Pharmacists in Illinois are now permitted to have a conscience, as they can refuse to sell birth control or abortion-causing drugs if it violates their faith.

Mark Rienzi of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty explains that the battle began more than seven years ago, when then-Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) issued the edict that all pharmacists had to sell the drugs regardless of their religious beliefs.

“It’s an executive order that never should have [been] issued, because Illinois has clear law that says the government can’t force people to provide healthcare that violates their conscience,” Rienzi cites.

“So it never should’ve happened, but Governor Blagojevich ignored that law, put this in place as an administrative rule, and for seven long years — even though the law was clear — both Blagojevich and his successors have fought this in court.”

Though Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan decided to drop the case and any further appeals, Rienzi says the state’s case actually fell apart when it landed in court.

“Although the state kept claiming this was necessary to solve an access problem, there was no evidence of a single actual human being who had ever been unable to get the drug because of a religious objection — not one, ever,” the attorney asserts.

“And yet the government was willing to force these people out of the only profession they’d ever known to solve a health problem that turned out not to exist.”

Rienzi expects this to be the end of the Illinois case, and he says it sends a message nationwide that people of faith have the right to practice their faith, even in their businesses.

 Written by Andrew Willis, IFI Intern

Not only was there no room for Baby Jesus in the inn, but for a few a days it appeared there was also no place in a public park.

In Arlington Heights, the Illinois Nativity Scene Committee attempted to place the familiar symbol of the holy family in the North School Park. However, after filling out the appropriate permit papers, the group’s request was denied by the local park district.

The Illinois Nativity Scene Committee, an independent organization, has made it an annual tradition to place Nativity Scenes in public places, most notably the Illinois State Capitol Rotunda and the Daley Plaza in Chicago.

When asked for a reason for the denial, the Arlington Heights Park District stated that they wished to stick to their traditional theme of children’s toys. The park currently has multiple seasonal decorations such as Frosty the Snowman, a lighted tree, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and even Hanukkah-themed dreidels.

All of the adornments are publicly funded. The Nativity Scene would be the only privately funded display in the park.

Jim Finnegan, the chairman of the INSC, told CBS news, “[the park is] missing the most important thing, the real soul of Christmas, and that’s the birth of Christ.”

On November 20th, Attorney Thomas Brejcha of the Thomas More Society sent a letter to the park district and village officials stating that the INSC’s objective is “a timely, genuine, and fully legitimate request to include a Nativity Scene, a constitutionally protected private expression of religious belief.” He further wrote that “The Nativity Scene would also fit thematically with the other displays, in the sense that all of them honor the holiday season, whose religious aspects cannot lawfully be discriminated against, in deference to its purely secular (sleigh, frosty, etc.) aspects.”

Brejcha also added that the “inclusion of dreidels, moreover, already injects the religious symbolism of Hanukkah among the displays, and we can think of no legally defensible reason why the Nativity Scene identified as privately sponsored and funded, should be barred.”

The Thomas More Society threatened a lawsuit if the Arlington Heights Park District refused to concede.

Last week, attorneys from the Thomas More Society and the park district were able to reach an agreement, and the Nativity Scene has been approved. Finnegan anticipates that the Nativity Scene will become an annual display in the park.

When asked about the whole situation, Finnegan told the Daily Herald, “We have a right to this so we need to stand up for our rights.”

On Saturday, December 15th, the group plans to unveil the nativity scene. A small dedication ceremony is planned to begin at 1 PM at the North School Park and is open to the public. 

In an overt act of religious discrimination, a Kentucky T-shirt manufacturer has been found guilty of “sexual orientation” discrimination for refusing to print T-shirts for a community  homosexual festival. 

Organizers of the Lexington, Kentucky “gay pride” event had filed the complaint against Hands On Originals, a Christian outfitter.  The company declined to print T-shirts promoting the 5th annual “Lexington Pride Festival,” citing a conflict with their religious beliefs. 

The Lexington-Fayette Human Rights Commission has found that Hands On Originals violated the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.  Attorneys for the company plan to appeal the decision to an independent hearing examiner, and if necessary to a court of law. 

“Hands On Originals declined this order because it did not want to communicate the message of the requested shirt–that people should be ‘proud’ about engaging in homosexual behavior–nor did they want to promote the ideology of the Pride Festival,” says Jim Campbell, staff counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom.   

