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The American company Hobby Lobby won a Supreme Court decision concerning mandated medical coverage that was included in the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The Bible-believing owners of Hobby Lobby felt that paying for abortion-inducing drugs such as the "morning-after" pill is morally wrong and unconstitutional under the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing religious freedom.
The Economist commented that another law aided in the Hobby Lobby decision: "A 1993 law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, further requires that the government 'shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion' unless doing so is the least restrictive way to advance a compelling government interest. By five votes to four, the court ruled that obliging closely held firms with religious owners to pay for their employees' contraceptives violates that principle" ("Hobby Lobby: Believe It or Not," July 5, 2014).
This ruling demonstrates the ongoing cultural struggle going on in our modern world. For a good portion of America's history, religion was at the forefront in the minds of most citizens' worldview. Yet, over time, more and more secular mindsets have been making the laws and decisions for the nation.
God told a drifting nation, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways" (Isaiah 55:8). The owners of Hobby Lobby, in this case, have discerned that abortion pills are not right by God's standards. We should be looking to God and His Word in everything we do. The only way we can know God's thoughts is by studying the Bible and living the way of life He has outlined in the Scriptures.
This was a major win for religious freedom in America, yet it won by only a single vote. Thankfully, religious freedom is still a priority for some key decision makers. But it remains to be seen how long this will remain so. (Source: The Economist. )
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Keywords: religious freedom U.S. religion abortion
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