Stand Fast Thou' the Wall is Breached!

From USA Today a few days ago:

Obama: Don't use religion to deny constitutional rights

The Oval

David Jackson, USA TODAY 7:21 a.m. EDT September 28, 2015

President Obama says he respects religious liberty, but it cannot be used to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who are entitled to them.

"We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions," Obama said at a Democratic National Committee LGBT gala Sunday in New York City.

"But," he added, "we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn't grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights."

Obama appeared to reference the case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue gay marriage licenses, saying it violated her faith.

A federal judge had Davis jailed for several days because of her actions in defiance of the June decision by the Supreme Court sanctioning same-sex unions.

In his remarks Sunday to donors, Obama said gay marriage supporters should understand that the change "has been a whirlwind" for many Americans, and that there remains some "unease." The president said, "it's important for us to recognize that there are still parts of the country that are getting there, but it's going to take some time."

But that doesn't mean people can use religion to deny people their rights, Obama added -- and political candidates shouldn't encourage them.

"Even as we are respectful and accommodating genuine concerns and interests of religious institutions, we need to reject politicians who are supporting new forms of discrimination as a way to scare up votes," Obama said. "That's not how we move America forward."

Oh Lord, this makes my head hurt. Do you see? Religious Freedom isn't considered a constitutional right by these people, but gay marriage and abortion are. How do you even relate to someone so disconnected from reality?

And this is rich. Didn't he say, back in 2009, something about unifying the country and not being the president of this part or that part but of the whole country?

Except for those "parts of the country" who aren't with the program yet. And there is no alternative but to get on the Progressive bus. There is no room for deviation from the received truth of the Progressive Gnostics. "there are still parts of the country that are getting there," "there." Obama cannot conceive of valid opposing views.

Tolerance of opposing views to him means shutting down bakeries and bankrupting families simply because their faith conflicts with his vision. "it's going to take some time." he says.

Well, times up for Aaron and Melissa Klein 

The First Amendment, according to Obama, reads: "The Federal bureaucracy shall be respectful and accommodating to the genuine concerns and interests of religious institutions."

A little bit different from James Madison's version, to be sure. And wholly disconnected with the actual life of faith to which a truly religious person attempts to live.

Oh, and by the way, we do need to reject politicians who are supporting new forms of discrimination as a way to scare up votes. Politicians like him and almost every other Democrat who voted for the Affordable Care Act. The law that empowered the Secretary of HHS to force religious organizations, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, to pay for abortions and contraceptives. The people who supported SSM and are cheering; as religious people, colleges, and other organizations are buffeted with legal challenges for trying to live and work according to their faith.

I'm sure he is hopeful that his party will continue in power until the Catholic Church, the Baptist Convention, faithful Christians, and those other 'parts of the country' 'get there' or are crushed.

Thefederalist.com carried an opinion piece that is worth a read.

Taxing Churches Would Marry Church And State

"Saying government can tax religious organizations affirms the sovereignty of state over church."

Obama said that religious faith shouldn’t trump civil rights. He has it upside down, of course. But I doubt if he could see it any other way. He already assumes, I’m sure – as does Niose and others – that the state is sovereign over everything within its unlimited purview, including churches.

Beginning to feel like the Great Siege of Malta

Which was fought against overwhelming odds, but with faith in God.

But which the Christians ultimately prevailed, by God's grace.

If it doesn't get printed in a newspaper, it isn't news, right?

Apparently the Washington Post thinks so. The threat to religious freedom isn't news, because, according to the WaPo, there is no threat.

I stumbled across this story, celebrating the election of a Hindu woman and a Buddist woman to Congress. Wonderful. Of course, they are both Democrats, which makes it more wonderful still for the WaPo writers. What the article chiefly celebrates is the decline of White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants in government and in America at large. With no real reason why this is worth celebrating except diversity is inherently good.

The author, Charles C. Haynes claims, "in 2012, religious minorities became newly visible and vocal in a society historically dominated by the symbols, values and leaders of the Protestant faith," but fails to mention the protests of the most visible, most vocal religious minority: the Catholic and Christian protests against erosion of religous liberty under ObamaCare and other HHS mandates. Must not be news when bishops, cardinals, universities, orders of religious, hospitals and even the Pope publicly oppose the policies of the current administration.

Nope. "The growing visibility and strength of America’s religious diversity is good news for religious freedom. The First Amendment affords legal protections, but it cannot fully prevent people in the majority from imposing social discrimination and political exclusion on those in the minority." The big news is that a couple of Democrats who are not Episcopalian or Baptist were elected to Congress.

Haynes goes on, "as domination of one faith recedes, freedom for all faiths and beliefs expands – moving us ever-closer to fulfilling the promise of religious liberty under the First Amendment."

Tell that to  the Green family, who own and operate the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores. They are Christian. They run their business according to their Christian principles, which include both providing for their employees and not paying for the intentional destruction of pre-born persons. The HHS Mandate under ObamaCare will force them to violate those principles or face up to 1.3 millions dollars per day in fines; which will no doubt destroy their business and put out of work the employees in more than 500 stores in 41 states.

That seems like a slightly bigger story than a couple of non-Christian Democrats being elected to Congress.

But not to the wisdom of the WaPo editorialists.

A search of the WaPo website on "Hobby Lobby" returned only five AP reports on the topic. Nothing by Post writers. Nothing beyond brief wire reports. It isn't news to the WaPo and its readers because it does not fit into their neat little view of how the world should be. It violates their reality therefore it doesn't exist.

Stay Strong!

I would just like to remind my Congressman and all of the members of the Republican caucus in the House and Senate: When the Democrats say they have a mandate from the American people because they received slightly more than 50% of the popular vote, they are wrong. They do not represent the country and their policies do not have the support of the American public. Only half. You represent fully 1/2 of the country. You have a responsibility to fight for the policies which 1/2 of the country supports: limited government, fiscal responsibility, Religious Liberty, the Right to Life, Free Markets and individual freedom to succeed or fail, to assist others in need without government mandate or coersion, a National Defense scaled to protect national interests and a foreign policy that has a clear vision of what the national interest is, the Rule of Law and the supremacy of the Natural Law endowed upon us by our Creator. Stay strong.