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Phyllis Schlafly, 88, is an icon in Catholic and Republican circles. The founder and president of the Eagle Forum, Schlafly, a constitutional lawyer, is credited by many as having played the lead role in the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, after a decade-long political fight against the proposed constitutional amendment. But her greatest contribution, in the eyes of many admirers, is her successful drive to include a pro-life plank in the 1976 Republican platform and her ongoing commitment to keeping the platform pro-life ever since.
Recently, Schlafly authored a book with George Neumayr, contributing editor of The American Spectator, called No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom. The book catalogues and analyzes attacks on religious freedom since President Barack Obama entered office and examines his background to support the authors’ contention that he is opposed to Christianity. Most significantly, Schlafly and Neumayr look at how the Obama administration has sought to redefine the First Amendment for political ends. Instead of guaranteeing the religious freedom of all Americans, Schlafly and Neumayr argue, Obama’s administration has reduced the First Amendment to mean solely the “freedom of worship.”
Schlafly spoke with the Register Oct. 16 about her book and threats to religious freedom and Catholicism.
In Chapter 3 of your book, you list 30 events where President Obama’s administration has acted against the religious liberty of Americans. Given that so many Christians voted for him in 2008, do you believe that they knew he would act this way?
No. I don’t think that anyone suspected that. I have been active as a volunteer in politics for many, many years, and it never occurred to me that religious liberty was going to be on the chopping block. It just seemed like a given in American life, where we recognize a full and expansive interpretation of the First Amendment.
And now, to have a president come along who really wants to limit and redefine the First Amendment to mean “freedom of worship,” just in a church. In other words, you can go inside your church and say a prayer — and nobody will bother you. But if you dare to step outside where others can see and hear you, then you are subject to the government and its regulations.
Do Catholics understand the range and nature of President Obama’s attacks on religious liberty now? How well do you think the media reports these issues?
Well, I don’t think that people in general understand these attacks. The media, of course, as you know, is very pro-Obama.
In addition to that, we have seen litigations for the last 10 years by the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] and atheist organizations to get rid of demonstrations and pictures and crosses — anything that is religious and Christian. They didn’t really connect this with Obama.
But when Obama was elected, his followers used to chant, “You are the one we’ve been waiting for.” He just fit right into that mold and has been tearing things down himself in the many ways I describe in the book.
With regards to the Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate, is this the first time in modern American history that the U.S. government has made a direct attack on the Catholic Church?
I do think it is a direct attack on the Catholic Church, because the Catholic Church is famous for all the hospitals it operates across this country. These are hospitals that were built, financed, maintained and run by Catholics in some way — by orders of nuns, bishops or groups of Catholics. They serve the public. They don’t just serve Catholics. And they are well-run and fine hospitals.
I don’t think people have realized what a direct attack the HHS mandate is on any type of a Christian organization that is outside the Church.
We are told that this was a big battle within the administration. Bill Daley [then chief of staff], who came out of the Chicago machine — son of the famous Mayor [Richard J.] Daley of Chicago — fought bitterly against implementing this mandate. But the one who seems to be calling the shots is Valerie Jarrett, a feminist. Feminists think abortion is the most important thing, and Obama does whatever feminists want. She won that battle, and Daley went back to Chicago.
Obama has alienated Catholics.
Right now, there are at least 43 Catholic institutions that have brought suit against the Obama administration on the HHS mandate. What is the status of these suits? What is the best-case and worst-case scenario?
The only one I know that has had a decision was a lawsuit by a private employer. He got a favorable decision. But that’s not the end of the story. These suits may ultimately go to the Supreme Court.
The best-case scenario is if Obama is defeated and a new government repeals Obamacare — and that would repeal the HHS mandate also.
It could go to the Supreme Court because the HHS mandate is really a redefinition of the First Amendment. If you read American history, we have always had an expansive definition of the First Amendment. You can have pictures of the Ten Commandments and crosses for veterans.
Some of the lawsuits we have seen in the last few years have been really obnoxious: stopping a valedictorian from thanking God during a graduation speech — calling that “unconstitutional” — or stopping prayer before a football game. It’s all part of the idea of the redefinition of the First Amendment to mean “freedom of worship” instead of religious liberty.
The worst-case scenario is that the Supreme Court would say there is no higher power than the federal government and if you want to engage in public life or commerce in any way you have to conform to the regulations they are handing down.
Why does the administration view contraception and abortifacients as a moral good that is more important than the freedom of conscience of practicing Catholics and other Americans? Does this administration not believe in the freedom of conscience?
I’ve been dealing with feminists for the last 30 years. They have a peculiar ideology: Men are the enemy and the oppressor. Yes, this administration does not respect freedom of conscience. Their position is: If the government says so, you have to obey.
In your book, you say, “Most Americans have never regarded the absence of federally mandated contraception and abortifacients coverage in health insurance as a form of oppression.” Is it correct to say that Americans in general do not understand how far-reaching the HHS mandate really is?
No, they don’t. But I’m glad to see that the bishops do. Cardinal [Timothy] Dolan has written a very good letter on this issue [to his fellow bishops reiterating the Church’s resolve to resist Obama’s assault on religious freedom].
What is so interesting is that the U.S. Army told the Catholic chaplains that they could not read Cardinal Dolan’s letter at their own religious services. This is how far it has gone: the idea that the government would tell a chaplain what he can and can’t say to his own flock — it blows your mind.
In my book, there are many examples of personal statements that Obama has made. There are numerous times when he has quoted the Declaration of Independence and omitted the word “Creator.” He reads from the teleprompter — so it has to be there. We didn’t appoint him to rewrite these documents.
The idea of the “separation of church and state” has often been used to stamp religion out of the public square. What is the true meaning of the separation of church and state, and where does this phrase come from?
