Will the Church pull a "Truce of 1968" with regard to Obama's Birth Control Mandate?

[Jegudiel]

Will the Catholic Church in the USA (most notably the USCCB) not comply no matter what the government’s demand that it pay for artificial contraception and sterilization for its employees by August 1, 2013?

Would the Church actually rescind health care for its employees if that’s what it took not to comply with this evil mandate?

Or will the Church in the USA (with or without the Holy See’s influence) accept a “compromise” analogous to the “Truce of 1968” creating confusion and bitterness for many? I believe this is a defining moment for the Church in the USA. I would love to hear some opinions on this.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Will the Catholic Church in the USA (most notably the USCCB) not comply no matter what the government’s demand that it pay for artificial contraception and sterilization for its employees by August 1, 2013?

Would the Church actually rescind health care for its employees if that’s what it took not to comply with this evil mandate?

Or will the Church in the USA (with or without the Holy See’s influence) accept a “compromise” analogous to the “Truce of 1968” creating confusion and bitterness for many? I believe this is a defining moment for the Church in the USA. I would love to hear some opinions on this.

I believe that the Century of Satan prophesied by pope Leo XIII is over. The 1960’s are in the past and it is time for the church to be once more what it is: the Church Militant.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

It has always been the case that employers offer different health insurance plans for its employees. It has been one of the factors workers use when evaluating a job offer, along with salary, advancement opportunities, work conditions, location, etc.

As the Obama administration demands to create a one-size-fits-all template for health insurance plans, it has deemed that all insurance plans must pay for birth control, abortifacients, and sterilization.

As many church-based organizations are self-insured, I would presume that they would simply not pay for such coverage as an act of civil disobedience, and take any injunctions from the Obama administration to do so to court. Based on my limited knowledge of Supreme Court decisions, it could be tossed, which would still leave Obama with political cover with his secularist, anti-Catholic base - he can say that he tried, and that the conservative-dominated Supreme Court once again “stood in the way of the people.” Of course, if the ObamaCare mandate is struck down by the Supreme Court, or he is voted out of office, the point will be moot.

For those that have standing relationships with health insurers, it may be trickier…

 

[GratefulFred]

Well said Arizona Mike.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Obama’s overreaching could end up being one of the rallying points for renewal within the Church and a turn away from cafeteria Catholicism. It seems to be uniting many Catholics and causing them to re-evaluate the Church’s teachings:

hotair.com/archives/2012/02/25/video-dem-rep-booed-by-constituents-over-hhs-mandate/

It may, I hope, cause those politicians who claim “cultural Catholicism” (“Hey, I grew up Catholic and I attend mass! I was educated by, you know, nuns!”) to seek votes from a traditionally Catholic constituency and who then vote exactly against the bishops’ teachings and vote as the far-left PACs and the Democratic National Committee tell them to, to reconsider their lock-step voting for secular objectives.

Politicians fear single-interest constituencies. You don’t vote against social security and not expect to get a bad rating from AARP, you don’t vote for gun control and not expect to get a bad rating from the NRA, and you don’t vote to develop a wetlands and not expect to get a bad rating from the Sierra Club. For many of the members of those organizations, they don’t care how a politician votes on any other issue but their primary concerns. Catholics would have enormous influence if they do the same thing. The bishops should probably publish a rating for each politician in America based on their voting record on issues such as religious conscience, abortion, gay marriage, charity, and so forth, and then publish their rating on their website and in every parish’s bulletin and website.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

They need to stand fast on the Freedom of Religion issue. They have a lot of support from non-Catholic groups on that. If they can’t stand up on this one they better get out of the game. If they lose this one they will be universally regarded as paper tigers.

 

[Jegudiel]

Obama’s overreaching could end up being one of the rallying points for renewal within the Church and a turn away from cafeteria Catholicism. It seems to be uniting many Catholics and causing them to re-evaluate the Church’s teachings:

hotair.com/archives/2012/02/25/video-dem-rep-booed-by-constituents-over-hhs-mandate/

It may, I hope, cause those politicians who claim “cultural Catholicism” (“Hey, I grew up Catholic and I attend mass! I was educated by, you know, nuns!”) to seek votes from a traditionally Catholic constituency and who then vote exactly against the bishops’ teachings and vote as the far-left PACs and the Democratic National Committee tell them to, to reconsider their lock-step voting for secular objectives.

Politicians fear single-interest constituencies. You don’t vote against social security and not expect to get a bad rating from AARP, you don’t vote for gun control and not expect to get a bad rating from the NRA, and you don’t vote to develop a wetlands and not expect to get a bad rating from the Sierra Club. For many of the members of those organizations, they don’t care how a politician votes on any other issue but their primary concerns. Catholics would have enormous influence if they do the same thing. The bishops should probably publish a rating for each politician in America based on their voting record on issues such as religious conscience, abortion, gay marriage, charity, and so forth, and then publish their rating on their website and in every parish’s bulletin and website.

Thanks. Both of your postings were quite informative. I agree that this issue could (and in reality, already is) a rallying point for the Church in the USA. Sadly it could also end-up being a breaking point…

 

[Jegudiel]

They need to stand fast on the Freedom of Religion issue. They have a lot of support from non-Catholic groups on that. If they can’t stand up on this one they better get out of the game. If they lose this one they will be universally regarded as paper tigers.

Agreed.