From Odyssey Network’s Faith on the Record series: This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Sebelius v Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. This is a moment to examine not just what “freedom of religion” means, but how to find new solutions as well. When it concerns the toughest questions, the new answers we seek rarely come from grilling the other person about what they believe…
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Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”
Although I agree with your video, I don?t understand why people aren?t questioning why birth control, for the prevention of pregnancy, is covered under the Affordable Health Care Act. It doesn?t seem to me to be a woman?s health issue. Therefore, it shouldn?t be a religious freedom issue. Personally, I don?t care what people do in the privacy of their bedroom; however, I don?t want to have to pay for it.
JfromCA,
I would simply say that while not a health issue in the sense of preventing or treating disease, it is about how a woman treats/cares for/uses her body, and that’s not a crazy way to imagine “health issue”, is it? You are right that placing it in that category is itself a political decision which advantages the issue, but I am not sure that matters in this case.
By definition, as citizens, we agree to pay for all sorts of things with which we disagree, and while I would like to see better workarounds for people in that position re birth control, those people would still need to be open to the fact that they will be paying for a system that provides for birth control as medical choice to be made by the women who uses it. To this point, that remains a principle which they reject.
Thanks for reading! -Brad
Brad, I love this change in point of view. I so agree that we learn more by examining ourselves rather than grilling others. Thanks for sharing this.