Another day, another adverse SCOTUS decision affecting Evangelical Christians and Catholics.
Supreme Court won't hear challenge on Washington State's rule that pharmacies dispense emergency contraception. Robert Barnes, Washington Post (mysteriously placed behind the Houston Chronicle's soon-to-be-reimposed firewall)
Coming on the heels of the abortion ruling (discussed yesterday here) and taken into the broader context of GLBTQ+ wedding cakes and other baubles Evangelicals and Catholics are, understandably, distraught. And while I'm certainly not a man or religion, I do consider myself a Christian and am therefore somewhat sympathetic to the complaints of the religious, to a point.
I get that you feel under siege and that the walls of modern society are closing in around you, and I get that, because you've relied on government to achieve your aims, you feel that you are losing. I understand all of that and I empathize.
I would also argue that relying on the government to provide support for your faith was never a good option, or a preferred one.
One of the worst things that happened to religion (of man) vs Christianity (of God) is that it allowed itself to become politicized and it's issues framed among party lines. This has led not only to a fracturing of the congregations but also a dilution of the message. Lest we forget, that message is salvation through Christ crucified. Full stop.
All of the other that we are trying to do is legislate the world into our morality, instead of trying to work with them and guide them there. In short, there's no reason trying to put someone who doesn't care on a blind date with God.
It also makes no sense to believe that selling a GLBTQ+ couple a wedding cake somehow indicates de-facto support for GLBTQ+ marriage. That's the same as blaming a gun-maker for a person taking his gun and shooting someone. (OK, not literally the "same" but intellectually the same, I know some won't get that and I'll be accused of "comparing GLBTQ+ marriage to killing people!" but what can you do?)
It's long been my belief that any change for the better that we're going to see is going to be accomplished outside of the political arena. In the streets, neighborhoods and communities where help is needed most. What Christians, and conservatives need is to abandon crying to our political ruling class every time we feel aggrieved and to get our message of economic freedom, rule of law, respect for property rights and limited regulatory frameworks out to the very people they will help the most.
But that's what we need.
What we deserve is Donald Trump assuring everyone that "Of course" he's a Christian and that he "loves God" despite having a tenuous grip on the Bible. We deserve to have leftist groups having their own private mic-drop moments by quoting Bible verses out of context and using them as proof of case.
In short, we deserve exactly the mess we have now because we've asked for the mess we have now.
And boy are we getting it.
