exemptions |

Engaging Weekend: LGBT Activist and Dan Cathy Are Friends, Muslim Students in Maryland Pray in School, HHS Mandate Update, Oregon Baker Refuses to Bake Cake for Homosexuals.

February 4, 2013 By Nathan Cherry

Engaging Weekend is a collection of articles from the weekend you might have missed. But we thought they were important and wanted to make sure you had a chance to read them.

LGBT Leader Reveals Friendship With Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A

Shane Windmeyer is a prominent LGBT activist and co-founder of the activist group Campus Pride. This week he revealed to the world that he has developed a friendship with Dan Cathy of Chik-Fil-A. This would not be news if it weren’t for the fact that Windmeyer and Cathy are on opposite ends of the spectrum in their beliefs about marriage. Windmeyer aggressively campaigned against Chick-Fil-A after comments made by Cathy on his marriage position. But after spending some time talking and texting with Cathy, the two developed a friendship. Of their conversation Windmeyer said: “It was awkward at times but always genuine and kind…It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another. We see this failure to listen and learn in our government, in our communities and in our own families. Dan Cathy and I would, together, try to do better than each of us had experienced before.” It may seem strange to Windmeyer, but the reality is that many Christians and others with a deeply held traditional marriage conviction are willing to sit and talk about their position in a civil way. I certainly am. It’s called tolerance. Not the new, liberal definition of accepting and affirming every politically correct opinion. I mean the actually definition, respecting the right of others to hold divergent opinions and respectfully agreeing to disagree. Kudos to both men! Click here for original article.

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About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Engaging Weekend Tagged With: activist, bake, baker, cake, changes, chick-fil-a, Dan Cathy, exemptions, faith, friends, HHS, homosexual, insurance, investigation, LGBT, mandate, Marriage, Maryland, Muslim, offensive, Oregon, practice, pray, refuse, students, update, Windmeyer

Americans United Disagrees With HHS Exemptions

January 31, 2013 By Nathan Cherry

It’s not too surprising that Americans United for the Separation of Church and State believes that Americans should be forced to violate their religious convictions in order to comply with a government mandate. How a man calling himself a “Reverend” can be of the opinion that forcing people to violate their religious convictions is a good thing is beyond me. Then again, the Rev. Barry Lynn strikes me as more of a lobbyist and less of a “reverend.” But I’m still trying to figure out why Lynn and his group, Americans United, have not publicly opposed Obama’s exemptions to the HHS mandate. He seems to be targeting only those filing lawsuits while ignoring those already given exemptions, even religious organizations. A recent article shares comments from Americans United:

“American workers’ access to birth control should not be subject to their employers’ religious beliefs, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a federal appeals court. In a friend-of-the-court brief, Americans United urged the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate, which requires most businesses to provide workers with a health insurance that includes no-cost birth control. Several businesses, represented by Religious Right legal groups, have filed lawsuits contending that they have a religious liberty right to refuse to comply with the mandate, a federal regulation issued in conjunction with the Affordable Care Act. Americans United disagrees.” Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: Americans United, Barry Lynn, convictions, disagree, exemptions, HHS, insurance, mandate, Obama, religious, violate

Are Catholics the Only Target?

February 11, 2012 By Nathan Cherry

By Tom Stark, 02/12/12

Parkersburg, WV - The decision by the Obama Administration to force Catholic health care facilities to include contraception, sterilization, and “morning after” abortion medications in their employee health coverage, or face heavy fines under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) has many all “atwitter” (pun intended). No, it is not something to take lightly, but if you don’t keep it light, you will scream or cry or both.

At least, this decision brings Barack Obama and his administration out of the closet when it comes to hostility toward anyone who puts conscience above ideology or personal preference. And believe me, this decision is all about “personal preference.” How can I be so sure? Let’s look at the facts, as Joe Friday used to say, just the facts.

Based on very vague statements in the 2008 “Abortion Surveillance” study for the Centers for Disease Control, and other published statistics, it appears that the overwhelming majority of abortions are totally elective as a contraceptive measure. This leads one to the obvious conclusion that very few abortions actually fall under “cases medically necessary to save the life of the mother.”

If this assumption is accepted, then all of the arguments about abortion and these requirements being a women’s health issue fall directly into that black hole of left-wing logic; the rationale for the requirements in Obamacare are proven to be motivated by ideology, not medical necessity. Thus the requirements placed on religious organization that provide medical services to citizens who are not necessarily of the same religious persuasion are that much more abhorrent and offensive and totally unconstitutional.

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About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: abortion, Catholics, conscience, contraception, exemptions, health, insurance, mandate, Obama, Obamacare, religious, violate

Rights at Risk: Religious and Conscience Rights Under Attack Again

August 29, 2011 By Nathan Cherry

by Nathan A. Cherry, 08/29/2011

Conscience rights of medical proffesionals, like this UK nurse, are under attack here in America.

Martinsburg, WV –

Nearly two months ago I shared a story with you related to religious exemptions and conscience protections. If you remember, the main point was that religious exemptions and conscience protections are not safe and would never be safe; especially under the current administration. I will restate it, anyone that believes the current president and his administration has any intention whatsoever of protecting religious or conscience rights of any organization or person is sadly mistaken; dangerously misled may be a better phrase.

It would seem that we are seeing further proof that religious and conscience rights are indeed under attack and by no means safe; even when the administration “assures” us they are.

I came across this story highlighting the implementation of contraceptive coverage in insurance plans for organizations and individuals alike. When you read the details of what the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under direction from the Obama administration is doing, it should send a clear message: religious and conscience protections are under attack. Take a look at these excerpts.

“The press’s misnomer of the year, ‘free contraception,’ is being compounded by a supposed ‘religious employer’ exemption offered by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday in its “preventive services” regulation. HHS disregarded the conscience concerns of many Americans, bypassed significant requirements of Administrative law, and severely muddied the truth when it mandated – effective immediately – that health insurance plans (with few exceptions) provide coverage for the ‘full range of FDA approved contraceptives’… without a co-pay!

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