You may be tempted to think if marriage is redefined to include same-sex couples, then the whole issue may just go away and the two sides can come to some sort of grudging peace.  Everyone can get on with their lives, right?  Well, not so fast. One of the things that is often overlooked in the debate over marriage is the effect redefining marriage will have on religious freedom.

In short, redefining marriage to include same-sex couples poses a significant threat to religious freedom.  Examples abound to illustrate this fact. 

In New Mexico, a Christian photographer was fined several thousand dollars after she politely declined to use her artistic talents to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony”.

Attempts have been made in Vermont, Illinois, and New Jersey, just to name a few states, to force Christian businesses to open their properties for same-sex wedding ceremonies, in opposition to their sincere religious beliefs.

A city in Kansas attempted to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance that would have forced churches to open their facilities for same-sex weddings regardless of their religious beliefs to the contrary.

A Christian-owned business in Kentucky was accused of unlawful discrimination when it abided by its faith and declined to print t-shirts for a local “pride festival” that celebrates homosexual behavior and same-sex relationships.

These examples illustrate the effect that redefining marriage has on religious freedom.  But the “marriage” issue is more than just about marriage.  The push for same-sex “marriage” is really a broader push to normalize homosexual behavior in society, which also has a negative effect on religious freedom.

The latest example of this is the pressure on the Boy Scouts of America organization to change its membership policy to include individuals who advocate or engage in homosexual behavior.  This may not seem like a true threat to religious freedom, but over 70 percent of chartering organizations for Boy Scout troops are religious organizations.  These churches will face a difficult choice if the Boy Scouts’ leadership changes its policy.  Do the churches abide by their religious beliefs and cease being a chartering organization? 

These kinds of choices are faced by Christians across America with increasing frequency.  We must not forget the simple fact that religious freedom is the casualty of a society that embraces same-sex “marriage” and the normalization of homosexual behavior.

But we are not powerless.  The voice of the church is needed now more than ever.  In this moment, there are at least two things you and your church can do:

            1.  Sign up to participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday on June 9, 2013.  On that day, pastors across America will stand together and preach sermons about what Scripture says regarding God’s design for marriage and sexual behavior.  Pastors have traditionally led the way in speaking to our culture at times when we have been confronted with momentous questions.  It was pastors who spoke out against slavery, child labor, and for civil rights and women’s suffrage.  Pastors have a lot to say about marriage – the first institution that God created.  And society needs to hear what the church has to say.

            2.         Sign the petition to encourage the Boy Scouts of America to stand strong and resist pressure to change its membership policy.  If your church is a chartering organization for a Boy Scout troop, download our sample policy you can adopt to prepare your church in the event the Boy Scouts do change membership requirements.

Now is not the time for America’s churches to be silent.  Because together we can speak up to protect religious freedom.

By Rory Gray, Alliance Defending Freedom Litigation Counsel

As Pope Benedict XVI retires from public life, it is time to pay tribute to his contributions as one of the greatest champions of religious freedom in our age.  Pope Benedict XVI, throughout his time in office, proclaimed loudly what few in our time have dared to speak:  “Christians are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith.”  And he refused to accept the status quo, characterizing it as “unacceptable,” “an insult to God and to human dignity; furthermore, it is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle to the achievement of authentic and integral human development.”  Few religious leaders have been so bold.  But Pope Benedict XVI spoke out in the face of “the deliberate promotion of religious indifference or practical atheism on the part of many countries.”  He clearly proclaimed that efforts to “curtail the proclamation of [religious] truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, … represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”

For Pope Benedict XVI harbored no doubts that “the most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion” was under attack.  He spoke out against efforts to deny religious persons “the right of conscientious objection” and the “worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.”  And he explained that the “Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth.”  Pope Benedict XVI clearly saw religious freedom as “an essential good” and he declared eloquently that “each person must be able freely to exercise the right to profess and manifest, individually or in community, his or her own religion or faith, in public and in private, in teaching, in practice, in publications, in worship and in ritual observances.”

To respect this basic “[h]uman right[],” Pope Benedict XVI declared that civil authorities must “give[] space to viewpoints inspired by a religious vision in all its dimensions, including ritual, worship, education, dissemination of information and the freedom to profess and choose religion.”  Because, as he explained, “[it] is inconceivable … that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves—their faith—in order to be active citizens.  It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one’s rights.”  For “[t]he right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity of the human person, whose transcendent nature must not be ignored or overlooked.”  Thus, as Pope Benedict XVI made clear, when “religious freedom is acknowledged, the dignity of the human person is respected at its root.”  “[T]he moral legitimacy of every social and legal norm” therefore depends upon respect for “the right to life and the right to religious freedom.”

Expressions of sincere thanks and appreciation for Pope Benedict XVI’s leadership in the religious freedom arena are both necessary and appropriate.  But perhaps the best tribute to Pope Benedict XVI’s public ministry is to heed his moving words describing religious freedom as “an essential element of a constitutional state,” a right that “cannot be denied without at the same time encroaching on all fundamental rights and freedoms, since it is their synthesis and keystone.  It is the litmus test for the respect of all the other human rights.”  Alliance Defending Freedom works every day to uphold religious freedom in all of its forms.  And we invite you to join us in this effort, so valiantly championed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Now that the dust has somewhat settled after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), it is important to consider what effect the Supreme Court’s decision has on churches.

