The recent Supreme Court ruling opens the door for religious groups to seek exemptions from anti-discrimination laws.
One of my favorite scenes in The Godfather was when a now retired Vito Corleone warns his son Michael that after he was gone, the head of the rival family would make an attempt on his life under the pretense of organizing a meeting in order to make peace.
Sometimes, truth is a little stranger than fiction. In the wake of the Hobby Lobby case, there’s new information that comes in the form of a letter sent to the White House on Tuesday that attempts to piggy back on the Supreme Court ruling by asserting that religion deserves more credence, more to the point, they should enjoy further exemptions from laws or executive orders that fly in the face of their respective beliefs. By that, these groups are clearly talking about any anti-discrimination laws against LGBT citizens.
Although the Hobby Lobby decision was considered a victory by more conservative groups, the letter itself came from religious leaders who, in the past, have been more friendly with the Obama White House. Michael Wear, formerly a White House employee who directed faith outreach for the Obama 2012 campaign was the primary organizer of the letter. It’s almost like Sal Tessio going to Michael Corleone at his father’s funeral, informing him that there was a deal on the table from the other side…fulfilling his father’s warning, but I digress. Have a look at the letter:
Religious Exemption Letter to President Obama
The letter was signed by two members of Catholics for Obama and three former members of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. All this comes in the wake of an announcement from the Obama administration that an executive order would subsequently ban federal contractors from any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. According to The Atlantic:
ENDA, the proposed federal legislation, does include such an exemption: It specifically does not apply to a broad array of faith-based organizations, from churches to religious-service groups to religious newspapers, meaning those groups could still decline to hire gay or transgender people if they believe it conflicts with their faith. The exemption was included despite fears from some LGBT activists that it could constitute a license to discriminate.
And so the slippery slope presents itself within full view. Although there are built-in exemptions that are still troubling for some, religious leaders see the Hobby Lobby decision as that breach in the wall that they can expose and exploit. The fact that there are even discussions to circumvent the rights of other Americans to “preserve religious freedom” are disturbing enough on their face, however the larger problem presents itself as “what’s next?”
Will it be vaccines? Will some obscure passage in a holy book lead to petitioning the government to not force companies to provide coverage for vaccines? Certainly that is a long shot and probably insanely unlikely, but this is how it all works. You poke a hole in something, and the rats tear away at it until the hole is big enough for them to fit through. And at the cost of what?
Denying the rights of others, in Jesus’ name.