Are We Seeing the Beginning of Religious Persecution in America?

Catholic Church agencies are closing their doors under new laws, policies gutting conscience rights

Is America on track for a religious freedom crisis generated by secularists in and out of government bent on pushing churches around on a variety of fronts? Fresh evidence strongly suggests that the answer is yes.

Take what’s been happening lately in Peoria, Ill. In early October, the Diocese of Peoria announced it was discontinuing Catholic Charities foster care services in reaction to a new law requiring state-funded programs to place children with unmarried couples living in civil unions. The diocese said Charities also would withdraw from all its state contracts, said to total $23 million annually.

“I have a responsibility to assure that Catholic Charities operates consistently with the teaching and values of the Church,” explained Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky.

Earlier, the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., also ended its foster care services. Three other Illinois dioceses — Belleville, Joliet and Springfield — are still fighting the new law in court.

The events in Illinois mirror a growing national trend. The ability of religious institutions to operate free from government pressure to violate their conscientious convictions has increasingly come under attack.

Repeatedly, the pressure has been brought to bear on churches on behalf of groups ranging from same-sex couples to federal officials backing coverage for contraception and sterilization in religious employers’ health plans. In the eyes of the secular militants, the First Amendment rights of religious institutions are of diminished importance.

In a Sept. 20 letter to President Barack Obama, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York protested recent administration moves aimed at various Catholic Church programs. Archbishop Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, warned of an impending “national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions” which he said would harm both.......

"That didn’t save Bob Jones University from federal intervention. If they can punish a school for practicing radical discrimination, they can punish a school for discriminating against gays."

If a religious institution claims that it is an important part of their belief system that they be able to quietly pray in private, then any government that denied them the ability to do so would rightly be declared tyrannical and guilty of persecution.

If a religious institution claims that they need to engage in human sacrifice of unwilling victims then a government that prevented them from doing so would be considered sane.

The Bob Jones Univ case is one of those borderline cases. Our Constitution has been interpreted to make racial discrimination a crime. Some may argue that that is an incorrect interpretation of our Constitution, but there it is. Under the current generally accepted interpretation Bob Jones Univ was engaging in discrimanatory behavior which the federal government had an obligation to stop. I'm not exactly certain of the particulars. If Bob Jones University had a single student in attendance receiving federal loans, then they would be considered as an institution receiving federal aid and would come under the jurisdiction of all of the appropriate federal laws. This is why places like Hillsdale refuse all federal aid.

If at some point in the future discrimination against gays is put on a par with racial discrimination then the federal government will be required to oppose it regardless of whether a particular institution is getting federal funding. This is the point at which the government would begin persecution.

There would presumably still be a significant number of citizens around who would, for example, oppose gay weddings performed on their premises. If they attempted to prevent such weddings from proceeding and the government tried to stop them then all hell should break lose.

But I wouldn't hold my breath.

my main point is that any charity, whatever it calls itself, that receives government aid is going to have to modify its behavior to conform to government rules. So I don't believe that forcing some "catholic" or "jewish" charities that collect government funds is a form of religious persecution.

My point exactly.
Calling something "CatholicCharities" while it is
being supported by US Taxpayers is disingenuous.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

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