Written by Don Byrd
President Obama’s National Prayer Breakfast Speech last week continues to generate discussion and controversy this week. His address focused on the threats to religious freedom around the world, a stark reminder of the very real persecution faced by religious minorities in other countries. So, why the controversy? Not because his detractors disagree with him, but because they believe the address was hypocritical in light of current religious liberty disputes here in the United States where they believe the President is on the wrong side.
Here is a sample of that kind of argument, from columnist Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post:
[P]ry my jaw from the floorboards.
Without a hint of irony, the president lamented eroding protections of religious liberty around the world.
Just not, apparently, in America.
…
Missing was any mention of Hobby Lobby or the Little Sisters of the Poor — whose cases have recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court and that reveal the Obama administration’s willingness to challenge, rather than protect, religious liberty in this country.
Ms. Parker’s mistake is in assuming all who disagree with her on the Affordable Care Act, as well as the other controversies she mentions, are opponents of religious liberty. She later refers to a single “religious-liberty lobby” as if it is a monolithic cause that agrees on all policy questions. Anyone, then that disagrees must be anti-religious liberty. That is simply not the case.
Many supporters of the contraception mandate are concerned, for example, about the religious liberty rights of employees, whose coverage would be subject to the religious views of the employer. Others argue the sanctity of religious liberty stems from it being a very personal expression of conscience and should not be considered a corporate expression.
These are difficult questions and sincere arguments by folks who on both sides value religion and religious liberty. We should be able to have these discussions as grownups who recognize the cause of religious liberty has several dimensions! Our constitutional guarantee is a delicate balance, protecting religious exercise and protecting against establishment, all while maintaining other constitutional guarantees at the same time. Americans – including the President – should be able to take sides in that balancing act without being accused of forsaking religion or religious liberty.
President Obama should be praised, not mocked, for highlighting the threats to religious liberty we can all agree violate basic human rights. We are blessed to live in a country with the luxury to argue over the nuances – important as they are – of our religious liberty protections.