“The Constitution prohibits the government from forcing business owners to promote messages they disagree with,” Campbell adds.  “This kind of bullying may be practiced in a dictatorship, but violations of conscience have no place in the United States.” 

Blaine Adamson, the owners of Hands on Originals, says the company treats its customers fairly.  “We don’t have a sign on the door that says ‘No Gays Allowed.’  We’ll work with anybody.  But if there’s a specific message that conflicts with my convictions, then I can’t promote that.” 

You can watch a video providing more information about this controversy by clicking HERE.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation has pressured the mayor of Alsip, Illinois to discontinue erecting a cross on its water tower as part of its annual Christmas tradition. Mayor Patrick Kitching reports former Mayor Arnie Andrews started the tradition in the 1970s.

Kitching said he chose not to battle the Madison, Wisconsin-based atheist group to avoid a costly legal fight, but is offended by the outcome.   “I really am. It’s a tradition, and our tradition has been slapped down,” Kitching told the Chicago Sun Times. “They told me an anonymous person complained. I doubt that. I think they (foundation members) were driving down the toll way and saw our cross.”

A letter from the foundation’s attorney, Patrick Elliott, said the cross “demonstrates the village’s preference of Christianity over all other faiths, and impermissibly advances religion over non-religion. Such a government endorsement of Christianity is unconstitutional.”

A well-known Christian apologist, however, expressed frustration with the mayor’s lack of resolve and maintains local leaders often exhibit ignorance of the law.  “We need some local leaders who not only understand our history and our protocol but have the backbone to say “Okay, go ahead. We’ve recorded your complaint, but we will not abridge the rights of citizens simply because an atheist is offended,” said Dr. Alex McFarland, director of the Christian Worldview and Apologetics Center of North Greenville University.

McFarland maintains some 95 percent of the American population believes in God and atheists are systematically waging war against all Judeo-Christian religious belief in America.  “By historical precedence as well as preference, the Judeo-Christian worldview is part of our DNA,” said McFarland.

McFarland recalled Fisher Ames of Massachusetts, who provided the wording for the First Amendment passed by the House of Representatives in 1801.  He said the following about the value of the Bible in education:

 “… We have a dangerous trend beginning to take place in our education. We’re starting to put more and more textbooks into our schools. … We’ve become accustomed of late to putting little books in the hands of children containing fables with moral lessons. We are spending less time in the classroom on the Bible, which should be the principle text in our schools. The Bible states these great moral lessons better than any other manmade book.”

McFarland said he often asks Atheists, “How is it that the man who wrote the First Amendment didn’t think it would have been a violation of the First Amendment to teach the Bible in public schools?”  Furthermore, “How is it that Atheists know more about the First Amendment that the man who wrote it?”

The town’s mayor reports the Water Tower Christmas Cross will be replaced with a ‘Holiday Tree’.

From www.lc.org

Today, Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit against the Village of Plainfield for violating First Amendment rights. In addition to the First Amendment, the Village’s Community Room Policy also violates the Establishment Clause, Equal Protection and the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Liberty Counsel applied to rent the community room at The Plainfield Village Hall in Plainfield, Illinois, to educate citizens on the Founding Era and Founding Fathers. The presentation would also include a perspective from a Christian viewpoint.

Although the policy of the Village is to make community rooms in the Village Hall available for “educational, cultural, civic, and informational events of organizations located outside of the Village’s immediate boundaries,” Liberty Counsel was denied because the policy prohibits any use for “religious services or other religious purposes.”

The Village’s agent, Deann Snodgrass, said that although the Village allows nonprofit educational groups to use community rooms, religious groups are not welcomed. The Village even forbids weddings because something religious might be said, the agent pointed out.

Furthermore, Ms. Snodgrass advised that the Village would approve an educational program regarding the Founding of America, but only if it was completely secular and did not contain any reference to God or any other religious elements or discussion.

“The Village expressly discriminates against religious speech and viewpoints,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Whether it is the result of ignorance, religious hostility, or bigotry, religious viewpoint discrimination is unconstitutional.”

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.

Written by Dennis Green

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God’s word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family. 

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80%above minimum wage. 

But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government healthcare mandate says that our family business must provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions. Which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million per day in government fines. 

Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. 

