Belmont Abbey Sues Over Obamacare Mandate

On November 14th, 2011, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed a lawsuit against the federal government on the part of Catholic college, Belmont Abbey over  the "Affordable Care Act" (commonly known as Obamacare).  The act requires the college to violate its religious held moral obligations or else face a heavy fine.  The Affordable Care Act requires thousands of religious organizations to provide contraceptives, the Morning After Pill (Plan B), Ella, and sterilization.  As it stands for the moment, if the Benedictines of Belmont follow their consciences and principals over the agenda of the state they run the risk of paying not only a hefty fine, but also would have the health insurance plans for its employees and students terminated.

It is a scary day in America when the government believes itself to have sufficient power to dictate its own moral code to its citizens, nevertheless a school run by monks.  Although various religious denominations have various moral teachings, especially on  something so controversial as sexual ethics, the beauty of America has always been that its citizens are guaranteed the right by their government to follow their own consciences even when those consciences are not in harmony with everyone else or the popular view.

Another frightening trend growing everyday is what Pope Benedict XVI, has labeled the Dictatorship of Relativism.  Morality has been degraded into a dull mindset that says nothing more then to do whatever you want and tolerate whatever is done around you.  Society and the media tell its audience that if you even dare to have any moral convictions that do not agree with what someone else wants or does you are immediately labeled as a bigot.  Chesterton once said that, "tolerance  is a man with no convictions."  I would add that a man with no convictions is no man at all.  A man with no convictions has absolutely no integrity for what he says and does become completely arbitrary.  

The time is coming where we will all have to make a choice.  Are our principals something we will easily trade to satisfy the state and our conveniences or will we hold onto our convictions for what outlasts man-made powers?