On religious freedom

First off let me say that I think the Catholic position on birth control is wrong.

But what I think has nothing to do with it. The Church has that right. And the government has no right of mandate by force of law that ANY church violate its doctrine.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Link

So when the government tells a religious organization that it MUST provide a service to anyone, employees and others, that the organization feels violates its religious doctrine, no matter how you or any one else feels that the doctrine is wrong.... the government has violated the Constitution.

Now many Lefties, and even some not so Left, are claiming that since some Catholic organizations have accepted government money then the government has the right to tell them what to do in this matter.

As Colonel Potter said, "Horse hockey."

The fact the government has previously given money to the religious organization and that the money has been accepted does not give the government the right to tell the religious organization it must violate its doctrine. The government has the right to withhold future money, and the right to specify certain requirements in advance of giving future money.

But the fact that previous funds may have been given and accepted prior to a stated and defined agreement of performance that covers the item(s) in dispute does not give the government the right to force the religious organization to violate its doctrine.

BTW - That's just plain ole contract law. Simpler. You can't change the terms in the middle of the deal.

Only the Left would try such an over reach.



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine