CondomsUSA: Religious Freedom: Some Christians refuse to pay taxes (even indirect thru health-insure companies) becawz Obama régime destroys institutional religious freedom

Three vitally important news stories have appeared in Christian Post, a newsdaily online that belongs to the  publication members of the Evangelical Press Association (and is thus assumedly in conformity with its ethical guidelines for Chrsitian news-media).  The news source is very much a newshorse, and in the current Obamacare stealth-rules for employers a moment has come when this news horse is keeping up-to-date on the fast-breaking developments of the tidal wave of adverse reaction, whether a majority, or even a majority of Evangelicals or Catholics remains to be seen. The first story centers upon the figure of a political scientist of reformational philosophical background, Dr Stephen Monsma.

Monsma has studied, as a political science professor, and practiced, as a Michigan state government representative, American government for over 40 years. Recently, as senior research fellow at The Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity andPolitics at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich., and a fellow at the Center for Public Justice, Monsma has turned his attention to the study of faith-based organizations. — CP (Feb17,2k12)

Dr Monsma's latest book appeared this year under the title, Pluralism and Freedom: Faith-based organizations in a democratic society.  It had been written prior to the onslawt of the birth control mandate's headlines.   Monsma challenges the "underlying assumptions" of the Obama practice of politics with which many, perhaps most, voting Americans agree.

The crucial [assumption] is that religion is something that takes place in churches, synagogues, mosques, or in private activities, such as devotional reading or prayer, in the home. That leaves out a host of religiously based organizations that are involved in health care, education, other social services, which then are not seen as being truly religious organizations, and, therefore, they can be forced to engage in practices that go against their beliefs without really, supposedly, violating their religious consciences.

Against that political-moral view of the inherent religious neutrality of institutions functioning outside of the societal spheres of church and home Monsma offers the Obama régime and the American voting public a real alternative:  

I think the beginning point is to recognize that faith-based organizations engag[ing] in education, health care, and social services [for instance] are truly religious organizations by which individuals are living out their religious faith and therefore they are deserving of the protection based on religious freedom rights. 

The CP article, by Napp Nazworth, proceeds in question-and-answer form.  The interview proceeds with systematic delineations of government support for any proportion of a committed organization's when its program/s contribute to the common good, but not in any such activities that woud involve
direct proselytization or worship activities. "But otherwise, if the organization is providing a public good, helping to solve problems in society, they should be able to continue to do so in the manner that has helped them to be successful in the past. Monsma is especially firm when he insists that "Certainly, restrictions should not include forcing that faith-based organization to hire persons who are not in religious agreement with them, which would virtually destroy that organization as a religiously-based organization."


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