{"id":23020,"date":"2014-06-25T09:37:48","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T15:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/publiccatholic\/?p=23020"},"modified":"2014-12-24T21:48:48","modified_gmt":"2014-12-25T04:48:48","slug":"fortnight-for-freedom-defending-religious-liberty-on-wednesday-june-25-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/publiccatholic\/2014\/06\/fortnight-for-freedom-defending-religious-liberty-on-wednesday-june-25-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortnight for Freedom: Defending Religious Liberty on Wednesday, June 25, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The jury\u2019s out on our religious freedoms.<\/p>\n

Tick. Tick. Tick.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all waiting to see what the Supreme Court does to us or for us in their decision on\u00a0Sebelius v Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The Supremes are going to hand down a decision on this case soon, and the stakes are enormous.<\/p>\n

What will the First Amendment mean next month, after they\u2019ve spoken?\u00a0How much freedom will we have to practice our faith? Will we be forced to make choices between shucking our faith when we step out the door of our churches? Is the Supreme Court going to take a giant step toward pushing faith out of the public square? Or will it uphold the First Amendment rights of Americans to practice their faith in public?<\/p>\n

At issue is the question of whether or not the infamous HHS Mandate will be allowed to force Christian employers to provide funds, either directly or indirectly, for abortifacients and abortion.<\/a> In other words, can the government force people to participate in murder?<\/p>\n

On this day, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, I am going to suggest that you participate in the Fortnight for Freedom by following the links here to read about the case and then say a prayer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From the Christian Post<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
\"healthcare(PHOTO: REUTERS\/LARRY DOWNING)<\/small>\n

Protesters pray at the steps of the Supreme Court as arguments begin today to challenge the Affordable Care Act\u2019s requirement that employers provide coverage for contraception as part of an employee\u2019s health care, in Washington March 25, 2014. The U.S. Supreme Court convened on Tuesday to consider whether business owners can object on religious grounds to a provision of President Barack Obama\u2019s healthcare law requiring employers to provide health insurance that covers birth control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

An attorney involved in a Supreme Court case that will determine to what extent privately owned businesses can opt-out of providing certain types of birth control for religious reasons believes there are \u201c\u2018high stakes\u201d involved in the outcome.<\/p>\n

Matt Bowman, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, has served as an attorney for Conestoga Woods Specialties, who alongside Hobby Lobby, have sued the federal government to be exempt from the Health and Human Services\u2019 \u201cpreventive services mandate\u201d that requires businesses to cover birth control that can lead to the early termination of a pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stakes are very high in the Conestoga and Hobby Lobby case,\u201d explained Bowman regarding the First Amendment implications in the lawsuit. \u201cIt involves fundamental issues of whether or not religious freedom belongs to every American, and whether the government can redefine freedom to force citizens to buy abortion pills for other people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 The jury\u2019s out on our religious freedoms. Tick. Tick. Tick. We\u2019re all waiting to see what the Supreme Court does to us or for us in their decision on\u00a0Sebelius v Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.\u00a0 The Supremes are going to hand down a decision on this case soon, and the stakes are enormous. What will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,4995,39,3814,199,726,3843,3565,549,41,5302,1304,1],"tags":[3842,7843,1949,4461,398],"class_list":["post-23020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-america","category-christian-bashers-2","category-christian-persecution-2","category-christian-solidarity","category-first-amendment","category-following-christ","category-fortnight4freedom","category-freedom-of-conscience-2","category-freedom-of-speech-2","category-politics","category-post-christian-west","category-religious-freedom-2","category-uncategorized","tag-fortnight-4-freedom","tag-hhs-mandate","tag-hobby-lobby-and-supreme-court","tag-hobby-lobby-hhs-mandate","tag-supreme-court"],"yoast_head":"\nFortnight for Freedom: Defending Religious Liberty on Wednesday, June 25, 2014<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  The jury\u2019s out on our religious freedoms. 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