Posted on 07/08/2015 6:56:59 AM PDT by wagglebee
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – The freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment applies only to churches, not to individuals, a U.S. senator said on national television recently.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-WI – the nation's first openly lesbian elected to the U.S. Senate – addressed the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision on June 27 on MSNBC's Up with Steve Kornacki.
"Should the bakery have to bake the cake for the gay couple getting married?” the host asked. “Where do you come down on that?"
Baldwin responded that the First Amendment gave Americans no right to exercise religion outside the sanctuary of their church, synagogue, or mosque.
“Certainly the First Amendment says that in institutions of faith that there is absolute power to, you know, to observe deeply held religious beliefs. But I don’t think it extends far beyond that,” she said.
Sen. Baldwin then likened the issue to the Obama administration's contentious HHS mandate, requiring employers to furnish contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs to female employees with no co-pay.
“We’ve certainly seen the set of arguments play out in issues such as access to contraception,” Baldwin said. “Should it be the individual pharmacist whose religious beliefs guides whether a prescription is filled, or in this context, they’re talking about expanding this far beyond our churches and synagogues to businesses and individuals across this country.”
“I think there are clear limits that have been set in other contexts, and we ought to abide by those in this new context across America.”
That view contrasts with a broad and deep body of law saying that individuals have the right to exercise their religion freely under the First Amendment, not merely to hold or teach their beliefs.
“At the Founding, as today, 'exercise' connoted action, not just internal belief,” wrote Thomas C. Berg, the James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.
That body of cases shows the First Amendment is an individual, not merely a corporate, right.
Further, the extent – and the constitutionality – of the HHS mandate is far from settled.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has won 28 injunctions against the ObamaCare regulation and lost six.
The most significant statement to date has been the U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision last June, when the justices ruled 5-4 that closely held corporations do, indeed, exercise conscience protections under the terms of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
"We reject HHS's arguments that the owners of the companies forfeited all RFRA protection when they decided to organize their businesses as corporations rather than sole proprietorships or general partnerships," they added. "The plain terms of RFRA make it perfectly clear that Congress did not discriminate in this way against men and women who wish to run their business as for-profit corporations in the manner required by their religious beliefs."
However, the justices did not invoke the First Amendment's guarantee to freedom of religion – the “first freedom” that many say has been increasingly constricted under the Obama administration. The president rhetorically has spoken only of the “freedom of worship,” while conservatives say the “free exercise” clause grants Americans the right to practice their religion inside or outside church, in any relevant aspect of their lives, subject only to the most extreme provisions.
The RFRA holds that the government may not substantially burden any religious belief without having a compelling governmental interest.
We are living in dangerous times.
I may be an ignormas but, hey, I get elected!
“Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate, may have landed herself in some trouble after it was reported her office did little to address the rather high rate of opiate prescriptions coming out of the Veterans Affairs center in Tomah, Wisconsin. “
“To make matters worse, three deaths are linked to the overmedication problem highlighted in the report on the facility. A congressional hearing is scheduled on the matter (via AP): “
“U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who said last month she accepts responsibility for not acting sooner, is now being advised by a Democratic political lawyer, and the Republican Party of Wisconsin has filed an ethics complaint against her related to how her office handled the matter “
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2015/02/22/sen-tammy-baldwin-lawyers-up-after-three-deaths-are-linked-to-a-va-report-she-sat-on-for-months-n1960467
We knew where that was headed didn’t we...Wonder how the Muslims will feel that their right to wear burkas depends on the government ??
Yes, but this goes beyond fascist political party worship.
Whether She/It is aware or not, Her/Its worldview is rooted in the Uber doctrines of Transhumanism and Postgenderism.
http://www.google.com/#q=Transhumanism+Postgenderism
Remember where this Tammy Baldwin is from. She was quite supportive of the attempted recall of Scott Walker, and agreed with the walkout of the state Democrat legislative members when it came up for time to take a vote. We all know how that slap-down match ended, and with Scott Walker on top.
