The last two days have seen some big decisions handed down by the Supreme Court and I hope (but I sincerely doubt) most folks will avoid a knee-jerk, “this country is done like dinner” reaction. Regarding yesterday’s Obamacare decision, I don’t think what the Court decided matters a whole lot: it was a poorly-written law that remains in the process of falling on its own sword due to the fact that it really had nothing to do with reducing the cost of health care in this country and/or reducing the number of uninsured people; it was all about expanding Democratic power and patronage in as many states as it could with all those phony health-care exchanges that, by and large have been poorly-run and fertile beds for corruption and greed. Sooner or later – especially when the employer mandate kicks in – the law will begin to implode and legislative action at the federal and state levels will be needed to fix it. Which is OK – that’s how legislation ought to be dealt with. Using the courts to overturn bad laws should be a court of last resort (pun intended).
While on the surface I agree with the Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states and requiring states to recognize same-sex marriage across state lines, it would be nice if that’s where it would end, but I highly doubt it. As I have written in this space many times and most recently here, the goals of liberalism as a whole and gay-rights activists in particular know no bounds: they’ll only be happy when this country treats homosexuality and pan-sexuality as something that should be taught in kindergarten onward and forced down the throats of folks whether they agree with it or not, to the point where one’s freedom and livelihood is taken away should you utter one syllable or act in any kind of way against anything or anyone not heterosexual.
As I’ve written many times before, the real goal of gay-rights activists is not just to have gay marriage legalized as a matter of civil law, but to force churches to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies against their beliefs and sacramental traditions. As I commented in a previous post:
“The bottom line here is that the goal of LGBT activists is to eliminate tax-exempt status for churches that refuse to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. Is that what you want? because that’s coming. Just as LGBT activists are looking to eliminate from any set of laws marriage as defined between a man and a woman. And once that is eliminated you have a slippery slope. Why not two men and three women? Why not a woman and her pet hamster? A guy and his Harley Davidson? You might laugh, but this is where it is all headed. The moment you eliminate any kind of protection offered to people baaed on their religion and teachings you might as well forget everything this country was founded upon.”
What the Court’s decision has done is open the door to absolute chaos: you can expect polygamy activists to start demanding the right to have multiple wives (and husbands) recognized as legal; I have no doubt wackos out there will demand to be married to their pet bunny or dog. (Actually, maybe they’re no wackos at all – I have little doubt Tracey would have loved to be married to her beloved rabbit Marble, who I know were I ever to demand Tracey make a choice between me and Marble she would have chosen the latter.)
But I digress.
I’m glad Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey posted about this very thing today and agree that the rights of churches to retain their historic and sacramental beliefs hangs by a very slender thread. We now live in a country gone mad, where a vocal and politically-savvy minority enthusiastically supported by Big Media is aggressively working to undercut every foundation – cultural, historical, religious, and legal – this nation’s founders had in mind when the Constitution was put in place. The inmates are now in control of the asylum, and while agree with the Court’s latest decisions on their face, I doubt very much it understood the powerful forces that have been unleashed as a result. As Morrissey predicts:
Get ready for a massive legal assault on houses of worship that refuse to accommodate same-sex weddings. Even legislation on the federal and state level may not be able to undo the broad opening that Kennedy et al has forced on the religious institutions and people in the US. It’s clear that the Supreme Court has become unmoored from the Constitution, and in doing so has unmoored all of us as well.
Indeed. We are living in dangerous times, and I doubt they are going to get any less dangerous.
I wouldn’t worry about churches getting pressure from the state or the courts to make changes. They’re pretty good at withstanding that. When they start feeling pressure from within is when they make changes. Remember when divorce was grounds for excommunication? Now, say a few words and fork over some cash and you can get an annulment. The churches change when it suits them.
Comment by Rob — July 8, 2015 @ 4:53 am