Every
week in our worship services we pray for our country, for its leaders and its
citizens. God has given us many blessings in this country – especially the
blessing of the freedom of religion.
The
First Amendment of our Constitution
states that “Congress shall make no law respecting and 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.”
Recently
some have tried to limit the freedom of religion to that which takes place in
houses of worship. But our religion is not something we do only on certain days
and in certain places. Religion is not just worship. Religion also includes the
way we live out our faith.
President
of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Matt Harrison recently said, “This ruling
simply emboldens us to carry on, doing what we do best as Christians: praying,
confessing the faith and living it out in our daily callings… We confess that
life, which begins at conception, is a gift from God and ought to be held in
the highest regard in this country. We live, knowing that the First Amendment
guarantees us not only the right to worship, but also to practice our faith as
Lutheran citizens of this great nation, serving our neighbor where the Lord has
placed us.”
In
June 2013, the president issued a mandate requiring most employers to provide
contraception at no cost. Some of the methods of contraception involved
destroying the fertilized egg and thus the earliest form of human life. However
1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act says that the government “shall not
substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion” unless that burden is the
least restrictive means to further a compelling governmental interest.
We
are thankful that the Supreme Court decided in favor of allowing citizens the
right not to be involved in methods of contraception that violated their
religious beliefs. We pray that our country would continue to protect our
religious rights and find the right balance between individual rights and
“compelling governmental interest.”
(Information taken from The LCMS Reporter: “U.S. Court Supreme rules in favor of religious liberty.”)
