Current Events & Trends: Hobby Lobby decision shows current conflicts
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.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2014
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Rudolph Rangel III
Rudy Rangel attends the Cincinnati East, Ohio congregation along with his wife Judy and two children.
Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
Peter Eddington
Peter serves at the home office as Interim Manager of Media and Communications Services.
He studied production engineering at the Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and is a journeyman machinist. He moved to the United States to attend Ambassador College in 1980. He graduated from the Pasadena campus in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and married his college sweetheart, Terri. Peter was ordained an elder in 1992. He served as assistant pastor in the Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, California, congregations from 1995 through 1998 and the Cincinnati, Ohio, congregations from 2010 through 2011.
