Faith

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Let's stroll down memory lane. I remember saying the Lord's Prayer in public school until the Supreme Court banned it. Up until then Christian faith was respected; America was Christian and that was OK.
But the siege had begun. The Ten Commandments were removed from courthouses and crosses were torn from hilltops. Christmas morphed from a celebration of Jesus's birth into a legal free-for-all as lawsuits to ban Christmas from public schools and crèches from town squares became common. Political correctness dictated we say "Happy Holidays," and "Merry Christmas" became an almost subversive greeting. Anti-God ads on buses, subways and billboards slammed Christianity annually.
A "work of art" depicting a crucifix submerged in the artist's urine got wide publicity. It was distasteful and outrageous, but the media made sure every sentient human being in America could see it. The press promoted stories about unhinged "Christians," like the tiny hate group that picketed military funerals or the obscure preacher who threatened to burn the Qur'an. Splinter groups got the spotlight while the vast majority of Christians observed their faith in quiet anonymity.
Christianity has been relentlessly assaulted and its status chipped away, but we believed the government would protect our rights until the madness passed. Until recently.
The federal government ordered Roman Catholic hospitals, charities, colleges, parochial schools and social service agencies to provide insurance coverage that violated church teachings. In a nutshell, they must pay for abortion pills or face many millions of dollars in punitive fines that will threaten their existence.
The rule isn't sensible on a few levels. First, these institutions have always been subject to the conscience clause which allows them to avoid complying with such mandates, so this order violates precedent. Second, everything mandated can be obtained by individuals privately without forcing the church to violate its moral standards. If abortion pills, contraception and sterilization are critically important to an employee he can buy them privately or find another job that offers coverage for them.
The third is the most mind-boggling. Catholic organizations play a huge role in our society. Communities across the country will suffer if these institutions are compelled to curtail services or close down.
If they're financially unstable who will fill the void? Here's a scary thought: maybe the strategy is to force the church to sell out to private companies. Secularists would get a twofer: the rules would be enforced and Christian outreach slashed at the same time.
This isn't about contraception; it's about freedom of religion. It's triggered a firestorm of protest and the rule may yet be modified. Even if it is, the lesson remains that secularists are willing to go beyond filing individual anti-Christian court cases brought by private citizens to issuing unilateral government commands that limit religious expression.
Our society has trashed God for decades, and now we're on the cusp of making Him legally irrelevant. History shows what happens when matters of conscience are dictated by whoever has political power, and it is dangerous.
It's wake-up time.

Chet Galaska is the author of Finding Faith in a Skeptical World and bi-weekly articles posted at www.ChristianStandpoint.com

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