Mass Appeal: Evangelicals Copy More of Catholic Playbook to Oppose Contraception Ruling
"Sometimes they take too long to respond because they want to get their ducks in a row," Beckwith said.
Americans appear divided on whether contraception must be provided by religious employers. Among those familiar with the debate, 48 percent support an exemption for religious institutions that object to the use of contraceptives, while 44 percent say they should be required to cover contraceptives just like other employers, according to a February poll from the Pew Center. A 2010 survey from the NAE and Gallup showed that about 90 percent of evangelicals believe hormonal and barrier methods of contraception to be morally acceptable. However, the Pew poll found that evangelicals are more likely than Catholics to believe that religious groups should be exempted; 68 percent of evangelicals favor an exemption, compared to 55 percent of Catholics.
"Questions about the proper use of our sexual powers are irreducibly religious because they're connected to what the good life is and how we treat others," Beckwith said. "People can make a distinction between what they believe and the right of others to hold different views."
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Related Elsewhere:
Other Christianity Today articles on the contraception mandate include:
Erasing Women: How Both Sides Contribute to the Media Blackout on Female Pro-Lifers | We could work harder to prevent unfortunate photo-ops. (February 20, 2012)
Where the Women Were During the House Contraception Mandate Hearing | The effort to tarnish religious freedom concerns as sexism is clever but wrong. (February 17, 2012)
Obama Does Not Widen Religious Exemption for Contraceptive Mandate | The burden to cover contraception shifts to the insurance companies, but an earlier exemption for religious groups will not change. (February 10, 2012)
Evangelicals Mounting Concerns over Obama Administration's Contraceptive Mandate | Protestants are increasingly joining Catholics in protesting Health & Human Services mandate. (February 3, 2012)
See CT's news section and liveblog for more news updates.
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Comments
Edgar Hathaway
On June 8th at noon there will be another set of local rallies all over the nation. I attended the previous rally ( at Independence Hall in Philadelphia) . It opened with prayer, hymns were sung, it was conducted in a peaceful, thoughtful and patriotic manner. The speakers were top notch. At the close of the opening prayer, I looked up and saw about 80% of the crowd making the sign of the cross. I am a Methodist. I hope that future rallies will have greater Evangelical attendance. This is NOT a Roman Catholic issue, it is about the right of "free exercise of religion" found in the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution. This is an issue all Americans should seriously and prayerfully consider. If no exception is made by the administration, we should all "remember in November" and vote accordingly, and get all like minded family members, friends and neighbors to do likewise.
Gabrielle LeBlanc
The absence of any mention of abortifacient drugs is disturbing. Also a point that doesn't get mentioned as often as it ought to be: why should ANYONE pay for someone ELSE's CONTRACEPTION? This is not something that needs to be, or ought to be, covered by insurance, considering that access to contraception and abortion was won on the principle of the right to PRIVACY.