 I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief. So, Hobby Lobby — and my family — are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit. 

 My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American — and no American business — should have to make. 

David Greenis the CEO and founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

This Saturday, October 20th, tens of thousands of faithful citizens will gather in prayer and public witness in cities and towns all across the United States to oppose the federal HHS Mandate and stand up in defense of our religious liberty and freedom of conscience — which are guaranteed to us by the First Amendment.  There are 145 rallies scheduled in 43 states, including seven in Illinois. 

Please plan to join these rallies and say NO to the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Mandate, which forces employers — including religious charities — to provide free contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their health plans or face massive fines. 

Initially, this mandate has had the greatest impact on the Catholic Church.  However, if it is not reversed, it has the potential to restrict the freedom of religion and conscience of every faith in the entire nation.  It is important that those of us who cherish religious liberty, as handed down to us from our forefathers in the First Amendment to the Constitution, let our voices be heard.  We are joining with dozens of state and national pro-life organizations in support of this effort including the Pro-Life Action League, Alliance Defending Freedom, Concerned Women for America, Americans United for Life, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and dozens more. 

Too many Americans are buying the lie that this is about “birth control access” and “women’s health.”  Instead, this is an overt effort by the Federal government to force religious institutions and organizations to violate their faith principles and pay for abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations for girls as young as 12 years old!  This is about the left’s alleged “wall of separation of church and state” being systematically violated by the state!

There are six rallies scheduled for Illinois.  Unless otherwise noted, all the rallies are from noon until 1:00 p.m.  If you are within driving distance of one of these events, please make every effort to attend.

Belleville 
Office of State Representative Jerry Costello 
144 Lincoln Place Ct, Suite 4 (map) 

Chicago (Sponsored by Pro-Life Action League) 
March from Federal Plaza to Daley Plaza
Meet at Adams and Dearborn Streets (map) 

Peoria 
NOTE: The Peoria Rally will begin at 11 a.m. 
Gateway Building 
200 Northeast Water Street (map) 

Rockford 
Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse
327 South Church Street (map) 

Sterling 
NOTE: The Sterling Rally takes place from 11 a.m. to Noon. 
Central Memorial Park
4th Street and Park Avenue (map) 

Woodstock 
McHenry County Courthouse 
2200 N. Seminary Avenue (Highway 47) (map)

The retail craft store chain Hobby Lobby has become the latest major employer to file suit over the Obama Administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) contraceptive and abortion drug mandate — also known as the HHS Mandate. Hobby Lobby has gone into federal court to oppose the forced inclusion of abortifacient drugs in their corporate health insurance plans.

Under the mandate issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, virtually all health insurance policies issued in the United States must include coverage of any and all “contraceptives” approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This mandate requires coverage of drugs and devices that can destroy developing human embryos, including the abortifacient drugs Ella and Plan B, often marketed as so-called “emergency contraceptives.”

“The new government mandate requires that our family business provide what we believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance,” says David Green, the chief executive officer of Hobby Lobby, Inc. “We choose not to cover drugs that might cause abortion, such as the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs.”

“It is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” Green adds. “We seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. We are being forced to choose between following the laws of the country that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported thousands of our employees and their families.”

Hobby Lobby is the first major business owned by evangelical Christians to initiate litigation to block the contraceptive mandate. The company, which had its start in an Oklahoma City garage, now operates 500 stores in 41 states, employing 22,500 people. Hobby Lobby is one of the few retail chains which closes its stores on Sundays, to allow employees to enjoy a day of rest with their families.

Under the terms of the Obama Administration’s contraceptive mandate, Hobby Lobby faces fines of $1.3 million per day for refusing to comply with the contraceptive mandate. “We are required to make a choice between sacrificing our faith or paying millions of dollars in fines,” Green says. “The government is telling us we must choose which poison pill to swallow. We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.”

Nearly 30 lawsuits have been filed against the contraceptive and abortion drug mandate, which took effect on August 1st for all non-religious employers. Religious institutions other than churches, such as hospitals, colleges, and parachurch ministries, have until August 1st of 2013 to comply. Most of the lawsuits to date have been filed by Catholic dioceses and by Catholic and evangelical universities.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has served as legal counsel for many of the above-named plaintiffs, and they are representing Hobby Lobby as well. “Washington politicians cannot force families to abandon their faith just to earn a living,” says Lori Windham, Becket Fund senior counsel. “Every American, including family business owners like the Greens, should be free to live and do business according to their religious beliefs.”

