The internet has helped us all develop a healthy skepticism. We read certain headlines and automatically assume they’re either misleading or totally false.
Sure, I have my concerns with President Obama, but I’m not buying that he’s now the High Priest of the Church of Satan.
Then there are other stories that we hope are fake only to find out that they’re actually true.
There were two of those this week.
First, in England, British education officials have told a Christian school that they are violating the “British value” of “tolerance” because only Christians are providing the instruction at their Christian school.
That’s like having art classes taught by actual artists. We can’t have that.
The school was told “to invite a leader from another religion, such as an imam, to lead assemblies.”
This new policy was a response to a scandal in which several government schools in Birmingham, England had been taken over by Muslim managers who began using them for Islamic instruction.
So…their response to too much Islamic instruction in government schools is apparently to require Islamic instruction in Christian schools.
If they refused to provide non-Christian instruction for their students, the school was told it could be downgraded or even closed.
“But that’s in England,” you say. “Here in the United States we still respect religious freedom.”
Or maybe not.
The other story comes from the land of fruits and nuts — California.
The state of California has decided that churches must now pay for elective abortions.
Not businesses or not private individuals, which would be bad enough. Churches.
At the urging of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which once defended religious freedom and individual rights, the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has decided that elective abortions must be covered under “basic health services”.
As a result, insurance companies have begun notifying churches that abortion must be included in their insurance coverage.
This is precisely the outcome many in the Washington State legislature have been working toward for three years unsuccessfully. But, having failed in the legislature, we should probably be looking out for rule changes from bureaucrats to accomplish the same purpose.
You know, if at first you don’t succeed, just circumvent the democratic process.
For those who live in California, this new change creates the bizarre situation where federal law protects their right not to pay for chemical abortions but state law is forcing them to pay for surgical abortions.
Obviously the elected officials in California know this violates the beliefs of millions of people in their state. But here’s an important point to remember.
They don’t care.
The abortion industry helps them get elected. People in churches don’t. Ergo, the abortion industry wins.
Of course litigation will result. We pray that some vestiges of the right to the free exercise of religion will remain.
Nevertheless, here we are.
In the very recent past, the left has been hysterical in explaining the need to maintain a rigid separation between church and state. But that separation seems to be less important now if it would mean limiting the state from controlling the church.
Remember, just last week pastors in Houston were told to turn over their sermons on homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” to the government.
If you stayed out of the debate because you want to coexist with those who disagree with you remember this: they don’t want to coexist. At least not the ones driving the political agenda.
They want you gone. They want you in the closet they claim to have resented so much. They want the punishment for coming out of that closet to be so severe that you choose to keep your narrow-minded, hateful religion to yourself. For good.
Once that happens, they’re sure everyone will be happy.
After all, the only reason women feel bad about abortions or kids feel conflicted about their same-sex attraction is because of bigots like us.
Yes, they’re wrong. But that doesn’t matter if the ones who know they’re wrong step aside and let them pass. It is possible to have peace through surrender, but then you’re the vanquished. As Ronald Reagan always said, peace through strength is much, much better. So be strong.
There is an election in 11 days. The people who are elected will determine which direction Washington goes with respect to conscience rights, religious freedom, and real tolerance.
Be an informed voter and make sure your friends are as well. If you see that they haven’t voted yet, send them a reminder.
Let’s not be California.
