More rights for corporations are changing the meaning of human

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's."
-- MATTHEW 22:21

Over the centuries, this verse has been interpreted as Christ telling the Pharisees that they should pay taxes and obey secular law.

In fact, when Pilate asked him about the nature of his kingdom, Jesus responds by saying, "My kingdom is not of this world."

And until the late 1970s, most religious people in this country accepted the difference between secular life and religious life. But with television evangelists like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell preaching a far more conservative Christian theology, their followers cared less about separation of church and state than they did about building a more moral society.

Moral -- with their morals.

Many of the biggest battles of the last 35 years have been fought over how moral our society should be, and who gets to decide what those moral standards are. And while it is true that a vast majority of Americans self-identify as "Christian," that ranges from the most conservative fundamentalists and evangelicals all the way to liberal denominations that are pro-women's rights, pro-same sex marriage and pro-choice on abortion.

Things became much more complex when the conservative Supreme Court issued its Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission in 2010, ruling that corporations should have the same rights as individuals. While the first ripple from the stone came with corporations throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into campaign contributions, it's the second ripple that may matter even more.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act and its employer mandates, some companies have protested that providing certain kinds of coverage -- birth control, for example -- would be against their religious beliefs.

Hobby Lobby is a national crafts-store chain owned and operated by people who call themselves Christians. They are closed on Sundays and they market mostly to Christians. Indeed, they make a point of saying that during the holiday season, they make Christmas decorations but nothing for Hanukkah and other holidays.

So here's the question, thanks to the Supreme Court and Citizen's United:

Can a corporation be religious?

If the court upholds Hobby Lobby's lawsuit, they will have basically lifted corporations to a status above two-legged people.

Think about it.

Corporations will have the same rights as individuals when it comes to donating money to political campaigns.

They will also have the right to avoid mandates by saying their religious beliefs are being violated.

But if a corporation declares bankruptcy, the personal wealth of the individuals who make up that corporate entity will be protected from the lawsuit.

Damn, those corporations sure are slick.