In reply to James E. Metcalf.

James,

Your note about church and culture is certainly worthy of consideration, as such confusions have caused innumerable errors over the centuries. However, polygamy and slavery are really not valid comparisons. This is primarily because those two issues involve the government prohibiting an act which some churches believe is permitted (but not necessarily commanded). The contraceptive mandate, on the other hand, forces the individual to participate in a sinful act which the Scriptures prohibit. The government may prohibit an act that religion allows, because it is contrary to the public good (such as polygamy) or a violation of another human's rights (such as slavery). However, it cannot force a person to commit an act which they consider sinful (e.g. Quakers, Amish, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. may be exempted from military draft because of their religious convictions).

There is also the issue of the historicity of the belief. Any attempt to command (not merely to permit, but to actually require) polygamy or slavery by a religion would be a theological innovation with no historical precedent, while the opposition to murdering the unborn is a Christian teaching with continuous testimony in the Church which predates our nation. Peyote use by certain groups of Native Americans is an example of this, as it was upheld as a free exercise of religion because of its historicity, while attempts to overturn Marijuana prohibitions by creating a religious doctrine were denied because the religion had been invented for the purpose of subverting an existing law or was introduced after the initiation of the law.

Christians are not seeking special treatment in this case, or forcing the government to obey the teachings of the Church, but rather only defending themselves by government intrusion against their conscience by demanding that the government lives up to the protections of religious liberty that are provided in its own Constitution.