A case before the U.S. Supreme Court right now could redraw the line between faith and government. On Monday, the justices gave some clues about how their leaning on this significant issue.
As CBN News has been reporting, the Catholic Charities case has far-reaching implications for all faith-based groups.
At issue: Should religious organizations like Catholic Charities have to pay state unemployment taxes or get a religious exemption, like churches? And just how religious does an organization need to be to qualify for a tax exemption?
The charity asked the justices on Monday to reverse a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that labels its work as "not typical" religious activity and therefore, not entitled to an exemption.
Both liberal and conservative justices expressed concern that the state court went too far in its ruling.
During the hearing, Justice Neil Gorsuch questioned, "Is Wisconsin going to go around – 'This soup kitchen, you have this {religious} service, they're good to go. But that one, they just invite you to service after the soup, they're bad'? Is it really? I would have thought this would entangle the state and religion a whole lot more than a non-discrimination rule between religions."
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On CBN's Faith Nation, Daniel Suhr with the Center for American Rights explained why this case is so important for people of faith across the country.
"Because it poses the fundamental question, are we going to contract how the law views religion to just what happens on Sunday morning OR anytime the people are motivated by their faith to go out and do good deeds, throughout the week, will we recognize that also as the free exercise of religion? That's the question at the heart of this case," Suhr said.
The court's opinion is expected this summer in June or early July, with far-reaching implications, however it rules.
MORE About the Case HERE: The Question Now Before the Supreme Court: Is Serving the Needy Religious or Not?
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