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Liberals have no respect for the First Amendment. They do not believe in freedom of religion, and hide their hate by accusing others of anger and violence. They even accuse Christians of being extremists because of their opposition to abortion. Hear why on the ZoNation.

See more at http://www.pjtv.com

“August 1st is a day that will live in infamy for the First Amendment and the fundamental freedoms and rights we as a people have enjoyed since the founding of our nation. The HHS mandate imposed on the American people is the beginning of the end of freedom as America has known it and loved it. August 1st marks the day when many family owned and operated businesses lose their rights to exercise their faith in their daily lives. The government has told them — either comply with this mandate in violation of your faith and do what we tell you, or you will pay crippling faith fines to the federal government. With the stroke of a pen, the Obama Administration has shredded the First Amendment and the Constitution right before our eyes.”

ForAmerica

“We are extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will allow the administration to move forward in implementing its radical HHS mandate that violates our rights of conscience.  The first line of the First Amendment in our Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to religious freedom, as our forefathers intended.  Now, we have opened the door to a government that sees no limit to the amount of freedoms it can take away.

The HHS mandate represents an egregious affront to religious liberty, and is opposed by Americans of all faiths and denominations. 

People of all faiths and who believe in protecting our constitutional principles will continue the fight to repeal and bar any regulation that would compel individuals and institutions, including religious hospitals, schools and charities, to violate the tenets of their faith or be subject to penalty of law.  Conscience Cause will continue our efforts to petition Congress to take action to overrule this devastating policy, which undermines our religious freedom.  If we do not stand up and make our voices heard, it is only a matter of time before our other liberties come under direct assault.”

RELEASES AD, URGES CATHOLIC LAITY TO ACT IN DEFENSE OF FAITH

Washington, DC: Heeding the call of U.S. Catholic Bishops for Catholics to pray, fast, and organize in support of freedom of conscience and religious liberty, The Catholic Association (TCA) today launched a 14-day grassroots initiative to mobilize Catholics throughout the nation in support of the Fortnight for Freedom.

The TCA initiative includes an extensive social media initiative and a new 60-second ad, calling on Catholics to defend the faith and be outspoken in support of religious freedom, now threatened by President Obama’s Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate. The HHS mandate forces people of faith to purchase abortion-inducing drugs, contraception and sterilization procedures that go against deeply held religious beliefs.

“It is so critical that Catholics stand together in defense of religious freedom and to preserve Catholic and other religious institutions’ and employers’ rights and ability to serve the common good,” said Maureen Ferguson, TCA’s Senior Policy Advisor. “In issuing this mandate, the federal government is forcing faith-based entities to choose to either comply with a mandate that so deeply violates our faith and conscience. or not comply and pay crippling faith fines to the federal government. Equally insidious is the fundamental premise that the government has the right to determine which organizations qualify as “religious.” This is a dangerous, slippery slope. If the federal government can mandate what is and what is not religious, what will they mandate next?” Ferguson said.

TCA has issued a 14-point Call to Action urging fellow Catholics to commit to an action item each day of the Fortnight ranging from prayer to contacting elected officials.

“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a freedom and First Amendment issue,” observed TCA Senior Fellow, Ashley McGuire. “By forcing this mandate on people of faith, the federal government has erased the line of separation between Church and State. It has wiped out that Church, State line with a direct and unconstitutional intrusion on the First Amendment and the free exercise of religion practiced daily by numerous Catholic and other faith-based organizations, which will no longer be considered religious under these new government guidelines. The mandate empowers the federal government to redefine what is and is not religious to such an extreme point that not even Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity will be considered a religious organization,” McGuire said.

The Catholic Association (TCA) is dedicated to being a faithful Catholic voice in the public square and the public arena. TCA is responding to the call of the Catholic Church for members of the lay faithful to apply Catholic teaching, wisdom, and principles to the issues of the day.

TCA 60 second ad script:

We are Catholics. We are the Church.

Together, we build and run hospitals, schools, and shelters, we feed the hungry, we comfort the afflicted, we serve all who come.

We do this in ways large and small because we are called to do it.

We live in a country that promises to protect the right to practice our
faith. Every day. Every where.

That right does not start when we enter our churches. That right does not end when we leave our pews.

We are Catholics. We are Americans.

We will defend our right to practice our faith free from government coercion.  Join us.
Together we will be heard.

The push will include:
1. Email will go to 1 million active Catholics.
2. 60 Second ad and video to be launched on TV and online (Above… initial minimal buy – launches on Fox Thursday)
3. We are calling on these 1 million Catholics to commit to an action item a day for the 14 days. http://www.thecatholicassociation.org/actionplan
4. TCA will also be reaching folks via Facebook — we have already built an active Catholic community on Facebook to over 70,000 on this issue in less than a week.
http://www.facebook.com/TheCatholicAssociation

Get more info at their new website

Between the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, one would have thought the issue of the separation between church and state was settled. It seems the current administration does not think so.

