Hobby Lobby to defy Obamacare contraception mandate, face millions in fines

Green is a member of Council Road Baptist Church in Bethany, Okla., according to the Associated Baptist Press. The ABP quoted a Dec. 29 blog by Council Road Pastor Rick Thompson, who defended the Greens and described the mandate and court rulings against them “disgusting, frustrating and egregious.”

“Hobby Lobby is not some impersonal corporate conglomerate,” Thompson said. “It is a family-owned business. And as a good friend and pastor to many in this family, I know them up close and personal. These are not corporate tycoons. These are not people who fly corporate jets and flaunt their wealth. They are by all appearances an average American family with traditional American values. They are about the least materialistic family you would ever meet. They give most of their money away, pay their taxes, love their family, serve their church. They are patriotic, humble and outstanding role models and servants to their community. They quietly support a multitude of charitable causes around the world.”

The ABP also cited an earlier statement by Green: “Our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families. We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.”