Tammy Baldwin rode into the Senate on the Current Occupant’s coattails, when the state went for him AGAIN in 2012, but not because of any particular popularity of her own.
No doubt the Democrats consider this Baldwin - whatever - to be future Presidential timber. They are attracted to the peculiar types like a moth to a flame.
This woman needs to be hung, immediately.
Wrong, bitch.
Text of the 1st Amendment:
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.
NOWHERE does it speak to "within the confines of a place of worship." Baldwin should be called out aggressively on this one.
Someone whose intellect I respect is Mark Steyn. He’s just done a piece comparing what’s going on here with events in Germany in 1933 — only THIS TIME it won’t JUST BE THE JEWS!
I’ve been trying to hammer this one home for over a year!
http://www.steynonline.com/7036/the-stupidity-of-sophisticates
Sounds like you have the same problems Lake County, IN, has where dead people vote multiple times. Here in Cincinnati, one poll worker bragged she voted for Obama six times in the last election. She’s in jail, as she should be. If the voting process comes into greater doubt than it already is, this Republic is doomed.
My report to the Home World this month is going to be rather lengthy.
Got it.
Along the same argument, Freedom of Speech applies only to the Left.
According to her 'partner', she IS hung.
Freedom of worship, not freedom of conscience.
I am so glad our (emotion-driven, monthly mentally affected, lost purpose) women got the vote! They have helped America so very much. (Sorry, ladies, I call it as I see it.)
Governor Scott Walker has done many good things for Wisconsin, He fought and won a war with public sector unions and subjected those unions to the bracing and refreshing challenge of "right to work" status. The unions subjected Walker, his Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefish and a State Supreme Court Justice (an attempt to seize that court to thwart Walker's every move) and numerous state senators (trying to seize control of the state senate ditto) to recall elections. Walker, Kleefish and the State Supreme Court Justice and enough State Senators won to vindicate Walker's ability to govern. The leftists and the unions, sputtering in outrage that Walker was doing all this in THEIR Wisconsin, seized the State Capitol building and thoroughly trashed the legislative chambers before being expelled.
Then he did the same to private sector unions. Wisconsin is the newest Right to Work state for just about everyone. I think he left police unions and fire unions in their old status. He also enacted concealed carry legislation, serious right-to-life legislation, mandatory photo ID to vote legislation and lots of other good and necessary things.
Before he (hopefully) leaves Wisconsin for the White House to take the Walker revolution national, he has one more major priority to deal with that festering sore at the University of Wisconsin: breaking the tenure system to allow the firing of the worst academic offenders and to teach some respect to the rest of the pampered perfumed princes and princesses of state academia with their multi-$100,000 salaries for "teaching" at most ten or so hours per week. They also glom even more money from "consulting fees" from gullible corporate liberals. When Walker interrupts their lifestyles and threatens the end of their lifetime expectations of taxpayer-funded splendor, he will also end their ability to lavishly fund the campaigns for public office of such members of the weirdo-American community as Butch Baldwin.
For POTUS, my heart is with Ted Cruz but my head tells me that Walker would be the best POTUS based on observing at close hand what Scott Walker has done for Wisconsin. Ergo, a ticket of Walker/Cruz would best serve the USA. Kleefish is ready to be governor of Wisconsin and Texas is capable of electing a worthy successor to Ted Cruz, perhaps the incumbent Attorney General. AS VPOTUS, Cruz would be a strong and eloquent and capable ally of Walker and his point man on each and every worthwhile reform effort.
Nationally, such a ticket's election would break the left as they have been broken in Wisconsin of all places. New York and Taxachusetts and Vermont and Rhode Island and Connecticut and New Jersey and Maryland and California will try to lead a new secession movement. Butch Baldwin will suicide.
We can do this!
Methinks the politicians should be required to take a course and a test on the Constitution and ethics before being allowed to even run for office.
As a Catholic, let me point out that the jailbird poll worker from Cincinnati is a “social justice” excuse for a nun. If we cannot burn her at the stake, jail is where she belongs and is the next best thing.
Hanged.
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