As a person of faith, I take great exception to the rule enacted by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Affordable Care Act that forces individual and institutional employers to purchase health insurance for employees which provides free abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization procedures and contraceptive medications. As someone who began my activism in the tea party movement and looks at every rule and law through a prism of constitutionality and the role of government, I am incensed. No government entity in the United States of America has the ability to force any citizen to act against the beliefs and teachings of their religious faith. In fact, our constitution specifically forbids it.

The First Amendment to our Constitution begins “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Reducing opposition to the so called contraception mandate to a discussion on the cost of birth control is akin to believing a block of ice floating in the ocean is of no consequence to passing ships. This rule represents not the tip of the iceberg but rather, a lethal mass hidden, in this case, under reams of legislative legalese and bureaucratic red tape. Requiring religious institutions to act against their faith or face punitive penalties is unconstitutional. Denying a centuries-old definition of what is a religious institution in service to the whims of a temporary administration is unconscionable.

The debate over the mandate has less to do with what is mandated and more to do with who is mandated. Supporters’ claims that an overwhelming majority of American women use birth control, abortifacient-drugs and avail themselves of sterilization procedures simply debunks their accompanying claims that these “health care” services are difficult to access. Their rhetoric and fear-mongering is simply not factual. What is factual is that, when polled, a majority of Americans believe religious freedom trumps access to free contraception, abortifacients and sterilization.

In addition to the ridiculous assertions that contraception is now a “civil right”, there is the unprecedented redefinition of religious institution. The exemption offered by the administration offers relief only to those “religious values inculcating” houses of worship that fit their strict definition. Parochial schools, charity organizations, and hospitals and clinics nationwide have been redefined as secular institutions, forcing them, as we are seeing, to go to court to defend their faith and the good work they do as an exercise of that faith.

Conversations are being had all over the country about the mandate, the lawsuits filed to block it and the grassroots action that is needed to create awareness of this threat to our liberty. Confidence is high that the rule will eventually be struck down but this is little comfort to religious institutions that have been given a mere one-year reprieve in which to choose either acting against their conscience or facing exorbitant penalties that will lead to financial ruin. The temporary exemption offers no option at all to formerly religious now secular institutions, as well as individual business owners, as this administration abruptly refuses to recognize their rights of conscience.

There is, however, an option. Religious freedom and liberty activist, along with faith leaders, policy advocates and politicians across the country are petitioning members of Congress to live up to their oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America by voting to protect religious freedom. We are many but our ranks must grow. It is time to talk to family, friends and neighbors, to priests, ministers, rabbis, elders and lay people. The power of the American electorate is without equal. We have faced challenges to our freedoms in the past and are better for having stood up to defend our rights. The time has come to, once again, stand united with our fellow citizens in securing and protecting our first freedom, a freedom that makes us a beacon around the world to those oppressed and persecuted for their faith. A freedom we enjoy is slipping through our fingers. Is it not our duty to preserve it for future generations?

Whether your belief is in a higher power that has endowed us with unalienable rights, including the right to practice your faith in your home, your house of worship, and in the public square or in the individual Liberty secured and protected by our Founding Fathers in the constitution, the obligation is clear. Religious freedom is under attack and it is time to demand, in voices loud and strong, our legislators act

Christen M. Varley is the executive director of Conscience Cause

The case, Mount Soledad Memorial Association v. Steve Trunk, et al, involves the cross at the Mt. Soledad veterans memorial in San Diego, which the ACLU and other groups want torn down.  The Court may decide to hear the case later this year.

The ACRU’s argument – the ‘Coercion Test’ – is that public religious expression does not violate the Constitution’s prohibition against establishment of religion unless it involves coercion.  ACRU General Counsel Peter Ferrara, author of the brief, which asks the Court to accept a Writ of Certiorari to hear the case, explains:

“At the time the First Amendment was adopted, the countries of Europe all had ‘Establishments of Religion,’ which meant official government religions enforced by laws requiring attendance at the official church, regular contributions to it, and other preferences in law for members of that church. These establishment policies all involved government coercion to force citizens to support the one favored church. Almost all of the American colonies had such establishments as well, with legal compulsion or coercion as their hallmark.

“These practices, and anything like them involving coercion in regard to religion, are what the framers meant to prohibit in adopting the Establishment Clause, for this is what an Establishment of Religion meant at the time. They did not mean, however, to prohibit any voluntary, public, religious speech, or religious expression or symbolism, which do not involve any such coercion.”

“We hope the Court takes the case and that the justices adopt the Coercion Test so that communities all across America can breathe easier when it comes to public expressions of our religious heritage,” said Susan A. Carleson, chairman and CEO of the ACRU. “It’s time to end the constant harassment by those who misread the First Amendment and demand to erase all traces of religion from the public square.”