A Jealous God: How Far the New Liberal Orthodoxy Will Go

BreakPoint with Charles Colson ^ | 11 March 04 | Charles Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

On March 1, the California Supreme Court ruled that Catholic Charities must include contraceptives in its prescription drug coverage despite clear Catholic teaching to the contrary.

Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, called the decision "a sign of the times," but that's not the half of it.

California law says that if employers offer prescription drug coverage, they must include contraceptives. The law, however, like similar laws, exempts "religious employers" like churches.

Catholic Charities argued that, as an "arm" of the Catholic church, it was exempt from offering the contraceptives. It pointed out that each chapter is "answerable to the local bishop."

But a 6-to-1 majority rejected Catholic Charities's arguments, saying that the law "does not affect internal church governance." Instead, Justice Werdegar wrote, it affects "a nonprofit public benefit corporation and its employees, many of whom do not belong to the Catholic church."

Justice Janice Brown, the sole dissenter, replied that the ruling defined "religious employers" too narrowly. As she put it, "[the ruling reflects] such a crabbed and restrictive view of religion that it would define the ministry of Jesus Christ as a secular activity." She described the law as "an intentional, purposeful intrusion into a religious organization's expression of its religious tenets and sense of mission . . . "

Exactly. As Professor Robert George of Princeton says, this ruling should be seen as part of a larger attack on the Catholic church for "its resistance to the new liberal orthodoxy." If the church can be forced to pay for contraceptives, then there's no reason why it can't be forced to pay for abortions and provide "spousal" benefits to same-sex partners. And, Dr. George reminds us, "What applies to the Catholic church will also apply to evangelical Protestant churches" as well.

And the ruling does more than provide a glimpse into a possible future where religious liberty has been effectively eradicated. It also provides us with an insight into the nature and priorities of the "new liberal orthodoxy."

Catholic Charities was subject to the law only because it provided its employees with prescription drug coverage -- something many employers don't do. Now Catholic Charities has two choices: Violate church teaching, or drop prescription drug coverage.

You would think that, in a culture where the cost of prescription drugs is a major political issue, an employer that provides such coverage would be applauded, not harassed. But you would think that only because you don't understand the "new liberal orthodoxy."

To put it in biblical terms, it's a jealous god (small g). It will countenance no rival truth claims. And so given a choice between imposing its views on religious organizations or helping working people afford prescription drugs, it chooses ideology over people. In fact, to employ another biblical term, it can be compared to Moloch, the Canaanite god who demanded the sacrifice of innocents.

This is strong language, but these are the times we live in. Protecting the freedom to worship our God begins with understanding how far our opponents will go in service to theirs.

[Mr. Silverback]

Maybe they could do what the Mayor of San Fran does - just disobey the law.

Good idea. Or they could say, "Hey, her birth control is a matter of private sexual expression, she's a consenting adult, we're all consenting adults, so under Lawrence vs. Texas this is none of the State's business."

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

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[Ron H.]

Now Catholic Charities has two choices: Violate church teaching, or drop prescription drug coverage.

Or just do what is starting to become popular by the anarchist left and just ignore the ruling. After all, isn't that what the extreme left is doing more and more these days?! The laws they don't like they just ignore as being unjust or something like that! Why heck, why not just do away with all civilized laws and we all just do what we want whenever we want.

We can then proclain America, the land of Anarchy and the totally free (of civility and the law). </sarcasm>

[Indie]

Hopefully the SCOTUS will land on California like a ton of bricks over this....

You are kidding, right?

[Mr. Silverback]

You are kidding, right?

Hey, I was sure the Supremes were going to gay-ify and atheize the Boy Scouts a few years back, and they went (IIRC) 7-2 in favor of the BSA. Hope springs eternal...

[wingster]

Just remember that Jesus said in Matthew 24;

"37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Gen. 6; "5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."

Animals taking communion, homosexuality spreading like mayo in a Sub Shop, and man defying God on just about every front. The question is how bad was it in Noah's day!

