Steve Brown’s defense of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was quite well done. Thanks to him for making the point without resorting to ad hominem attacks or gross mis-characterizations of his opponents.
For those who worry about the RFRA being used to once again justify slavery, Jim Crow, or the “Handmaid’s Tale,” I think you should rest at ease. Using religion to imprison or deny someone their constitutional rights is not the preeminent threat in our day and age.
And how could progressives or Democrats think that with all their legal and cultural victories (abortion on demand, gay marriage, closing down Catholic adoption agencies, etc.) that somehow in this moment they are under threat from Christians? (It’s interesting how they do not fear Muslims, Buddhists, or Zoroastrians….)
And yet, they do. They believe a theocracy lies right around the corner and that we Christians will be able to sweep aside common sense, reason, the Constitution, and the shared traditions of our 243-year-old country and establish some sort of Christian caliphate.
Or at least, maybe pass a small restriction on abortion (gasp!).
But the real threat to our populace today is not directed at the forces of progressivism, but at those traditional Christians who hold to orthodox belief and practice of that faith.
Just this week, Vice President Pence’s wife was castigated by the Washington Post and New York Times for having the temerity to work for a Christian daycare, which explicitly affirms its traditional biblical principles.
Recently, Sen. Kamala Harris deemed a judicial nominee unfit because he was — gasp again — a member of the Knights of Columbus, who also affirm traditional Christian beliefs.
It is now the case that if you are not for abortion or same-sex marriage, then you are not only wrong, but you are disqualified from public office or the default respect we are called to confer on any U.S. citizen.
And so, those of us who adhere to such convictions are no longer allowed to “live and let live,” as we were told would be the case. Rather, we are increasingly being described as “evil” and deserving of nothing but contempt.
So, if a church declines to hire a person who says they will advocate abortion rights to a elementary Sunday school class, they may be in violation of certain state or local laws, or at least may be sued. The RFRA and other such laws attempt to protect religious institutions from being denied their right to practice their faith and to make choices about employment or event hosting that accord with their religious beliefs.
Hey, if any church stands up and calls for denying progressives the vote or for imprisoning illegal immigrants, I will join progressives in condemning their views and saying that the first amendment does not protect their right to do something so egregious.
But if you want it to be illegal for my pastor to preach the clear and consistent teaching of 2,000, nay, 4,000 years and say that accepting certain tenets of the progressive agenda is now REQUIRED, not just suggested, then I will disagree with you and fight for our rights to believe and practice our faith as we see fit.
Name withheld by request