Liberal activists have announced a boycott of Hobby Lobby, launching a Facebook page to generate support. David Green is a poor choice for such a boycott. Green and his wife Barbara are major Christian philanthropists, and donate the majority of their wealth to charity. The company pays salaries to its starting full-time employees which are 80 percent above the minimum wage.

“Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy,” Green observes. “Our government threatens to fine a company like ours that has raised wages four years running during this national recession. It’s just not right.”

Please pray for and support Hobby Lobby and business owners like the Greens, who have the courage to put their faith into practice in the marketplace. Thank God for their willingness to take a stand on behalf of human life despite the financial consequences to them and their families.

Written by American Family Association

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) on Tuesday introduced the Military Religious Freedom Act (S.3525). The Wicker-Inhofe legislation explicitly outlines how the Defense of Marriage Act should be applied to the Department of Defense.

Specifically, the bill would (1) prevent military chaplains from being forced to perform a marriage ceremony if the chaplain objects for reasons of conscience and (2) prohibit marriage or marriage-like ceremonies at military facilities that are not a union between one man and one woman.

“We see that the Department of Defense approved in May of this year a same-sex marriage celebration in a military chapel [at] Fort Polk, Louisiana,” Wicker notes. “DOD also proclaimed June as ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.’ So, this DOD under President Obama is really, really pushing hard on a radical pro-homosexual agenda.”

Last year, the Department of Defense authorized military chaplains to perform same-sex marriages in accordance with state law. The authorization allows military chaplains to participate in ceremonies on or off military bases in states that recognize same-sex marriage.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to email U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk to urge them to sign on as co-sponsors of the Military Religious Freedom Act.

Wednesday morning at the offices of the Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington D.C., a man entered the building and made remarks about “not liking FRC’s politics.” An FRC security guard, Leo Johnson, took interest in the man’s intentions for being in the building, at which point the man retrieved a pistol from his backpack and shot several rounds at the guard. Johnson was wounded in the arm but subdued the suspect and wrestled away his gun, and another guard held him until police arrived.

Leo Johnson underwent surgery on his arm, and FRC’s President, Tony Perkins, reports Johnson’s surgery went well.

According to the FBI’s report, the alleged gunman, Floyd Corkins II of Herndon, VA, was carrying a backpack with an additional 50 rounds of ammunition, and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches. Other media reports claim that Corkins is a volunteer at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender clinic.

Family Research Council issued an early statement praising Leo Johnson for his quick actions and bravery, stating that his recovery was the organization’s highest concern, and thanking people around the world for their encouragement and prayers.

Please continue your prayers to God for Leo Johnson, the employees and families of FRC, and the Corkins family, and offer up praise for the response of FRC’s security team and the DC police force.

Originally posted in Catholic World News.

Cardinal Francis George has criticized Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s recent comments on Chick-fil-A, a restaurant chain whose president said recently that he believes marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

“Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values,” Emanuel said in response. “They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.”

Emanuel is also co-chair of President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.

Cardinal George responded: 

Recent comments by those who administer our city seem to assume that the city government can decide for everyone what are the “values” that must be held by citizens of Chicago. I was born and raised here, and my understanding of being a Chicagoan never included submitting my value system to the government for approval. Must those whose personal values do not conform to those of the government of the day move from the city? Is the City Council going to set up a “Council Committee on Un-Chicagoan Activities” and call those of us who are suspect to appear before it? I would have argued a few days ago that I believe such a move is, if I can borrow a phrase, “un-Chicagoan.”

“The value in question is espousal of ‘gender-free marriage,’” he continued. “Approval of state-sponsored homosexual unions has very quickly become a litmus test for bigotry; and espousing the understanding of marriage that has prevailed among all peoples throughout human history is now, supposedly, outside the American consensus.”

“Was Jesus a bigot?” Cardinal George added. “Could Jesus be accepted as a Chicagoan? Would Jesus be more ‘enlightened’ if he had the privilege of living in our society? One is welcome to believe that, of course; but it should not become the official state religion, at least not in a land that still fancies itself free. Surely there must be a way to properly respect people who are gay or lesbian without using civil law to undermine the nature of marriage.”