[wingster]

The only difference of course is that instead of a flood, the earth will be destroyed with fire and fervent heat.

2 Pet. 3; "3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[1] 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[2] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat."

[Twinkie]

Washington & Jefferson didn't have to deal with all the
complications ("health" insurance & all that jazz) that
we have painted ourselves in a corner with these days.
How did they EVER get along without all the hassles &
stresses of paying insurance and the like. Our insurance
is just about at $10,000 per year. If we had started a
medical savings account years ago and had the maturity to
stick with it and not keep thinking we just had to delve
into it, we would be independent of the blood suckers by
now.

[Mr. Silverback]

We can then proclain America, the land of Anarchy and the totally free (of civility and the law).

If the Catholics resist this ruling, they will be resisting...

...an unjust "law" written by oligarchs who were themselves violating the law when they wrote it

...which is directly contrary to the intent of the legislature in passing the original law.

...and violates the Constitution.

...and they would be doing it in an effort to remain free, not to impose their opinion on others.

When Gavin Newsom, for instance, allows gay marriages to be performed in San Fran, he is violating a just law that is the clearly expressed will of over two-thirds of the people of his state. One of the reasons he's doing it is in the hopes that the court battle which results will impose gay marriage on the rest of the nation, against the will of the people.

Surely you can't believe that those two acts are morally equivalent? Surely you can't believe that when the government violates the 1st Amendment the only good thing for a citizen to do is shut up and take it?

[Mr. Silverback]

Animals taking communion,

As I understand it, the "animals taking communion" thing was an error on the part of the reporter. When people were going to the altar to receive Communion and their pets were receiving only a blessing, he got his sacraments messed up. Not surprising: Rare is the J-school grad who thinks Christians are from this planet, much less one that has any clue what Christianity is about.

[B-Chan]

Picture a Catholic, an Orthodox, and a Protestant standing back to back on the fifty yard line of a stadium. A crowd of jeering people fills the stands. TV cameras look on.

Then they let the lions out. That's how far liberal orthodoxy will go in the end.

Just as the early Christians were martyred for refusing to burn a pinch of incese at the altar of Nero, so will we (our our children) someday face martyrdom for refusing to bow before Man-As-God.

Bring it on.

[Mr. Silverback]

Bring it on.

The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. I am still hopeful that we can have a Welsh-style revival, not because I fear persecution, but because if we suffer Roman/Communist-style persecution, it means the American Experiment has ended. And just as they did under Communists, we can expect some "christians" (most notably, those who are already apologizing for every evil they can find) to cooperate with the State in the persecution of the rest of us. But be bold and strong, for the Lord our God is with you. Bring it on, indeed.

[Ann Archy]

BUMP

[NYer]

As Professor Robert George of Princeton says, this ruling should be seen as part of a larger attack on the Catholic church for "its resistance to the new liberal orthodoxy." If the church can be forced to pay for contraceptives, then there's no reason why it can't be forced to pay for abortions and provide "spousal" benefits to same-sex partners. And, Dr. George reminds us, "What applies to the Catholic church will also apply to evangelical Protestant churches" as well.

" He (Cardinal George) said Gay Marriage is much the same way. Except here we have the making of a Totalitarian State. The State is now defining an institution which prior it had no business defining. Which is precisely what Totalitarian States are all about. Thus as Catholics we cannot withdraw and say, well it is their choice. Rather we must fight, and we must say, that Natural Law dictates as well as Tradition. "
A Fireside Chat with Cardinal George

If you have not yet read this thread, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is a chilling perspective on what the Catholic Church in the US will soon be facing.

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[Mr. Silverback]

In Rockford, they are trying to force one parish to continue to employ a choir director who is a practicing homosexual and has declared that the Church has no right to expect him to be celibate.

If we as a Faith, Protestant and Catholic, don't start saying, "This far, and no further," we are going to look like just another State church in China or Cold War Romania.