The phrase “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution. Atheists have propagated this expression, which was in a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote. What he meant was that he didn’t want the Baptists to pay taxes to the Anglican Church. He lived in a time when there were many state churches.
The Founding Fathers were very religious. They were always talking about God. They had prayer services in the U.S. Capitol. The “separation of church and state” doesn’t mean banishing religion from the public square. We need to wake up and defend our religious liberty.
Register correspondent Sabrina Arena Ferrisi writes from Larchmont, New York.
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Not only were our Founding Fathers Christian, The Treaty of Paris, the treaty the ended The Revolutionary War, was signed in the name of The Most Holy and undivided Trinity. Obviously, our Founding Fathers would not have protected Religious Liberty if they did not believe that Religion would serve to complement, and thus enhance the value of the State. No doubt, many have been conspiring to redefine Religious Liberty in an attempt to undermine the Christian values upon which this Nation was founded because they believe that once you take God out of the equation, anything can become permissible.
TO THE UNEDUCATED:
George Washington, First President of USA: “The United States of America should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy.”
~~~~~~
John Adams, Second President of the USA:
“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” ~ The Treaty of Tripoli – Tripoli of Barbary, Art. 11. – Authored by American diplomat Joel Barlow in 1796, the following treaty was sent to the floor of the Senate, June 7, 1797, where it was read aloud in its entirety and unanimously approved. John Adams, having seen the treaty, signed it and proudly proclaimed it to the Nation.
“As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?”
~~~~~~~
Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the USA and the principal author of the Declaration Of Independence:
“Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.”
“Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.”
“The Christian god is a three-headed monster, cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three-headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites.”
“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” ~ Thomas Jefferson wrote, in a letter to John Adams (April 11, 1823)
“Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”
~~~~~~~
James Madison a.k.a. ‘The Father of the Constitution of the United States of America, and the Fourth President of the United States:
“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.”
The book sounds worth reading. As the author states many Catholics don’t realize what is at stake if the Mandate is fully implemented. Martin Luther King stated that an unjust law does not have to be obeyed. This may require non-violent demonstrations at hospitals, colleges etc. and perhaps imprisonments. Will we be willing to really stand up for the issues at stake including the First Amendment?
Perhaps the author(s) need to be on EWTN.
Marie
Thank you Sabrina, Phyllis and Eagle Forum have been high on my list of icons ever since her valiant efforts to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. I have read her new book, and everyone that cares for the future of our nation must read it as well. For the first time in my 85 years, the future viability of the nation will be at serious risk in the coming election. If Obama wins, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment, liberty and religious freedom will be gone. Our Christian Republic will be dead in the water. The American dream will become a nightmare. My military career to defend our nation against the various forms of historically failed Socialist systems and the lives of all who ave died to give us freedom will have been in vain.
DEMISE OF TRUTH
In the modern world, truth is now seriously maligned,
while error is ever increasingly wrongly defined.
Evil is being whitewashed with an aura of good and right,
while moral values and principles are driven from sight.
A nation once endowed with God-given rights has lost trust,
and is now enamored with greed, licentiousness, and lust.
Americans must again honor our religious goal.
Our intended role was once to save our Immortal Soul.
A nation without God does not have our salvation in sight.
Religious freedom was once our inalienable right.
Let the God we once trusted again be our loyal guide.
Voters must ensure the leaders now in charge are defied.
Ruled by Socialism, a nation faces grief and woe.
That history has always revealed failure we know.
The Party of Life will gain the Republic intended.
The Party of Death means life is no longer defended.
The next election will bring final defeat or survival.
The Republic must depend on voters for revival.
If the current regime is not deposed, what will that cost?
Our nation and religious freedom will surely be lost.
Bob Rowland
IX/XXIII/MMXII
Nope, sorry the fairy tales are ending soon, atheism is growing faster than any belief system… Every “stand” religious organizations make create more atheists… Be my guest and be offended by this, if you are then you doubt your own faith as well and that makes me happy… I am an atheist and anti-theist…
“I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity.”—- Benjamin Franklin, Works, Vol. VII, p. 75
“As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?”—- John Adams, letter to F.A. Van der Kamp, Dec. 27, 1816
“What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not.”—- James Madison, “A Memorial and Remonstrance”, 1785
Our founding fathers were scientists, philosophers, and free thinkers. The vast majority of todays Christians are theists who old to specific doctrine and dogma. most of our founding fathers, George Washington, were deists. Deism is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a creator, accompanied with the rejection of revelation and authority as a source of religious knowledge. If our founding fathers were alive today most Christians would not recognize them as such. They would be deemed heretics by the Catholic Church and compared to false prophets by most other denominations. Some of our founding fathers were highly critical of Christianity.
http://www.barefootsworld.net/founding.html
In 1797, the United States Senate ratified a treaty with Tripoli that stated in Article 11:
As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.[48]
Because Article VI, clause 2 of the United States Constitution renders ratified treaties “the supreme Law of the Land”, the Treaty of Tripoli confirms that the government of the United States was specifically intended to be religiously neutral.
And WHO the He** is encroaching on your religious freedom, lady? Your freedom to enforce your own little world on me? In your little world, EVERYBODY has to believe the way YOU do, or that means your being threatened? Lady, you have some issues that religion ain’t gonna cure, let me tell you.
“In God, We Trust.” God with the capital G Is The Christian God. I rest my case.
To say that The United States is not founded on a particular Christian Religion, is not to say that The United States was not founded on Christian principles, after all, our Founding Fathers recognized that our fundamental, unalienable Rights were endowed to us from God, and thus they understood that the purpose of our fundamental, unalienable Rights, is what God intended.
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