Read Cardinal George’s full comments HERE.

It is sadly true that when abnormal is called “normal,” normal becomes abnormal.  If it is determined that having three fingers is “normal,” then those of us with five will be “abnormal.”  So, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alderman Joe Moreno have broadcast to the world that the age tested and proven family value of intact one man-one woman families is not normal and not a Chicago value.  That which was declared by God to be His creation, and has been accepted as normal for as long as the human race has existed is no longer normal in Chicago. 

What is normal in Chicago and apparently what our good Mayor would call “Chicago values,” are homosexual “marriages,” broken homes, violent streets, and a murder rate near the highest in the nation, possibly the world.  These “values” are being put in place here, not because of sound, logical and cogent argument, but because their proponents bully and even terrorize the public into silent submission.  Witness the vicious name-calling by the Mayor,  Moreno, and other liberals.  How many private citizens are up to facing THAT onslaught?

To his credit, Dan Cathy, President of Chic-fil-A,  doesn’t support these “Chicago values.”   For that reason, the Mayor and Alderman Moreno are doing all they can to “protect” the city from Mr. Cathy’s demonstrably successful family values.  It is pretty clear, by their strident and hateful attacks on Mr. Cathy, what Chicago values are to the these men and their political buddies:  Undermine intact families and subsequently destroy community integrity, perpetuate violence and consequently the slaughter of innocent children.  That  is what Chicago values have become under Daley, Rahm, Moreno, and friends. 

Sure, no one would say that that is what they set out to do, but the policies they, and the liberal establishment have implemented over the last 50 years set the stage for such things.  A drunk, driving 80 down the street probably has no intention of killing anyone either, but that is what happens when you drive 80 miles an hour down city streets, regardless of your intentions.   Mr. Emmanuel and the Democratic Party don’t support the values of Mr. Cathy because traditional families take care of themselves and don’t need Democrats or Mr. Emmanuel.  We discipline our children, teach them to work, don’t let them join gangs or become dependent upon the state.  Of course the Mayor and Alderman loathe our family values! Our values don’t help them or their Party stay in power!  They apparently forget, of course, that it is our tax dollars that pay their salaries, support their welfare state, and their dependent voters.  The fact is that if Chicago were to adopt Mr. Cathy’s family values, the repeated slaughter of innocents would no longer be daily headlines.

Mayor Emmanuel and Alderman Moreno clearly have no qualms in opposing the values and principles that God has unequivocally defined in the Bible.  The Second Psalm addresses such men       “. . . the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed saying, ‘let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.'”  God’s reaction is predictable: “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.  Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.”

So, it is not at all surprising that the consequences God declares will come to those who reject Him plague this city.  Paul wrote in the Book of Galatians that God is characterized by “love, joy, peace,” etc.  Thus, with its leadership ejecting God, Chicago finds itself overwhelmed by hate, tragedy and violence.  “Whatsoever a man (nation) soweth, that shall (they) also reap.”

I don’t know, but are you okay with the thousands of shootings and hundreds of killings here each year?  Just wondering.

Maybe our good  Mayor and his friends can find an island somewhere where they can all live out their “family values” and suffer the consequences of their own bad choices, but I for one, am weary of witnessing  the suffering their failed leadership has brought the innocent of this city!

It is really, really time for change!

Wheaton College President Philip Ryken sent a letter to alumni today to share that the Wheaton College Board of Trustees has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandate which “requires the insurance plans of religious institutions (except churches) to cover all government-approved contraceptives,” including abortifacients, or pay significant fines.

Wheaton College is joining the Catholic University of America in this lawsuit because of its concern for both the sanctity of life and religious liberty.

President Ryken has also written a letter to the Daily Herald in which he recounts the unresponsiveness of Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to the thousands of comments the HHS has received in opposition to the mandate. 

In his letter to the Daily Herald, President Ryken exposes not only the outrageous threat to religious liberty that the mandate poses but also the inadequacy of the “accommodations” that the Obama administration is offering to religious institutions and the consequences for Wheaton College students and employees.

President Ryken explained that “penalties ‘would amount to $1.4 million in fines annually for faculty and staff alone.’”

