Freedom of Religion

by Mike James

The recent Supreme Court ruling on June 24 overturning Roe v. Wade is just one example of the Court's support for Christian principles and ethics. This ruling will not stop abortion in America, but it will certainly reduce the number of abortions. Thirteen states plan to outlaw abortion within 30 days with "trigger bans" that were designed to take effect as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned.

This is not the only Supreme Court decision this term that has provided a pro-Christian theme. On June 27, the Court ruled in favor of a Washington state high school football coach who was suspended for refusing to stop leading Christian prayers with players on the field after games. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that assistant coach Joe Kennedy's prayers are protected by the Constitution's guarantees of free speech and religious exercise. The school board's discipline was wrong despite their concern of violating the separation of church and state.

On June 21, the Court allowed taxpayer money to be used for students attending religious schools. This is a tuition assistance program for schools in rural areas of Maine that don't have nearby high schools. The tuition grants were previously only being used for private schools.

Back on May 2, the Court ruled in favor of a Christian group that wanted to fly a flag with a cross at Boston city hall. There was an issue with flying the flag under a program aimed at promoting diversity and tolerance for the city's different communities.

The breakdown of the Court currently appears to be six conservative judges and three liberal judges. Of course, this won't always be the case, but for now, things favor Christian or religious principles with the Supreme Court.

Cornell law professor Michael Dorf thinks the Court's majority appears skeptical of government decision-making premised on secularism. Dorf went on to say, "They regard secularism, which for centuries has been the liberal world's understanding of what it means to be neutral, as itself a form of discrimination against religion."

In the June 27 ruling, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the Court's aim was to prevent public officials from being hostile to religion as they navigate the establishment clause. The establishment clause is the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibition on a government endorsement of religion.

With all the information we see out there about the demise of our culture, I think we need to be reminded that change comes slowly. I do believe our culture is moving in a downward trend, but there will always be push back when things move toward change. The make-up of the present conservative Court can and will change over time, but as it stands right now, I'm not worried about our ability to function as Christians in American society.

But before we get too overjoyed with these recent decisions, let's remember what the First Amendment says. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…."

Thomas Jefferson said the establishment clause should represent a "wall of separation" between church and state. The clause prevents the government from establishing a state religion and prohibits favoring one religion over another.

So yes, the present Court has made some recent rulings that support Christianity, not because it is Christianity, but because it is a religion. Similar rulings could be made for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Taoists.

I'm waiting for a government with Christ as the ruler, not the Constitution or any human president. Only God's Kingdom can guarantee the law of God will be enforced, and human problems will be resolved.

While we have the freedom to practice our religion, we need to keep practicing it. We need to keep gathering to worship. We need to speak to others about the gospel message. We need to write to others about the gospel message. We need to broadcast to others the gospel message. But maybe most importantly, we need to be living the gospel message as an example for others to see.

Sources:

"U.S. Supreme Court Takes Aim at Separation of Church and State," by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung, Reuters, June 28, 2022.

"Roe's Demise Marks New Phase in State-by-State Battle Over Abortion," by Caroline Kitchener, the Washington Post, June 24, 2022.

"Court Sides With Football Coach Who Prayed at Midfield," by Robert Barnes, the Washington Post, June 28, 2022.