditional Marriage – Go to Reeducation Camp!

Posted on July 8, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by

Do you think only women get pregnant?

Believe marriage is the union of a man and woman?

Hold the position that there are inherent differences between men and women?

You old-fashioned, homophobic, bigoted, discriminatory, sexist person. How dare you believe such things.

How dare you believe that only women can get pregnant. Never-mind the biology, it is absolutely sexist and gender-biased of you to think that only women can get pregnant.

And to think that marriage is the union of only a man and woman. I can’t believe any sane, rational, fair-minded person in this day and age would believe such nonsense.

And don’t get me started on gender distinctions. Anyone believing that the genders are inherently different is a product of their discriminatory environment, not an enlightened culture.

Commentary: What the Hobby Lobby Case is Really About and the False Claims of the Left

Posted on July 5, 2014 in Life by

This decision really blocks women from being able to make their own health care decisions? Really? Are there religions that really do oppose health care (strawman argument)? Where are all those business owners who oppose all health care? Why aren’t they suing the government?

Wasserman Schultz also expressed concerns for later implications of the law, pointing out that women use birth control to treat illnesses, such as endometriosis and serious menstrual cramping, and saying “the life function day to day for women is dramatically impacted by this decision.”

The decision was limited to four pills. For some reason Wasserman Schultz thinks every pill, pills that help endometriosis and menstrual cramping were banned. Building a strawman, she uses irresponsible language when she says, “the life function day to day for women is dramatically impacted by this decision.”

My Twitter Conversation About Transgender Rights Being More Important than Christian Rights.

Posted on July 3, 2014 in Religious Freedom by

I had a friendly conversation with a LGBT rights group on Twitter that said the religious convictions of Christian should be protected. As you can imagine, I was a little shocked. Seldom have I encountered any LGBT activist that believes religious convictions are important, much less that they should be protected.

The person I was communicating with said as long as people have sincerely held religious convictions and not just personal opinions, those convictions should be protected. I had a little trouble understanding the difference, but, okay, we were basically on the same page.

Or so I thought.

Wanting to dig a little deeper I asked a very simple question: “You would then condemn the court’s decision against the photographer in New Mexico who refused to render services to a homosexual couple for the fact that it would violate her religious convictions, right?”

That’s where things went south.

Two European Cases Hold Critical Implications for American Christians and Churches

Posted on July 2, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by

Let me ask a question: how many times have homosexual advocates promised to respect religious liberty and religious freedom as they simultaneously demand “equality” and “rights”?

Activists and lawmakers alike have said religious freedom would be respected as homosexuals continue to push for LGBT rights. Pundits sneer at the idea that churches would be forced to perform gay weddings against their religious convictions. And yet such events are taking place.

Let me ask another question: if the government can force people, organizations and businesses to violate their religious convictions why can’t it force churches to do the same?

If a Cake Maker Can Be Forced to Violate His Convictions – What About a Graphic Designer?

Posted on June 10, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by

The word I want you to see is creative. At the heart of this case is the right of every American to exercise – or refuse to exercise – his or her first amendment free speech rights. At the core of this case is the fact that the government is seeking to force an American citizen to violate his both his free speech and religious freedom rights. The government is telling Jack Phillips that he must use his creative abilities to create a cake a piece of art – a form of speech – that celebrates same-sex “marriage” and violates his religious convictions.

The reason this is critical and intricately linked to the article about the graphic designer is that if a cake maker can be forced to violate his religious convictions and use his creative talents to celebrate sin. And if a photographer can be forced to violate her religious convictions and use her creative talents to celebrate sin. How long before the government tells graphic designers that they must violate their religious convictions and use their creative talents to celebrate sin?

When Caesar Demands That Which Belongs to God

Posted on June 6, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by

What belongs to God? Everything!

When Jesus says to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21), He was not giving government superior status over God. He was not even giving equal status of Government to God. Rather, He gave government a limited realm which we must respect.

But there are times when we should not render to Government because Government is asking for more than they should.

One example is on Friday, the now famous Colorado Baker, Jack Phillips, lost his latest appeal to the to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Told he must bake a cake for a homosexual marriage celebration in violation of his religious beliefs, or else, he remained resolute, “I will stand by my convictions until somebody shuts me down.”

RIP American Free Speech. Next Up Religious Freedom

Posted on May 7, 2014 in Religious Freedom by

Let’s stop pretending that America believes in free speech. I know we all want to believe we still believe in it, we want to scream desperately from the roof tops that America still practices and believes in free speech. The truth is that we don’t.

If America believed in free speech former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich would still have a job. He shared his opinion on the topic of marriage via a monetary donation, a form of speech, and was ousted. Eich “let his voice be heard” by contributing to a cause he believed in and Mozilla, along with the most intolerant and hateful gay activists demanded that he be fired.

If America believe in free speech Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, would not have been banned from the NBA and fined $2.5 million for making racists remarks. Sterling simply shared his own personal views and as a result a media firestorm and public outcry has been overwhelming against him. Some have even demanded the NBA force him to sell the Clippers. (How exactly do you ban an owner of a team? How do you force someone to sell something they own?)

Before anyone gets the impression I’m defending racist comments let me be clear: racism is an immoral sinful practice. Oh, you didn’t know it was a moral problem or sinful? Rejecting a person created in the image of God is certainly a moral issue. Open discrimination against such a person is nothing short of sinful. (By the way, why was the NAACP set to give Sterling an award, again, if he had a record of racism?)

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