Religious Liberty in Jeopardy

I'm currently reading through Jeremiah during my devotions and came across chapter 12:1"..Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are Ll those who deal in treachery at ease?" I must admit that my first thought was of the horrible wickedness and treachery that seems to engulf me as I listen to the news and see those who traffic in these trades prospering. Then my thoughts went to the fact that usually when the question of Jeremiah 12:1 is asked, the answer usually has something to do with--"Look at yourself" I'm thinking Amos 1-2 and Habbakkuk. So I'm reminded to look again at my own heart and repent of sin that the Lord reveals. I'm also reminded to look at the heart of the country in which I live and the world in which I live and seek God' forgiveness for the overwhelming wickedness that surrounds us. I want to come humbly and not self-righteously to seek God's refining work in me and His redemptive work in others. One of the many manifestations of wickedness that saddens me deeply is the erosion of religious liberty in America. Over the past four years particularly disturbing developments have caught my attention and serve as the basis for my thoughts today. First of all, I'm concerned that preaching the truth of God's Word may soon be considered "Hate Speech" or "unprotected speech." Some background for my concern is necessary. When the Iowa Supreme Court declared the 1998 Defense of Marriage Act (that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman) unconstitutional a few years ago it basically legislated from the bench a new law in Iowa. They legalized civil unions between same sex partners. But what about those of us who believe strongly that the Bible clearly forbids same sex marriage (Gen.2:24-25; Genesis 19:6-11; Romans 1:24-27; 1Cor.6:9)? Will our commitment to proclaim the truth about what constitutes sin (i.e. same sex marriage) be deemed "hate speech"? There is no desire to single out one offense against God over against other sins. Our desire is to lovingly call all sinners to repent of their sins, but that necessitates identifying their sin. Christ died to pay the price for sin so that we could be forgiven and be restored into right relationship with God. The rising tide of political correctness may just lead to a point at which it is deemed necessary to silence all who speak against what the "elite" determine to be acceptable. You think I'm over-reacting? Well consider events from recent history--the recent uprisings across the globe targeting U.S. embassies, their personnel and American Citizens. Think Lybia, Egypt, Pakistan for starters. The President, his Press Secretary Jay Carney, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. recently set about on a planned public relations mission to deliberately deceive the American people regarding the reason for, the nature of, and the implications of the recent embassy attacks. The "talking point" was that some obscure movie trailer from YouTube had incited these attacks and that they were not coordinated, planned; that the perpetrators weren't angry with America or Americans, neither were the attacks reflective on the current U.S. foreign policy. Now we all know that these "talking points" were all blatantly untrue. Yet, the mantra about "the movie" that stirred the uprising ( a movie by the way that many of the people interviewed that were involved in the uprising have never seen or heard about) continues to the point that high level discussions are being held to the end that any comment made that could incite others to anger would be considered "unprotected speech" like yelling "fire" and inciting panic when there is no fire. I'm not making this up. Listen to what Mike Huckabee said, "But some of our intelligentsia have a solution. In an L.A. Times op-ed, Sarah Chayes of the Carnegie Endowment suggests we should declare insulting Muslims to be unprotected speech, like yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. She argues speech should be illegal if you know it will spark a violent reaction." This would mean that any information about another religion whether factual or not could be considered illegal if it would incite someone. That's pretty scary stuff. I find it more than ironic that the current administration has been in "full court press" mode to make sure that those supposedly offended or who could potentially be offended by what was in this movie understand that everything is being done to create a climate of tolerance. This basically amounts to apologizing for Freedom of Speech. I'm not saying that I agree with crude, rude, vulgar, or untrue statements that are made by others about what matters most to them. I am a champion of civility. But the same people preaching tolerance of Islam are the same people who want the name of God removed from their party platfrom, references to God and Jesus banned from graduation ceremonies, and prayer forbidden in school. They are first to defend placing a cross in a bottle full of urine as "Art" and a freedom of expression protected by the 1st Amendment. Religious liberties are also threatened by the current Health Care legislation as Secretary of HHS requires people of faith to violate their conscience and religious convictions by providing health care coverage for employees which covers birth control pills including those that cause abortions. Recently the owners of "Hobby Lobby" were reluctantly driven to file a suit against the federal government in order to seek exemption from this mandate. The owners are believers and feel it unbiblical to provide for abortion causing contraceptives for their employees. So it is time to wake up and see what is happening and to pray for wisdom guidance and courage in the days ahead. Of course I encourage every person of faith to support those candidates who truly support what God teaches and to oppose those who don't. I also encourage us to oppose anyone who is party to removing our Religious Liberties.