You probably should have pointed out that LifeWay is closely and historically associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which would make Mr. Stetzer essentially a paid SBC spokesman. I do applaud that they released their survey and find it quite useful.

I don't understand, however, why religious employers should be privileged to pick and choose laws and regulations as they wish, a privilege denied to non-religious employers. Of course, anyone can petition their government for redress of their grievances, which religious employers are doing.

This claiming of religious privilege is especially eyebrow raising for business such as Hobby Lobby, which is not even a religious associated institution like a church affiliated school employing teachers and staff. Claiming and getting exemptions from laws and regulations under the cover of "religious liberty" would appear to be unfair competition with other for hobbyists businesses.

Employers don't have to provide contraception, they have to provide health insurance. Health insurance covers contraception. Do employers get to choose what kind of medical procedures their employees can have? What if your employer is a Christian Scientist? Can the employer then refuse to cover any surgery? Blood transfusions?

(Sorry for the double dip. I submitted the previous post too quickly.)
The best way to solve this problem is to take health insurance out of the workplace completely. Christian employers should welcome universal coverage. It solves their ethical concerns and removes a huge and costly adminisitrative headache for businesses.

This is not a matter of birth control, this is a matter of ABORTION. The healthcare mandate isn't controversial just because they are providing prevention, it is controversial because they are providing for the MURDER OF INNOCENT CHILDREN WHILE STILL IN THEIR MOTHER'S WOMB! I myself, receiving health insurance from the Catholic church as a lay employee of a diocese- do not really care one way or the other about condoms or birth control pills-they can be helpful in preventing "unwanted" (inconvenient) pregnancies and the resultant DESTRUCTION OF INNOCENT LIFE BY DECEIVED WOMEN (adoption is a MUCH better alternative)...however, I REFUSE TO BE PROVIDED HEALTHCARE FOR ABORTION. If I am going to have a child, I WOULD NEVER MURDER IT. So having BABY MURDER ON DEMAND is not really going to be used at all and is a WASTE OF MY DEDUCTED PAYCHECK.
I apologize for the all caps, but I felt it was necessary to hit home how offended I am at the muddling of words in order to gloss over BABY MURDER and make it look like the the healthcare mandate is all about helping women when in reality it is the stepping stone to a possible Atheistic Communist China-style one-child policy.

Can anyone explain the connection the religious freedom to practice one's faith and the HHS requirement for what insurance coverage must include. As long as we understand that practicing one's faith does not include the ability to take individual freedom of choice away from employees, there is no assault on anone's religious personal freedom to conform to the HHS mandate. The mandate does not require women to choose abortion, it merely requires that women be given the freedom to make that choice, and not ahave the empl;oyer make that choice for them. The slogic behind the fear of business losing the religious freedom to practice their faith is incomprehensible. It can only make sense if the business, per se, has religious faith and the business feels that in order to practice its religious faith, it is required to impose restrictions on the health choices of its employees. It boggles my mind that so many seem to routinely assume that the mandate restricts the religious freedom of any person.

I think it is a sad day when the government would force either individuals or businesses to violate their biblical beliefs to provide a service that either may or does cause abortions.

It must be remembered that, most if not all, chemical birth control as well as IUDs can cause early abortions if you believe that life begins at conception. So your are asking people and businesses to fund the provision of birth control that not only can prevent pregnancies, but can also result in early stage abortions. If you believe as I do that willful abortion is premeditated murder you can see why it would violate one's biblical beliefs.

My sister brings up an interesting point. Why do companies (religious or not) have to provide contraception for FREE - which is mostly for convience - but make her pay for her insulin - which keeps her alive?