What if Hobby Lobby decided that taxes were against their religious beliefs ?

[eppur_se_muova]

Of course, there are sure to be some out there who believe exactly that. Does the SCOTUS let them off the hook ? If not, there's only one way to rule consistently in the present case ...

[Tx4obama]

1. And covering AIDS patients/drugs or vaccines or blood transfusions, etc...

It is a huge slippery slope!

[yeoman6987]

3. If they feel that taxes are against their religion

then I imagine that they go to court to fight for not paying taxes. I would be surprised if they did that but who knows. We just have to wait until May or June to see what happens. I know a lot of folks were nervous about ACA in front of the Supreme Court. There was no need to worry because even Roberts voted to keep it. This may end up being the same situation.

[Ilsa]

2. I think these extensions of religious beliefs that

are not too unusual will help the SCOTUS to make a good ruling.

[NightWatcher]

4. They only believe in tithing 10% to god

It's the argument that's coming next.
1st they wanted to be able to use their freedom of speech to donate unlimited amounts in campaigns.
Now they want to claim religious freedom to hinder their employees health care.
Next they'll go for that and just happen to forget the line from the bible about rendering unto god what is god's and unto Caesar what is Caesar's.

[elleng]

5. That, and blood transfusions, etc etc etc.

[Aerows]

6. Benjamin Franklin said it best.

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch16s12.html

"He that does not like civil Society on these Terms, let him retire and live among Savages. He can have no right to the benefits of Society, who will not pay his Club towards the Support of it."

[madinmaryland]

7. Well, spending money on the war machine is against my religious beliefs, so I expect

that I should be let off the hook for paying 1/4 of my taxes.

[Bjorn Against]

8. Good point, this is a huge slippery slope

If the Supreme Court rules in Hobby Lobby's favor you will see all kinds of new "religious beliefs" being exercised by CEOs and I bet some of them will claim it is against their religion to pay taxes.

The other thing that really bothers me about this case is why are religious beliefs being put on a pedestal above all other beliefs? I am an atheist who has very strong beliefs about a lot of things but because my beliefs are not religious I can not claim exemption, if religious people can claim exemptions from the law for their beliefs why can't I claim any exemptions for my beliefs? Treating beliefs based on religion differently than the beliefs of people who are not religious seems to me to be unconstitutional on its face because it is granting legal priviliges based on religion which people who don't share the same faith are not granted the same decision to disregard the law, that seems discriminatory towards those who are not religious.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. I like your point. Why are "deeply held" religious beliefs *ASSUMED* to be ...

more important than secular beliefs, no matter how cherished or valiantly defended ?

Maybe the real reason is that people can't *HELP* what religious beliefs they hold, since they were brainwashed into accepting them from childhood. I'd like to see that presented as a legal argument by HL.