The federal government may be shut down in part due to disagreements over funding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or, ObamaCare as it is more commonly known, but, it is still up and running to strip away our religious liberties.

There is a wide range of reasons against ObamaCare, no doubt. It seems as if the reasons to be against what has been nicknamed the “Unaffordable Care Act” have mostly to do with the economic cost.

The heart of the problem of ObamaCare, however, which every Christian should be concerned with, is the HHS Mandate requiring employers to provide contraception, sterilization and even abortifacients to their employees. Those employers with religious or moral objections are not exempt if they run a for-profit business. The administration has issued so-called “accommodations,” but their refusal to back down on exempting for-profit employers shows they don’t actually care much about compromise. Under this administration, there is no consideration of the consciences of Christian employers that object to birth control or even abortion.

Hobby Lobby has received much attention for suing the government over this unjust mandate. After rounds of legal battles, a federal court in Oklahoma has ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby. The government is now asking that the case be heard by the United States Supreme Court. With any hope, the high Court will hear the case, and rule in favor of our right to religious liberty.

LifeNews.com has discussed ObamaCare’s funding of abortion, several times this past week alone. One piece provides insight from U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), explaining how the Obama administration is breaking federal law to pay for abortions for members of Congress and staff through ObamaCare.

In a recent piece for cnsnews.com, “Obama Prohibits Practice of Catholicism in U.S.,” Terrence P. Jeffrey offers what some may consider a harsh criticism of the Obama administration and the contraception mandate. Jeffrey has no problem telling it like it is though. The truth of the matter is that the Obama administration is violating the consciences and faiths of practicing Catholics and other Christians throughout this great country.

In an equally passionate piece for World Net Daily, Troy Newman, president of Pro-Life Nation, explains why “Now I’m an unwilling Obamacare outlaw.” There are those willing to break the law to ensure that they do not have to fund abortion. Wwhen a law is so drastic, sometimes drastic measures must follow in return. As Newman says, “[t]his is not the case of a rebel searching for a cause.” This is a cause many, not just Newman, will proudly stand by.

From susbstituting “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship, to creating this unjust mandate, the Obama administration has shown it seriously lacks any respect for those with religious faith. “It’s against your beliefs to provide contraception? Well, that’s too bad, you’re living under the Obama administration.”

It is ironic though that this administration would alienate Catholics with such a health care plan. After all, the Roman Catholic Church is normally a supporter of universal health care, but could not support ObamaCare with it not only supporting, but insisting that others pay for it. The Roman Catholic Church rightly so stands in opposition, as must all Christians, for this reason.

It is worth noting that one of the many funding plans sent from the Republican controlled House of Representatives to the Senate included allowing employers to opt out of the contraceptive mandate. This plan came on Sunday, September 29, but was unfortunately rejected and even stripped by the House for future attempts at negotiations.

In his piece, Jeffrey discusses legislation endorsed by bishops, the Health Care Conscience Rights Act. He also mentions that the plan proposed above by the House would satisfy what was hoped for by the bishops, at least until January 1, 2015.

After this plan was scrapped though, Jeffrey laments that “[n]ow neither party in either the House or the Senate is seeking to protect the freedom of conscience from Obama’s tyrannical regulation.”

To be fair, we can at least credit the Republican controlled House for at least making an attempt. If the Democrat controlled Senate, as well as the President, will not negotiate on religious liberty and conscience protection, there is little that can be done.

There are, no doubt, many reasons to oppose ObamaCare. Christians and others who wish to protect religious liberty as a fundamental right will do well to remember that the insistence of providing contraception and funding of abortion is what is at the heart of the matter. Fertility is not a disease, and abortion is never health care.