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World Views

in Religious Freedom

Danish Law Requires Submission of Sermons for Government Approval

                                                    

 Shocking news coming out of Denmark, the government has announced that it is considering a law which would require the transcription and prior approval of the manuscripts of all sermons  preached in Denmark and translated by anyone speaking a language other than Danish into Danish. This is a law that is clearly intended to crackdown on Islamic extremists within their country but tramples on the religious liberties of English speaking Anglicans and German speaking Lutherans in Denmark. Most of the "shock and awe" concerning this law is coming from outside of Denmark itself. It seems that the Danish denominations biggest complaint is the added cost and inconvenience of complying with the proposed law. 

The population of Denmark is about 5.8 million souls, the vast majority 75%, belong to the state Lutheran church , but only 3% attend regular Sunday services. About 20% of the population are not religious at all. So what we have there is really a secular state. The state Lutheran church is very liberal and recognized same sex marriages in 2012. The vast majority of people in Denmark don't seem to think much of religious liberty or for that matter, of religion at all.

Americans should take note of this, one of the founding principles of our government was religious liberty and freedom. Could we lose it? Elton Trueblood a Quaker theologian said that the United States was becoming a cut flower civilization. It had been cut off from its Christian roots, but the flower is still there. As he said, "When you cut a flower off from its root, it can look beautiful on the table for some time, but it's destined to die. Cut off from its roots, it will eventually wilt and fade." The metaphor here is very clear, and I appreciate it but what Trueblood fails to take into account is that God always has a remnant of the faithful left.

9 "There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.[a] 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”  (1 Kings 19: 9-18) 

Taking Trueblood's metaphor a bit further, Christ's Church is more like a tulip, you may cut down the flower but it always grows back in its season. We have Christ's promise to us that enables us to stand firm. "...on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16: 18-19) So in answer to my question, " Can we lose our religious liberty?" The answer is yes we could, but the Church will stand! 

 

Posted by Art Flickinger
in Abortion

The 48th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

  

Pictured above is a 16 week fetus.

On January 22nd we passed another grim milestone, 48 years since the Roe v. Wade decision was foisted upon the American people by the Supreme Court. Albert Mohler wrote a informative article on abortion past and present that is an excellent review and analysis from the Christian perspective of this ongoing problem that has moral, cultural and political implications. This is a must read! This week in the Adult Christian Education Class we will be tackling this very topic. So prepare yourself and read the article ahead of time and attend this important class.

Article   Click Here

Posted by Art Flickinger
Tags: abortion, pro-life issues
in Society

HHS Pick Has Big Consequences For Religious Liberty

 

Xavier Becerra, a 25 year member of Congress and most recently The Attorney General of California, filling in as the replacement for Harris's vacated  seat she left to go to the U.S. Senate, is Biden's pick for Secretary of HHS. Who is this guy and what do we know about him? As a member of Congress he fought against the tax exempt status for charitable foundations.  He claimed that this was a  32 billion dollar loss to federal tax coffers, that could have been used for the "public good," in other words progressive causes, that he and others of the same ilk, think is appropriate. The IRS has identified 29 different types of organizations that can qualify for this deduction covering a wide variety of organizations, from soup kitchens, religious organizations to fine arts, athletics and medical research. The premise behind  the current IRS law, is that these 29 different organizations do provide for the "public good." We don't need Becerra to define "public good." 

As Attorney General, Becerra took over a notable case left by Harris, Planned Parenthood vs David Daleiden. Daldien's undercover investigation exposed the selling of fetal body parts and tissues as well as the intentional altering of procedures in order to harvest what was in demand by purveyors. Harris authorized the SWAT raid on Daldien's home, Becerra picked up the baton by charging him with 15 felonies. In 2017 Becerra filed suit against The Little Sisters of the Poor trying to strip them of their religious conscience exemption, to not provide birth control and abortifacients in their healthcare package to their employees. The exemption was granted by the HHS under the Trump administration. In 2020 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Little Sisters after a protracted legal battle. In 2018 Becerra defended the California FACT Act, which required pregnancy care centers to post information to expectant mothers on how to obtain an abortion. Pro-Life advocates argued that the law violated their right to free speech. Becerra argued for a "professional speech," which the state could regulate. Reaching the Supreme Court, the Court ruled against California's law. Justice Kennedy remarked, that history shows "how relentless authoritarian regimes are in their attempts to stifle free speech." Last April Becerra led a group of 22 state attorney generals in challenging a Mississippi law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks. 

So there you have it we will have an activist lawyer, a champion for abortion and a advocate for government control of free speech as head of HHS. What damage will he do? We will just have to wait and see.

Posted by Art Flickinger

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