Friday, February 10, 2012

When the State Approves Your Church

I won't delve into the birth control and Catholic Church issue with relation to Obamacare. I don't have the knowledge to comment on it other than to say it feels wrong for the government to do this.

I do find it interesting that the Obama administration gives itself the authority to say what organization is and who is not religious for purpose of deciding whether federal regulations apply to it and whether funds can go to it.

And to comment on the issue more broadly, doesn't this whole issue bring up very troubling questions about the federal government establishing a state church?

Doesn't this issue tell us that federal funds can go to religion-based organizations depending on whether the religion has a position on birth control that coincides with what the federal government says is correct on birth control?

Isn't that in essence establishing a state church?

UPDATE: Mark Steyn expands upon the theme:

The president of the United States has decided to go Henry VIII on the Church's medieval ass. Whatever religious institutions might profess to believe in the matter of "women's health," their pre-eminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities and immunities are now subordinate to a one-and-only supreme head on earth determined to repress, redress, restrain and amend their heresies.

And I don't even want to know what "tooth-level surveillance" means to our government. Is that how they'll make sure we aren't eating too many french fries?

But hey, don't ever say nobody expected the Sebelius Inquisition.