Conscientious Objectors

Local newspaper columnist Mr. R. began his column with, “No one is above the law, but sometimes one can be exempted from obeying a law, sometimes on religious grounds (“freedom of religion.”)  He then provided several “notable examples” of these exemptions including the exemption from military service for an individual on the basis of their conscientious objection.  Mr. R. would probably agree that it is a horrendous form of moral abuse to force someone to violate the strong dictates of their conscience.

But apparently his declaration above doesn’t apply to Bible-believing Christians who also are abiding by their conscience on religious grounds.  He ended his column with, “Those who invoke religious freedom to justify denying services, benefits or rights to certain people have, I think, too narrow a concept of both freedom and religion.”

Christians believe what God says in His word about gender and marriage.  They have a love for and holy fear of God, and they seek to live their lives in ways that please God.  But exposing his own apparent bias, Mr. R. falsely and erroneously accuses them of “social discrimination” in their refusal to offer certain services.  In fact, they are conscientiously objecting because of their Bible-informed conscience.  They are like the Apostles Peter and John who said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) when they were ordered to stop preaching.  The Apostles were willing to suffer the repercussions for their civil disobedience.

There are numerous service providers who would be happy for the business of those who are protesting.  No one is stopping anyone in seeking them out.  Actually, these provoking incidences are purposeful and insidious efforts to get Christians to retreat and stop standing for the truth in the way they live and in what comes out of their mouths.  That’s simply not going to happen with true believers.

At least Mr. R is honest in his concluding remark that what he wrote is only the result of what he thinks (“I think”), meaning, I take it, that its only his opinion, which has no absolute basis of moral authority other than himself.