Congress shall make no law...

...respecting an establishment of religion.  So states the beginning of the first sentence of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  I think it can be agreed upon that this amendment has always been a magnet for debate.  What does it truly mean and debates like that.  One thing that I think the vast majority of Americans will agree upon is that it keeps the government from telling religions in America how they will practice their religions.

The big news maker right now is the mandate being handed down by the Administration through the Department of Health and Human Services stating that all individual and group health insurance plans cover and subsidize contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals that even result in abortion.  This includes all hospitals, universities, etc. that have a religious affiliation.  If providing these services goes against the teachings of that religion, then how can the government demand they provide them? 

This is not a debate about abortion or birth control or whether they should or should not be legal.  This is about the government telling a religion that they MUST do what the government says, even if it is against their beliefs.  The government is infringing upon that religion's right to practice as they wish.  Being from a Catholic background, I can only relate this to the government telling the Catholic Church that they must have female priests.  It would be the same for other religions, Jewish, Muslims, etc, being told them must do something that is totally against their beliefs or practices.

I am sharing two articles written by the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bishop David A. Zubik.  Though his articles specifically speak from a Catholic point of view and focus on the abortion issue, the problem here is shared by all religions.  It is also not only the Catholic Church that fights against abortion, others do as well.  And the ability of government to dictate to a religion would not stop at health insurance.  It could easily spread to other issues, such as female priests. The bigger issue is that of government dictating what a church does in regards to it's teachings and beliefs.  Please read these, they are very good.

http://diopitt.org/bridging-gap/hell-you

http://diopitt.org/hed-checking-air-outside

If we allow our government to trample all over the first of our Constitutional rights, how do we stop them from lining them all up to take a fall?  This is a call to action.  Contact your congressmen and women and the president.  Tell them not to mandate what a religion will do, especially against their basic beliefs.