By Katy Talento for THE CHRISTIAN POST
Under the shadowy figures running the Biden administration, the FBI targeted Christians. The FBI actually used the “hate map” generated by the infamous anti-American Southern Poverty Law Center. Unfortunately, the war on Christians didn’t end with the last election. There are other forces in the public square who reject the God-given rights to free speech and free exercise of religion recognized by the First Amendment and who are targeting Christians.
Specifically, those hostile to faith have set their sights on an even more vulnerable minority than traditional Catholics, or Christian cake-bakers in Colorado: members of Health Care Sharing Ministries. There are only about a million members of Health Care Sharing Ministries in the United States. Some smaller states are home to only a few hundred. Yet, a rising handful of blue state legislators, in league with obnoxious, atheist media figures like John Oliver and national atheist associations, are taking aim at these ministries (more on this below). Why is there an orchestrated effort to squelch the First Amendment rights of these groups?
The problem seems to boil down to this: Health Care Sharing Ministries are not health insurance. Health Care Sharing Ministries are 501(C)3 nonprofit charities. They convene communities of like-minded religious believers and facilitate the sharing of medical bills between them, praying for one another and supporting each other in their health journeys.
Each member of a Health Care Sharing Ministry agrees to the ministry statement of shared religious beliefs. Members also agree to the sharing guidelines and, for most ministries, commit to living a healthy lifestyle. Members in these ministries share more than a billion dollars each year in medical expenses with each other, including expensive bills for chemotherapy and heart bypasses, as well as more routine procedures.