The main impact for churches is that, in upholding Obamacare, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) mandate that employers provide contraceptive and abortifacient coverage for their employees is still in effect.  The HHS mandate is one part of Obamacare but it is the most direct threat to religious freedom posed by the law.  Under this mandate, employers must provide coverage in their health insurance plans for contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs such as “Plan B,” also called the “morning-after pill,” as well as a new drug named “ella” which is commonly called the “week-after pill.”  This mandate is imposed on employers regardless of their religious beliefs against such drugs.

Unless Congress repeals Obamacare, the law and the HHS mandate are here to stay.  Here are some important take-aways for churches.

Not just a Catholic issue

Churches must understand that the HHS mandate is not just a Catholic issue.  While the Catholic Church is particularly in the crosshairs because of its religious beliefs against contraception, the HHS mandate specifically requires coverage of more than just contraceptive drugs.  It also requires coverage of abortion-inducing drugs that every evangelical Christian should oppose.

Churches are exempt

Churches are exempt from the HHS mandate.  An exception in the law protects churches from having to provide healthcare coverage for their employees that include contraceptives or abortion-inducing drugs.  The exemption, though, is rather narrow and basically only applies to churches or integrated auxiliaries of churches.

Many religious organizations are not exempt

The exception in the law that exempts churches does not exempt many religious organizations, including those reaching out to the poor and needy.  Church, parachurch, and other religious ministries that have more than 50 employees are in danger of being subjected to the HHS mandate, regardless of their religious beliefs.  Christian businesses are not exempt from the HHS mandate.

Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuits against the HHS mandate will continue

Alliance Defending Freedom is currently involved in three separate lawsuits challenging the HHS mandate.  The lawsuits are on behalf of two Christian colleges, Louisiana College and Geneva College, and a Christian business, Hercules Industries.

There are several more lawsuits pending on the same issue in different courts.  These lawsuits will continue and, after the Supreme Court’s decision, are even more important.

What Must Churches Do?

There are several things that churches must do in light of the Supreme Court’s decision upholding Obamacare.

1.  Be informed and aware of the direct threat posed to religious freedom by Obamacare.  Alliance Defending Freedom has put together a great two-minute video that exposes this threat. Share this video with your congregation.  We also have a resource page on our website that explains Obamacare and the HHS mandate.

2.  If your church has a ministry with more than 50 employees or you are part of a religious organization with more than 50 employees, be aware that the HHS mandate that is part of Obamacare may apply.  If you are concerned about the application of the HHS mandate, contact Alliance Defending Freedom to evaluate your situation.

3.  Provide support to Christian business owners in your congregation that are subject to the HHS mandate and help them  know how best to stand against this direct assault on religious freedom.

4.  If you are a pastor, preach a sermon that helps your congregation know and understand the HHS mandate and its application to people of faith.  Help them understand that this HHS mandate is not just a Catholic issue but is a direct threat to the religious freedom of all people of faith.

5.  Support Alliance Defending Freedom and our efforts to have the HHS mandate declared unconstitutional.  Put bluntly, these lawsuits are very expensive and we need your financial support and your prayers.  You can give online at this link.

The church must be engaged on this issue.  As Alan Sears, president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, succinctly put it, “If the federal government can succeed in forcing people to violate their faith, it will have the power to force anyone to do anything.”  That’s how stark the battle lines are.  The voice of the church must be heard on this issue.  It’s time to speak up.

There’s been quite a bit of talk recently about ObamaCare and the federal regulation requiring employer health care plans to pay for abortion inducing drugs, as well as contraception and sterilization. The good news is churches are exempt from this requirement. The bad news is some and many church ministries and para-church organizations will be required to provide things like abortion-inducing drugs to their employees – even if it conflicts with the religious beliefs and teachings of the ministry. Any non-church ministry that provides services to people of other faiths (instead of just those who agree with their religious beliefs) will be subject to this requirement. Those who offer insurance that does not comply with ObamaCare will be fined $100 per employee per day.  And those who drop insurance coverage altogether will be subjected to fines of approximately $2,000 per employee, per year. This is effectively a Conscience Tax.

Obviously, many faith-based schools, food pantries, hospitals, and other community service organizations are threatened by this disregard for religious freedom because they minister to everyone. Some commentators have opined that this isn’t a very big deal, and is just about making sure women have access to contraception. But if the federal government can force these ministries to act in a way that is completely contrary to their religious beliefs, they can tax all of us when we act according to our religious convictions by doing such things as refusing to participate in abortions, objecting to sexual immorality, or raising our children according to our faith.

Pastors need to be very aware of how this new mandate will affect all aspects of their ministry, as well as the lives and businesses of their parishioners. You can learn more about it here. And if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us here at ADF by logging on to SpeakUpMovement.org/church, or calling us at 1-800-TellADF.

ObamaCare Mandate Is Worse Than You Think: Watch the Video

Get the Facts

The Obama Administration doesn’t want you to know the truth about the ObamaCare mandate. Get the facts – and share them with others today!

We recently received an exciting update on a previous situation ADF assisted with in Northern Arizona. Based on some confusion about the First Amendment, the Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) Area Agency on Aging told all of its service providers, including Meals on Wheels, that they were no longer permitted to allow any collective prayer before the meals they served at area senior centers. For many years, seniors at the centers had been saying a short, voluntary prayer together, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, prior to eating the lunch provided by Meals on Wheels.

ADF offered to provide assistance to NACOG free of charge and drafted a new policy on prayer and religious expression. We recently received word that NACOG adopted the policy and sent it out to all of their service providers.

Kudos to NACOG for correcting its policy and protecting the First Amendment rights of the senior citizens it serves!