The Obamacare mandate for religious institutions to provide healthcare services that violate their beliefs is more serious than most people realize. The focus has been on Catholics and contraceptives, but that’s only the beginning. Since the country as a whole doesn’t hold to the no-contraception doctrine of the Catholic church, the outrage is somewhat muted. What many don’t understand is that it is merely the opening salvo for a full-scale attack on Christianity. Note I said “Christianity,” not religion, because that’s where this administration is headed. Obama can claim all he wants that he is a Christian—and he’s suddenly doing so quite often—but he’s no more a Christian than Bill Maher or Jon Stewart, his ideological allies.
I was surprised, but encouraged, to see some statements from evangelical leaders this week that have taken this threat to heart. They are strong statements, such as this one from Chuck Colson:
We have come to the point—I say this very soberly—when if there isn’t a dramatic change in circumstances, we as Christians may well be called upon to stand in civil disobedience against the actions of our own government. That would break my heart as a former Marine Captain loving my country, but I love my God more. I’ve made up my mind—sober as that decision would have to be—that I will stand for the Lord regardless of what my state tells me.
Then there’s this Twitter comment from Rick Warren, who, you might remember, gave the invocation at Obama’s inauguration:
I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers and sisters to practice their belief against government pressure. I’d rather go to jail than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you?
Baptist leader Richard Land added:
The Obama administration has declared war on religion and freedom of conscience. This must not stand. Our Baptist forebears died and went to prison to secure these freedoms. It is now our calling to stand in the gap and defend our priceless First Amendment religious freedoms.
I agree with these leaders. As the apostle Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men.” And we must never put the government in the place of God. Nor can we accord any leader that status.
Our president’s megalomania is already beyond the pale. No matter how many anthems of praise for him that school children are coerced into singing, he’s just a fallen, flawed man. In fact, more flawed than most.