This week we will look at some of the cracks that have appeared in the foundation principles of this nation. In a democratic republic like ours, power goes to elected officials who run for office and win votes. They make laws and enforce laws that promote either liberty or tyranny. This is a political reality in our ‘modern’ world, and if we want laws that protect our religious freedom, we must help elect Christian candidates. The alternative is, we will be ruled by evildoers who impose tyranny and destroy freedom. Most citizens, including Christians, do not take the time to really investigate the backgrounds of candidates or what they support and do not support. This is the value we find in voter guides produced by Christian organizations who want to cut through the confusion and help Christian voters in a quick glance see where the candidates stand. Face recognition and media hype is not always a good indicator. Our government foundations can only be maintained…repaired…by candidates who understand and support Judeo/Christian principles and the value they played in creating this nation. Let us now look at a few situations where the secular world has tried to confuse our Christian principles with what on the surface appears to be compassion and inclusivity.
In 2015 the Supreme Court redefined marriage, pointing to an amicus brief filed by ‘religious freedom’ expert Douglas Laycock:
“Must pastors, priests, and rabbis provide religious marriage counseling to same sex couples? Must religious colleges provide married student housing to same sex couples? Must churches and synagogues employ spouses in same sex marriages, even though such employees would be persistently and publicly flouting the religious teachings they would be hired to promote? Must religious organizations provide spousal fringe benefits to the same sex spouses of any such employees they do hire? Must religious social-service agencies place children for adoption with same sex couples? Already, Catholic Charities in Illinois, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia has closed its adoption units because of this issue. Religious colleges, summer camps, day care centers, retreat houses, counseling centers, meeting halls, and adoption agencies may be sued under public accommodation laws for refusing to offer their facilities or services to same sex couples. Or they may be penalized by loss of licensing, accreditation, government contracts, access to public facilities, or tax exemption”
. [Douglas Laycock et al,”Brief as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioners, Supreme Court of the United States, Case Nos. 14-556, 14-562, 14-571, and 14-574].
Those are the observations of a pro-gay marriage ‘religious liberty’ advocate! Just two years ago…2016…the chairman of the US Commission on Civil Rights warned that religious exemptions of issues involving sexual orientation and gender identity “significantly infringe upon these civil rights”. [Peaceful Coexistence, US Commission of Civil Rights, September 2016]. Here are some of his remarks:
“The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy, or any form of intolerance. Religious liberty was never intended to give one religion dominion over other religions, or a veto power over the civil rights and civil liberties of others. However, today, as in the past, religion is being used as both a weapon and a shield by those seeking to deny others equality. In our nation’s past, religion has been used to justify slavery and later, Jim Crow laws. We now see ‘religious liberty’ arguments sneaking their way back into our political and constitutional discourse (just like the concept of ‘state rights’) in an effort to undermine the rights of some Americans. This generation of Americans must stand up and speak out to ensure that religion never again be twisted to deny others the full promise of America.” [Ibid].
By his standards Christian principles are now the enemy. I hope that now you understand why it is imperative that Christians take a stand to defend religious liberty, otherwise, we’re going to be worshipping in ‘underground’ churches. I wonder just how many ‘church-going’ Christians are aware that such is going on? The ‘silence’ of many churches is ‘deafening’. A policy of ‘go along to get along’ is not going to work. Our churches must take up the gauntlet to educate their congregations and to use the power of their organizations to powerfully influence government. With all the other committees churches have, why not have a committee that monitors what is going on in the world of politics and factually report those happenings?
This is by no means the end of the stories to be told. Next week we will see how ‘god-haters’ like Mikey Weinstein have made inroads into our military and our public education system. This is not the ‘Twilight Zone” but reality in today’s world.
– Bob Munsey
Geezer Politics 