“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” ~ The First AmendmentHuh, nothing in there stating that 'for profit' and 'faith-based' can only exist in one's life on Sunday, but can't coexist in one's daily business, is there? Well, that's at the forefront of what Christians are facing today.
Amidst all the fiscal cliff coverage, there's a critical moral cliff that our country continues to be thrown over by the many secularists in a federal government that once honored life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. By now you've heard all about Hobby Lobby's battle with the Obama administration, specifically as it pertains to the ObamaCare mandate...
Because federal judges—including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor—have refused to grant an injunction protecting the owners of Hobby Lobby from being forced to act against their Christian faith, those owners will be subject to federal fines of up to $1.3 million per day [which started on Tuesday] for refusing to include abortion-inducing drugs in their employee health plan.
Here's an excerpt from Hobby Lobby CEO David Green's letter explaining why Hobby Lobby originally filed suit against the federal government...
When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God's word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.
Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that's raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's the same for everybody. But that's not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
"We must obey God rather than men!" ~ Acts 5:29Breitbart: Now that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has denied Hobby Lobby’s application for an emergency injunction protecting them from Obamacare’s HHS Mandate on abortion and birth control, Hobby Lobby has decided to defy the federal government to remain true to their religious beliefs, at enormous risk and financial cost.
Hobby Lobby is wholly owned and controlled by the Green family, who are evangelical Christians. The Greens are committed to running their business in accordance with their Christian faith, believing that God wants them to conduct their professional business in accordance with the family’s understanding of the Bible. Hobby Lobby’s mission statement includes, “Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company … consistent with Biblical principles.”
The HHS Mandate [went] into effect for Hobby Lobby on Jan. 1, 2013. The Greens correctly understand that some of the drugs the HHS Mandate requires them to cover at no cost in their healthcare plans cause abortions.
[Last Friday] Hobby Lobby announced that they will not comply with this mandate to become complicit in abortion, which the Greens believe ends an innocent human life.
Millions of Christians across the country feel exactly the same way as the Greens. The Obama administration has issued a statist command that is a declaration of war on people of faith who object to abortion, and civil disobedience could break out all over the country unless the courts set this matter right—and quickly.
And now, on this Saturday, it's time for millions of Christians across the country to stand up with this faith-based company...
The Standing with Hobby Lobby Facebook page has more than 30,000 (now twice that!) who have pledged to shop at one of Hobby Lobby’s more than 500 stores or online on Saturday in support of Hobby Lobby’s stance.
The Green family, which closes all Hobby Lobby locations on Sundays, simply seeks to operate in accordance with Christian principles, including offering an employee health plan that aligns with those values. Under the coercive Obamacare mandate, however, the company is now forced to provide and pay for coverage of abortion-inducing drugs such as ella (the “week after” pill) and Plan B (the “morning after” pill) or face ruinous fines.
Such non-compliance risks the possibility of draconian government fines. The roughly $1.3 million per day fine Hobby Lobby could face means the company could see financial penalties of roughly $40 million for the month of January alone.
Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit over the mandate’s unconstitutional coercion continues. Represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Green family maintains hope that a court may eventually strike down the mandate. Until then, as Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund, explained following the Sotomayor opinion: “[Hobby Lobby] will continue to provide health insurance to all qualified employees. To remain true to their faith, it is not their intention, as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs.”
Those unable to make it to a Hobby Lobby store this Saturday can use a portal set up by the Becket Fund to send thank you notes to the Green family encouraging them in their brave stance against the mandate.
My family and I plan on going to our local store in just a few! Won't you join us in standing up for this courageous American business? Hope to see you there!
