Heroic Hobby Lobby Calls Faithful Christians To Courageous Resistance

If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.

We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do.We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest.Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs.

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - In the wake of the full US Supreme Court granting an Injunction  to protect the Little Sisters of the Poor from the hostility of the Obama Administration while their case works its way through the Court System, there is another historic story related to the HHS Mandate involving Hobby Lobby, Inc.

The Lawyers of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who represent the Little Sisters, also represent Hobby Lobby. The cases are different, but spring from the same fundamental root of Religious Liberty. Hobby Lobby is a for profit business dedicated to Christian principles in the operation of its business.

We have witnessed an ominous trend in the United States. Classical, faithful Christians who uphold the unbroken teaching of the Church and the scriptures concerning the dignity of every human life and the truth concerning marriage as solely between one man and one woman and  formative of family, are being squeezed out of commerce.

This is not the first time in our two thousand year history as a Christian people that we have faced the reality of having to avoid some aspects of commerce because of the corruption of the cultures in which we live. It is not our first time facing the hostility of worldly Caesars demanding that we bend the knee. It is simply that few thought it would happen in the United States of America with its robust protection of religious freedom embedded in its founding documents.

The trend is ominous. We need to expose and oppose it by defending all of the Rights protected by the US Constitution, including the free exercise of religion, the right to free speech, free association and the right to participate in commerce. However, we also need to be aware that morally coherent Christians, who live a unity of life and believe that their faith informs every aspect of their life, are at the beginning of a period of growing persecution. We must pray, band together and act.

The hostility being faced by Hobby Lobby is an affront to all of us. It calls all faithful Christians, Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, to solidarity. They filed a lawsuit back in September of 2012 which can be read in its entirety here.   You can find an excellent update on the many cases challenging the HHS Mandate which seeks to compel Christian employers to (directly or indirectly) provide Chemical abortifacients, sterilization and contraceptives here.

This attempt by the Obama Administration to compel compliance with this unjust edit violates the Constitution and the fundamental right to Religious freedom. It is a blatant violation of the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution. However, the Obama Administration has made it very clear once again in their responsive filing before the US Supreme Court in the Little Sisters of the Poor case that they are not backing down. They intend to use the police power of the State to compel compliance.

I present to our global readership a memorandum issued by Hobby Lobby which shows the integrity and heroic courage of the leaders of this business. Pray for them. Heroic Hobby Lobby should challenge all faithful Christians To courageous resistance and fidelity

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By: David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God's word.

From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.

We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do.

We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest.

We believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.

But now, our government threatens to change all of that.

A new government healthcare mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance.

Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs.

It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.

If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.

Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy.

Our government threatens to fine a company that's raised wages four years running.

Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's the same for everybody. But that's not true.

The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief.

So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business.

We don't like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult.

The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that's a choice no American and no American business should have to make.

The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic Church.

Since you will not see this in the liberal media, please pass this on to all your contacts.

Sincerely,
David Green
CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

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