Many conservatives and Christians are celebrating the Supreme Court's latest decision to exempt Hobby Lobby (HL) from having to pay for some forms of birth control because the folks who own HL claim it goes against their Christian beliefs. Hooray! A win for Christians everywhere and pro-life advocates, right?
No. It isn't. If you're a pro-lifer, a Christian, a conservative, you probably have your guard up, ready to argue against whatever I say (and may not even read on), but I beg you to open your mind up a bit and think this through. This is not about abortion; it's about treating faith like a hobby and making money from it. (well, paying less money--same thing).
This decision is problematic in several ways (opening up the courts to be bombarded with requests for exemptions for "religious" reasons, which is already happening), but here's the one I find most problematic: Christianity is NOT a hobby. It isn't something you do when you have some spare time or are in the mood. It isn't something to while away the hours with or do while you watch TV. But HL treats their beliefs this way, and I don't believe they should be able to have this exemption.
If we believe in something so strongly that it pervades every aspect of life, creates hardship and sacrifice, and then a law is passed that means we have to go against our beliefs, we should not have to follow that law. That is right from the Bible. Jesus says to follow the law as long as it doesn't break God's law. So for Christians, as long as the law doesn't go against God's law, we are told to follow it. If it does violate God's law, we don't. And I believe that Christians should have the right to do just that. That is why Christians are celebrating this HL decision. But wait--there's a problem here.
What if the person who claims to want exemption from this law is only a Christian when it is easy, when there is no sacrifice? What if this person only acts like a Christian when it is for her benefit? Do we still let her off the hook? Uh, no--not on my watch. If people want to claim that a law they are supposed to follow violates their Christian beliefs, I believe they must be practicing their Christian beliefs.
But we're not even talking about the people in this case; we're talking about the business. Chances are that the Green family DOES practice their beliefs, and not like a hobby. But the BUSINESS has to "practice Christianity" because it's money from the business that pays for health benefits. The money for health care does not come directly from the Greens' pockets but from the business.
And for those who practice Christianity as a hobby, those places like Hobby Lobby that buy products from China and have investments in birth control as part of their 401K portfolios, they do not earn the right to claim exemptions for religious reasons.
If a business wants exemption, that business needs to "practice Christianity" as a deep-seated belief, not as a hobby. Anyone who has any strong religious beliefs knows that this is hard work and requires sacrifices, which in this case would mean AT MINIMUM not buying from China and being absolutely certain that their investments were not supporting the causes they claim to be against.
Jesus despised the hypocrites, the Pharisees who stood on the corner and prayed aloud to get the praise of those around but had no love in their hearts. Faith was a hobby to the Pharisees--and it's clearly a hobby to Hobby Lobby. This Supreme Court decision should infuriate Christians who make difficult choices and make sacrifices every day for what they believe. This case has already spurred a barrage of businesses looking for this same exemption, businesses with the same hobby as Hobby Lobby. But if Christianity is only your hobby, you make a mockery of those whose hearts really are in it, come what may.
