Who Decided to Shut Out God?

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, October 2, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

The Christian Index July 23rd edition reported a July mandate from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that GuideStone Financial Resources plaintiffs must comply with the controversial demands of Obamacare or face the wrath of the IRS. As the benefits arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, GuideStone won’t be affected, but it serves ministries that will be grossly penalized if they don’t comply with the abortion/contraceptive mandate.

Joining in the case are Georgia’s Truett-McConnell College, affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention, Oklahoma’s Reaching Souls International ministry to pastors, and the Little Sisters of the Poor order of nuns serving the needy in Denver. However, this is only a fraction of the 56 religious non-profit organizations that, also, object to the contraceptive rule that exempted churches and related services, but did not exempt religious non-profit organizations.

This story is not over, yet. On August 24th GuideStone, Truett-McConnell, Reaching Souls, and the nuns joined in a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court asking for a review of the ruling that private religious ministries must provide health insurance coverage for federally approved contraceptives, such as the “morning-after” pill that causes abortion, and “ella” that kills an implanted embryo.

Additional briefs to the Supreme Court were filed by the Christian Legal Society, American Center for Law and Justice, the Council for Christian Colleges, Lutherans, Orthodox Jewish rabbis, and 20 states.All of them seek relief from the Obamacare abortion/contraception mandate that violates the First Amendment to the Constitution, and the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which requires government to prove a compelling interest before religious liberty can be restricted and, if a compelling government interest is found, the least restrictive remedy must be used to correct the situation.

Currently, a two-year-old federal injunction protects all the plaintiffs while the appeal proceeds. The Supreme Court is expected to consider reviewing religious appeals next term, which opens for oral arguments October 5th.

While that healthcare case continues, a high school band needs religious protection, too. In July the Brandon High School band in Rankin County, Mississippi was banned from the school’s season-opening football game half-time show because it was scheduled to perform the hymn “How Great Thou Art.”

These restrictions on religious expression are VERY disturbing, so I have a question: Who decided God has to go? For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent?