One of the other interesting side stories with this HHS mandate is the effects it could have on the "Arab Spring" - the push for democracy in many Arab states throughout the world that have been occurring over the course of the past year.
One of Islam's biggest critiques of democracy has been that it could allow secularism to obliterate religious belief. Most Islamic countries have long been under theocratic rule where the government and the Islamic Faith are one.
Many in the West, both secular and Christian, have been telling Islamic peoples and nations that they need not fear the religious plurality that democracy allows, but how could Muslim peoples see what is happening now in our country and not be afraid of democracy? The President is putting on a display for all the world to see exactly what many Muslims fear in democracy - precisely the situation where a secular government wages a war on religious beliefs.
As John Paul II said OVER AND OVER, democracy is not a sure thing. He noted many times that it seems like the best thing, but it is not objective in nature, and must be monitored vigilantly or it can become precisely what it has become in the U.S.
I find it highly ironic that at a time when we are trying to help others usher in democracy in their nations, we are, at the same time, showing them how their fears of democracy are rightly justified.
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