We should be deeply thankful to President Ryken and the Board of Trustees of Wheaton College and to the other religious institutions that are willing to pursue the onerous and regrettable path of litigation. Let’s hope and pray that other religious institutions follow their lead.

And please pray for their victory in preserving First Amendment rights.

Christian Photographer Loses Religious Liberty to Charges of Homosexual Bias 

The Alliance Defense Fund is appealing a decision by a state appeals court in New Mexico which found a Christian photographer guilty of “sexual orientation” discrimination. 

The case involves Elane Photography, a photographic studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Owners Jon and Elaine Huguenin are active in the wedding photo business. 

Elane Photography was approached by a lesbian “couple” in 2006 to photograph their “commitment ceremony.”  When the Huguenin’s declined the request based on their religious beliefs, the couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission alleging “sexual orientation” discrimination. 

The Commission found the Huguenin’s guilty of the charges in 2008, and ordered Elane Photography to pay the lesbian “couple” $6,600 in attorney’s fees.  The Commission reached its conclusion despite the First Amendment’s guarantee to the free exercise of faith without government interference.  

Now a New Mexico Appeals Court has upheld the Civil Rights Commission’s decision.  The appeals court affirmed a district court decision that the photography studio is a “public accommodation” and cannot refuse service based on “sexual orientation.”   

“Americans in the marketplace should not be subjected to legal attacks for simply abiding by their beliefs,” says ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence.  “The Constitution prohibits the state from forcing a photographer to promote a message that violates her conscience.”    

The Appeals Court stated that it would be permissible for Elane Photography to refuse to photograph animals or small children, but not homosexual “couples.”  “Neither animals or small children are protected classes, but sexual orientation is,” the Court said.

Stand With Us

Your support of our work and ministry is always much needed and greatly appreciated. Your promotion of our emails on Facebook, Twitter, your own email network, and prayer for financial support is a huge part of our success in being a strong voice for the pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family message here in the Land of Lincoln.  Please consider standing with us.

Click here to support Illinois Family Action (IFA). Contributions to IFA are not tax-deductible but give us the most flexibility in engaging critical legislative and political issues.

Click here to support Illinois Family Institute (IFI). Contributions to IFI are tax-deductible and support our educational efforts.

You can also send a gift to P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL  60188.

In late May more than 40 Catholics organizations and diocese filed suit against the federal government over the national health care mandate. The lawsuit comes just two months before the Affordable Care Act begins its gradual conversion into government provided health care. 

The Catholic News Agency reports 43 plaintiffs, including hospitals, schools, and church agencies plus various dioceses, are part of 12 new lawsuits, joining 11 previously filed lawsuits challenging the contraception mandate.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said the step was necessary “to protect our religious liberties from unwarranted and unprecedented government intrusion.”

Along with the lawsuits, nearly 150 Christian leaders have demanded a broader religious exemption, while an international Catholic pro-life advocate launched a campaign for one million rosaries against the new Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate.

Father Shenan J. Boquet, president of Human Life International, calls all Catholics to pledge to pray the Rosary daily during the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) Fortnight for Freedom, June 21 – July 4.

“The battle lines are drawn, and the arguments are familiar to us now,” said Boquet.  “Although the Catholic Church was intentionally selected as the enemy in a false ‘war on women,’ all faithful Christians now recognize that the threat is really not only against Catholics, but against all people of faith, and our most fundamental freedoms. The First Amendment, which states, in part, that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof’ is itself under attack.”

Plaintiffs included in the suits are the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic University of America, as well as the Archdioceses of New York, Washington, Dallas, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.  Other small entities have also joined the lawsuit.

“We can win this battle! And a win here will send a message to the world — this is really a fight for all of us who have the right not only to worship, but to be free to live our faith consistently in our workplaces and in the public square, without compromise,” said Boquet.

Stand With Us

Your support of our work and ministry is always much needed and greatly appreciated. Your promotion of our emails on Facebook, Twitter, your own email network, and prayer for financial support is a huge part of our success in being a strong voice for the pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family message here in the Land of Lincoln.  Please consider standing with us.

Click here to support Illinois Family Action (IFA). Contributions to IFA are not tax-deductible but give us the most flexibility in engaging critical legislative and political issues.

Click here to support Illinois Family Institute (IFI). Contributions to IFI are tax-deductible and support our educational efforts.

You can also send a gift to P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL  60188.