I am not a politician, just a believer who has many deeply held political beliefs based on my faith in Jesus and my love for my country.  Most of the time, I keep my political beliefs quiet, because I am much more interested in sharing my faith in Jesus than my political opinions.  Sometimes, however, my faith in Jesus compels me to speak on certain issues.

The current case before the Supreme Court dealing with Hobby Lobby and Religious Liberty is one such case.

Before I share my opinion, however, let me state some of the facts of the case.  They have been misquoted so many times that many people have a wrong opinion based on wrong facts.  Let’s get the fact straight.

Hobby Lobby is a large business owned by a family with strong religious convictions, and they carry that faith into their business. All of their stores are closed on Sundays.  No one seriously disputes the fact that their religious opinions are openly held and clearly stated. They are not using religion as an economic hammer to save money on insurance.

Hobby Lobby is a good company to work for.  Their starting wages are well above minimum wage and their overall pay is above the national average for retail stores.  They offer good benefits.  Agree with their religious convictions or not as you choose, but it is clear that they are not unconcerned with their employees.

Hobby Lobby is not arguing against contraception as is often stated.  Their only argument is with a certain type of contraception that they equate with abortion.  Specifically, they have a religious objection to morning-after pills and IUD’s, two types of contraception which allow for conception but that hinders the implantation in the womb of the fertilized egg. They have no religious objection to other types of contraception.

Hobby Lobby is not prohibiting their employees from using any type of contraception. Their employees are free to follow their own moral judgments with no coercion or penalty, except that Hobby Lobby doesn’t want pay for those types of contraception.

Hobby Lobby’s position is simple to understand, “We don’t believe that the government should be able to force us to pay for something that we find objectionable on religious grounds, or to penalize us if we don’t pay for it.”   They are willing to pay for insurance for their employees.  They simply don’t want to pay for the one-size-fits-all policy that includes paying for something they are religiously and morally opposed to.

So the primary issue here is the religious liberty of family-owned corporations.  Does a family-owned business have a right to follow their religious convictions?  Or can the government in this type of case cite a compelling interest that is strong enough to mute the religious convictions of a corporation?

Non-profit religious organizations already have the right to follow their convictions in this area.  Our church, for example, will not be forced to pay for insurance that violates our religious conviction.  Does a family-owned and for-profit corporation have this same right?

That is the question that the Supreme Court has been asked to decide.  It is a good question and one that requires a clear answer.

My personal opinion?  Religious liberty is a right of all citizens, not just a right to be granted to religious organizations.  A businessman with strong convictions should be able to apply those convictions to his business, whether he operates a small one-man operation or a large corporation, as long as he doesn’t impose his beliefs on others. Religious liberty is a foundational American value and not one to be taken away lightly. In this case, Hobby Lobby isn’t forcing their views on their employees, and there is no compelling interest by the government to take Hobby Lobby’s right to religious freedom away.  

Could this right be taken advantage of?  Absolutely.  People claim all kinds of absurd religious beliefs to get around the law of the land and to save money, and other corporations might try to do the same if Hobby Lobby wins this case.  It is clear, though, that Hobby Lobby is acting on religious convictions that are honestly stated, based on their long-term understanding of their faith, and not held merely for economic gain.

The Supreme Court’s challenge will be to uphold the right of privately held corporations to operate with religious freedom, without granting license to others to take advantage of their decision frivolously.  Hobby Lobby’s right to religious freedom must be granted, but it must be granted narrowly enough that religious freedom can’t be used merely as a tool to be invoked for economic gain.

The Supreme Court has a tough job in this case.  Their decision will not be an easy one and their written opinion will require real wisdom.   But wisdom is exactly what we have a right to expect from Supreme Court Justices.