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posted by Michael on 01/16/12

9-0 the US Supreme Court rules that the federal government (including agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) has no business interfering with a religious institution’s decisions on what ministers to hire and fire. It would simply be unconstitutional.

The Court’s Ruling

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (Article 1 of the Bill of Rights)

“[For the government to] pick and choose who can be a minister, the court ruled, is not only to prevent the free exercise of religion, it inevitably involves the government in the establishment of religion.” (Full article)

“…the first time the high court has acknowledged a ‘ministerial exception’ to anti-discrimination laws… Notre Dame law professor Rick Garnett called the ruling "one of the court’s most important church-state decisions in decades." It "protects religious liberty by forbidding governments from second-guessing religious communities’ decisions about who should be their teachers, leaders and ministers," he said. (Full article)

“Roberts… unified the court around history, principle and the Constitution’s text to remind the nation of the special constitutional status afforded religion.” (Full article)

So, are ministers in danger of discrimination from church authorities because the federal government cannot intervene to protect them? The apostle Paul states clearly in 1 Corinthians 6 that there should never be any need for anyone in the Church to take such a case to the civil government. If any organization should know how to use freedom rightly, it should be the Church.

Another question comes to mind: To what extent did the founders of our country intend to allow the free exercise of religion? For instance, if Islam qualifies as a constitutional religion, and if Islam calls for the death penalty of a teacher who converts to another religion, is the government prohibited from interfering to protect the life of that citizen? The Bill of Rights does guarantee due process of law to all persons before they can be deprived of life, liberty, or property. (Article 5)

2 Comments » | posted in Politics

posted by Michael on 01/7/12

I had decided to vote for Rick Santorum in the Republican primaries. I didn’t care that he didn’t seem to have as much support as the others at first. The primaries are not a time to vote for the one you think everyone will vote for, but a time for Americans to show their honest opinion. He has been one to stand rock solid on what is right. The left has tried to smear his name with their own muck. But he’s a real American, a real conservative, a real family guy. A lot of people seem to be recognizing this now. I could hardly believe that he took 2nd place in Iowa! This unexpected, exciting turn of events puts Santorum in a very good spot. Let’s continue to pray that God would bless him with wisdom and favor and strength and peace. He was unable to get on the Virginia primary ballot (it’s unreasonably difficult) – but I don’t see why every Virginian wouldn’t write him in!

“Nothing about Rick Santorum’s rise to date has been expected or predictable”

“But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalm 75:7

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” Jeremiah 17:7

10 Comments » | posted in Politics

posted by Michael on 12/23/11

I read this heart-warming anonymous poem for the first time last year as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and Out on the Ranch” and really enjoyed it. I changed a few words to suit my fancy and put it in an Appalachian setting. Enjoy!

‘Twas the night before Christmas and down in the holler,
The pond was froze over, the crick soon to foller.
The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule,
And the kids were all home on vacation from school,
Sprawled out in the big room just a-watchin’ TV,
And they thought it was fine as vacation could be.

Then suddenly, some time around eight o’clock,
There came a surprise that gave them a shock!
The power went off, the TV went dead!
When Grandpa came in from out in the shed,
With an armload of wood, the house was all dark;
“Just what I expected,” they heard him remark.
“Them power line wires must be down from the snow;
Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago.”

“I’ll hunt up some candles,” said Mom, “With their light,
And the fireplace, I reckon we’ll make out all right.”
The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom,
Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,
Uncased his old fiddle & started to play
That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.
Mom started to sing, and first thing they knew
Both Pop and the kids were all singing it, too!

They sang Christmas carols, they sang “Holy Night,”
Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.
They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,
And Pop read a passage from God’s Book of Truth.
They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,
The youngsters agreed ’twas a fine Christmas Eve!

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;
And when the kids wakened, the power was on!
“Them power folks sure got the line repaired quick,”
Said Grandpa – and no one suspected his trick.
Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,
He had pulled the main switch – the old Son-of-a-Gun!

6 Comments » | posted in The Bright Side

posted by Michael on 12/20/11

Franklin D. Roosevelt declared in his Christmas address to the nation Dec. 24, 1944 (the first Christmas after D-Day): "Here, at home, we will celebrate this Christmas Day in our traditional American way because of its deep spiritual meaning to us; because the teachings of Christ are fundamental in our lives; and because we want our youngest generation to grow up knowing the significance of this tradition and the story of the coming of the immortal Prince of Peace and Good Will. … We pray that with victory will come a new day of peace on earth, in which all the nations of the earth will join together for all time. That is the spirit of Christmas, the holy day. May that spirit live and grow throughout the world in all the years to come." Reference, Whole address

Enjoy Ronald Reagan’s Christmas address below!

3 Comments » | posted in Tidbits

posted by Michael on 12/9/11

States can easily stop Obamacare dead in its tracks with the law itself on their side, not to mention the Constitution. Sweet!

Listen to this short word by expert Michael Cannon, the Director of Health Policy Studies at the CATO Institute.

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/how-states-can-shut-down-obamacare

Here is a thorough article on the unconstitutionality of Obamacare, the constitutionality of Virginia’s Health Care Freedom Act, and the related court cases

http://www.calldrmatt.com/Health_Care_Law_Unconstitutional.htm

4 Comments » | posted in Politics