Remarks of Christy Stutzman
Fort Wayne Rally for Religious Freedom, 11 August 2012
It is such a thrill to be here today and see this great crowd of concerned citizens exercising their right to free speech. Thank you for taking the time to be here, to take a stand for freedom and against this administrations latest act of tyranny.
Cathie Humbarger asked me to speak from a woman's perspective about this HHS mandate in Obamacare, and so I've prepared a few thoughts to share with you as a concerned woman, wife and mother.
The Gift of Womanhood
As a woman, I find the very basis of the thought behind this law demeaning to womanhood. This false concept that the gift of womanhood, granted to me by God, is a “problem” that needs to be solved in order to make me equal in society, or is a physical ailment that needs to be fixed with a pill or a surgery, is completely offensive and degrading! The fact that God chose to make me a woman, able to conceive and give birth to another life, and have a part in the miracle that is motherhood, is not a mistake of evolution — it is not a curse of nature — it is not a hurdle to be overcome on my way to equality in society!
In the Judeo-Christian system of principles, womanhood is celebrated and enjoyed in its own right as an equal blessing from God. Look around the world at societies based on Judeo-Christian principles, and you will find that the women in that society are honored, respected and celebrated for their special gifts and contributions as equal partners in that society. But the trend in politically correct American society today treats pregnancy as a disease to be treated and cured, and views women as only equal with men when we are willing to deny our uniqueness as women!
This is upside down! Denying the gift of womanhood in order to be accepted in society is not freedom — it is slavery! Rejecting the Author of liberty and His plan for blessing and joy, in order to be accepted as a contributing member of society, is a recipe for disaster for any society! I refuse to accept the lie that women have a desire to live a promiscuous life, have no ties or committed relationships, care more about their own bodies than they do about the lives of their own children, think of an unplanned child as a punishment or think that they should do all of this without any thought of consequences for their actions.
A twisted, failed philosophy
It is juvenile to think that there are no consequences in life. The laws of nature can not be reversed no matter how man fights against them. From gravity, to sowing and reaping, to cause and effect, there are unchangeable laws that order our world. It is so ridiculous to fly in the face of God and his laws and go against your own intended purpose, and then expect to find happiness and contentment in life. It has never worked, and it will not work for America.
And yet, this is the premise on which Obamacare is based. Based on this twisted, failed philosophy, Obamacare challenges the very fundamentals of our society and dares us to reject their mandates. They believe that we have slowly accepted this idea that women’s “defect” can be fixed with a pill or a procedure — in fact they try to say that it is our “right” to fix what they view as a mistake in the laws of nature! They actually believe that our desire for their false concept of “equality” will drive us to deny the very fiber of who we are, abandon common sense and give away our faith and our freedoms in order to gain their warped version of equality.
Seeing this crowd here today, I believe that the Obama administration bet wrong! There is a silent majority that has begun to stand and shout a message loud and clear that we will not be silent anymore. We may not have a media megaphone, but we still have the ballot!
As Americans, we have never wanted the government to be involved in our lives, other than to provide basic services for which we are willing to pay through taxes and fees, as long as we find them reasonable. We understand that our liberties were given to us by God, not by the government. As a nation, we the people have established our government, and limited its powers...until now.
Foto: Bob Hartenstein, Redeemer Radio
Foto: Allen County Right to Life
At what point in history did we begin to give away our power and our voice in our own destiny? When did we swallow the lie that the government has better solutions to our problems than the Word of God, or that politicians could better provide for our needs than our Heavenly Father? What nation in history has ever survived after replacing God’s answers with an all-powerful government?
The Administration’s War on Compassion
Star Parker , a great champion for Christian and conservative principles, recently spoke at a rally like this in another state. She said this, “Let’s talk about the cost of the loss of services by Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians and so many other religious denominations who provide services to our nation’s most vulnerable and needy citizens. They have only three options as a result of this Obamacare Mandate. Their options are:
- Bow the knee to Nebuchadnezzar,
- Pay a crippling fine to Caesar, or
- Leave the business of serving those in need.
Why is the Obama administration declaring war on the ‘least of these?’”
And I agree wholeheartedly! Ask yourselves: What is the work of the church that the Obamacare mandate has declared war on? It is Providing assistance to the elderly, the weak, the hungry, the needy. Providing care and assistance to the fearful and the hopeless at homeless shelters, adoption agencies, missions and crisis pregnancy centers; healthcare clinics, food banks, daycares and hospitals. The quiet, faithful work of Christians across this great land — ministering to millions of elderly in nursing homes, reaching out to help hundreds of thousands of homeless in our streets, caring for 500,000 orphans in foster care and other programs, saving thousands of lives whose silent cries plead with us to let them have a chance to live — that quiet, faith-filled work is under attack in this legislation. It is on this great work of Christian ministry, care and compassion that the Obama Administration has declared war.
Stand for Faith, Freedom and the Constitution
Today, at this rally for Faith and Freedom in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we stand as men and women, mothers and fathers, young and old, rich and poor and declare together that we do not accept the Obama administration’s attempt to re-define our society, to deny our rights to personal faith and conviction and our freedom to follow our conscience. Our rights to live our lives, run our businesses and conduct our charities according to the free exercise of our own conscience before God are unalienable, because they were given to us by God.
It doesn't matter if we are mandated to pay the insurance company to cover our employees for services against which we believe, or if we are denied the right to sing God Bless America on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, we must continue to stand, to speak out, to take action and to work for the restoration of our God-given rights, until the work is done. The price of freedom truly is eternal vigilance.
It is my prayer that you will leave today with an unshakeable resolve to do whatever it takes to stand for freedom, to stand for righteousness and defend the Constitution as never before. The battle has been so long that it has turned into a war. We have lost many skirmishes along the way; but for the sake of our children, we have no choice but to win this war.
This is our challenge and with God’s help, we can summon the conviction and courage of our Founding Fathers and stand united for freedom once again! May God bless you as you take action in this great work, and May God see fit to continue to bless our beloved nation, the United States of America!
Christy Stutzman lives in Howe, Indiana with her husband, Congressman Marlin Stutzman, and their two sons, Peyton and Preston.