Hobby Lobby and You ? Center for Christian Business Ethics

Recently the attorney for Hobby Lobby, a Christian-owned business that has become a large

factor in the fight against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, stated that the company found

a ?loophole? which will delay the legislation?s effect on the business. If the Act, known nationally as

ObamaCare, had begun to take effect, the company?s IRS Fines would have already reached and

surpassed $14.3 million dollars.

The fight began when the business publicly refused to follow an objective of the law forcing the

company to pay for abortion inducing drugs via their insurance provisions for their employees. While the

company so far has been able to place a hold on their issue and will as always provide the insurance they

have given, the agenda toward Christians and Christian business owners as a whole can and will still be

affected.

In a Department of Justice brief filed last October regarding the lawsuit involving Hobby Lobby,

many statements declared against the argument against Hobby Lobby will in turn not only affect other

Christian companies, but show the battle that they will have on their hands if they attempt such an action

as Hobby Lobby has. For one, the Department declared the company (and in turn any company) neither

requires nor receives the protection to freely exercise religion as individuals do. This is the heading

barrier between the mandate and Hobby Lobby; despite the fact that a company is compiled of protected

individuals. This agenda means that companies, despite what they contain, are not treated like citizens but

entities lacking liberty.

The brief also states that any ?burden? that is caused by the mandate is ?too attenuated to qualify

as a ?substantial burden.?" This statement literally and preemptively tosses out any prospective issue a

company holds against the Act. This cuts the opportunity to debate and question (as Hobby Lobby is

doing now) before any company has a chance to gain strength against the law.

In fact, the brief adds a more ?constitutional? perspective when it attempts to evade the obvious

involvement of The Free Exercise Clause in this fight. It says, ?The Free Exercise Clause does not

prohibit a law that is neutral and generally applicable even if the law prescribes conduct that an

individual?s religion proscribes.? This states that despite the Catholic Church being the largest religious

body in the nation, the contraceptive mandate, which the Hobby Lobby is fighting against, is ?neutral?

and therefore requires no debate but full allowance. This not only attempts to put another nail in the

coffin of any argument against the legislation but also forcefully infringes on the church?s largest belief:

Life begins at Conception.

Although Hobby Lobby is safe now due to a loophole, the bottom line is simple. The mandate

will not stop negatively affecting businesses until it is completely removed from the books or revised.

Recently the attorney for Hobby Lobby, a Christian-owned business that has become a large?factor in the fight against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, stated that the company found a ?loophole? which will delay the legislation?s effect on the business. If the Act, known nationally as ObamaCare, had begun to take effect, the company?s IRS Fines would have already reached and?surpassed $14.3 million dollars.

The fight began when the business publicly refused to follow an objective of the law forcing the
company to pay for abortion inducing drugs via their insurance provisions for their employees. While the company so far has been able to place a hold on their issue and will as always provide the insurance they have given, the agenda toward Christians and Christian business owners as a whole can and will still be affected.

In a Department of Justice brief filed last October regarding the lawsuit involving Hobby Lobby,
many statements declared against the argument against Hobby Lobby will in turn not only affect other?Christian companies, but show the battle that they will have on their hands if they attempt such an action as Hobby Lobby has. For one, the Department declared the company (and in turn any company) neither requires nor receives the protection to freely exercise religion as individuals do. This is the heading barrier between the mandate and Hobby Lobby; despite the fact that a company is compiled of protected individuals. This agenda means that companies, despite what they contain, are not treated like citizens but entities lacking liberty.

The brief also states that any ?burden? that is caused by the mandate is ?too attenuated to qualify?as a ?substantial burden.?" This statement literally and preemptively tosses out any prospective issue a?company holds against the Act. This cuts the opportunity to debate and question (as Hobby Lobby is?doing now) before any company has a chance to gain strength against the law.

In fact, the brief adds a more ?constitutional? perspective when it attempts to evade the obvious?involvement of The Free Exercise Clause in this fight. It says, ?The Free Exercise Clause does not?prohibit a law that is neutral and generally applicable even if the law prescribes conduct that an?individual?s religion proscribes.? This states that despite the Catholic Church being the largest religious body in the nation, the contraceptive mandate, which the Hobby Lobby is fighting against, is ?neutral? and therefore requires no debate but full allowance. This not only attempts to put another nail in the coffin of any argument against the legislation but also forcefully infringes on the church?s largest belief: Life begins at Conception.

Although Hobby Lobby is safe now due to a loophole, the bottom line is simple. The mandate
will not stop negatively affecting businesses until it is completely removed from the books or revised.

Tags: Affordable Care Act, Christian Business, Hobby Lobby, Insurance, ObamaCare

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2013 at 9:36 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.cfcbe.com/2013/01/28/hobby-lobby-and-you/

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