{"id":2030,"date":"2013-01-17T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-17T09:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/religious-freedom-day-prompts-renewed-opposition-to-mandate\/"},"modified":"2013-01-17T09:01:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-17T09:01:00","slug":"religious-freedom-day-prompts-renewed-opposition-to-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/01\/religious-freedom-day-prompts-renewed-opposition-to-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Religious Freedom Day’ prompts renewed opposition to mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Jan 17, 2013 \/ 02:01 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- President Barack Obama\u2019s designation of a national Religious Freedom Day is leading to calls for his administration to show greater respect for the conscience rights of Americans.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIf it is not to be an empty promise,\u201d said Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, \u201creligious freedom must also include acting on one\u2019s deepest religious beliefs when one is feeding the poor, caring for the sick, educating the young, or running a business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tDuncan welcomed the president\u2019s proclamation but expressed regret over its failure to acknowledge the threats to religious freedom posed by the controversial contraception mandate.<\/p>\n

\tCustomarily proclaimed and celebrated every year on Jan. 16, Religious Freedom Day marks the anniversary of the 1786 enactment of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, penned by Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\n

\tIn his official 2013 proclamation, Obama recognized \u201cour right to exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cForemost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose,\u201d the proclamation said. \u201cBecause of the protections guaranteed by our Constitution, each of us has the right to practice our faith openly and as we choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tRecognizing the contributions of people of faith to the building of America, the president acknowledged that religious liberty is not merely an American principle enshrined in the Bill of Rights, but \u201ca universal human right\u201d that constitutes \u201can essential part of human dignity\u201d and a necessary ingredient for lasting peace.<\/p>\n

\tHe called on Americans to use Jan. 16 to learn about religious liberty and how it can be protected for future generations.<\/p>\n

\tTim Schultz, state legislative policy director for the American Religious Freedom Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA that the annual proclamation indicates that Americans \u201coverwhelmingly\u201d support religious freedom.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tHe noted that the Religious Freedom Day is proclaimed every year by presidents of either political party, showing that religious liberty is not a partisan concern but a basic American principle.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tReligion is \u201cat the core\u201d of people's identity, Schultz explained, and Americans of all faiths and no faith at all recognize the importance of a robust freedom of religion.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tHe called on the administration to ensure that its actions matched its language promoting freedom of religion for all Americans.<\/p>\n

\tOther religious freedom advocates voiced concern over the Obama administration\u2019s failure to support the free exercise of religion.<\/p>\n

\tIn a statement responding to the proclamation, Duncan criticized the president\u2019s use of the phrase \u201cfreedom of worship.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\t\u201cReligious freedom certainly includes worship, but it extends beyond the four walls of a church,\u201d he said, pointing to the contraception mandate, which requires employers to provide insurance coverage of contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can induce early abortions.<\/p>\n

\tThe Obama administration has denied an exemption to religious owners of for-profit companies, arguing that their exercise of religion does not extend to business decisions.<\/p>\n

\tThe mandate, Duncan warned, ignores the breadth of religious liberty \u201cand is therefore out of step with our traditions and our laws, which promise religious freedom for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAshley McGuire, senior fellow for the Catholic Association, called the president\u2019s proclamation \u201ctremendously hypocritical.\u201d She pointed to the more than 100 plaintiffs who have filed religious freedom lawsuits over the contraception mandate.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBy replacing \u2018freedom of religion\u2019 with \u2018freedom of worship\u2019 yet again,\u201d McGuire told CNA, \u201cthe President makes plain as day his effort to confine religion entirely to the private sphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis is very bad for Americans of every religion,\u201d she cautioned.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Jan 17, 2013 \/ 02:01 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- President Barack Obama’s designation of a national Religious Freedom Day is leading to calls for his administration to show greater respect for the conscience rights of Americans.<\/p>\n

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