Christian legal experts are bracing for the Biden administration to issue a reversal of a 2019 “conscience rule,” which protected faith-based groups from being forced to violate their beliefs. To quote one Christian attorney, reversing the protection would create “an existential threat to religious-based employers,” who would be forced to provide services, such as abortifacients or gender assignment surgery, or face fines, lawsuits and legal challenges that would drive them out of business.
If they are to respond in a helpful way, Christians first need to remember the basics of religious liberty: It’s for all individuals, it’s the cornerstone of a free and democratic society, and it’s the first freedom from which every other freedom springs.
Respecting the right to conscience provides a setting in which both people and society can thrive. Remove it, and there’s nothing to stop some future administration or regime from imposing its worldview on millions of people.
Religious liberty might be the direct result of a Judeo-Christian worldview, but it’s the birthright of every American—and it’s worth fighting for.
BreakPoint