Hobby Lobby update: Uh oh.

Religious intolerance and bigotry has stoked the flames of dissension and activism in curious ways.

It will be interesting to view the future and whether Americans will refuse to support divisiveness.

Below are several interesting articles:


Dear Faithful America member,

Disturbing news: The experts who closely watched yesterday's Supreme Court arguments in the Hobby Lobby case think we are going to lose.

In fact, the court may be on the verge of going even further than the terrible Arizona law, by giving corporations the "religious freedom" to disregard and disobey laws they disagree with -- even if it means trampling over the rights of their employees.

It's not a coincidence that these bills and lawsuits are coming up at the same time. The religious right has launched a well-funded, well-organized effort to convince judges, politicians, and journalists that most Christians are against gay rights and birth control. Hobby Lobby's lawyer told the court yesterday that birth control is "fraught with religious controversy," despite studies showing that 99% of Christian women have used it.

We can't let the religious right continue to go unanswered -- or we could wake up in an America where practicing Christianity is synonymous with denying people's basic civil rights. If we lack the necessary resources for this fight, we'll regret it for years to come.

The good news is that Faithful America has more than a quarter-million members ready to swing into action and make headlines that show just how many Christians are appalled by the hateful misrepresentation of our faith.

The bad news is that our small staff and budget are already stretched thin -- so if we're going to take on this fight in a big way, we need to raise at least $10,000 immediately.

I don't want to have turn down a single opportunity at this critical moment. Can you chip in $20 and help us meet our goal in the next 48 hours? Donate to Faithful America.

Here's how our campaigns work:

The small Faithful America staff team constantly scours the news for opportunities to confront right-wing religious leaders and set the record straight. Hundreds of thousands of you jump into action, adding your name and spreading the word. Then, we recruit and train clergy and local activists to deliver our petitions and speak to the media.

The result? We consistently make headlines that challenge the conventional wisdom and show where Christians really stand.

In fact, when Hobby Lobby first filed their lawsuit two years ago, we made national news when a pastor trying to deliver our petition was turned away at corporate headquarters. The headlines read: "Pastors protest Hobby Lobby birth control fight."

Of course, this isn't just about birth control -- it's about not letting conservative extremists get away with claiming to speak for the entire Christian faith. But with the religious right's newfound focus on "religious freedom," we urgently need additional resources to keep up.

Can you chip in $20 right now?

Donate to Faithful America.

Thanks!

-- Michael and Aaron

#NotMyBossBusiness

Mar 25, 2014 | By CAP Action War Room

Rallying For Women’s Rights

Today, as the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case brought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood against the Affordable Care Act, hundreds of rights’ activists from women’s, LGBT, faith, youth and other groups rallied outside in the unseasonably cold weather and snow to show their support for the ACA’s contraception health coverage rule.

A bad Hobby Lobby decision would empower corporate leadership to make determinations about their employees’ health care decisions, allowing business owners’ religious views about family planning to burden decisions that employees are entitled to make for themselves. Starting very early this morning defenders, of the Affordable Care Act stood at the steps of the Supreme Court to declare that women’s health care is not their boss’s business.

Take a look below at the scene today at the Supreme Court.

NARAL Pro Choice America and Planned Parenthood Presidents Ilyse Hogue and Cecile Richards

 

 

 

 

Thanks for spreading the word.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Gabriela, and Holly, the UltraViolet team