Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act
We should all be very proud of the state of Indiana, and especially of the governor, for standing for religious liberty. Religious liberty is a God-given right, and also a right explicitly protected by the constitution of the United States.
The new law is not new at all. The federal government has had the same law in place since 1993. It passed in the House unanimously, and it passed in the Senate with a vote of 97-3. It was ultimately signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Even Barrack Obama voted in favor of the same law when he was a state senator in Illinois. We have our own version of the law in the great state of Louisiana, I'm proud to say.
Don't be fooled by the liberal media or the radical homosexual activists. The purpose of this law is not to give people the right to discriminate against gays; it protects people of all religions from being forced by the government to violate their consciences. No one should be forced by the government to disobey God.
The law doesn't give people the right to refuse service to gays. Hopefully, however, this law can be used to protect Christian business owners who think it is a sin to participate in or promote a gay wedding. Again, no one should be forced by the government to disobey God.
Tolerance is a two-way street. Gays want tolerance. So do Christians. We want the the freedom to exercise our religion. That is why our country was founded.
According to the Bible, it is a sin for me to force someone to do something they think is sinful, even if I don't think the behavior is sinful. This is true tolerance. This is true respect.
As well, if I go to a Muslim-owned bakery and they refuse to make me a cake that says "Jesus is the only way to God," I can tolerate that. I would not want the government to step in and force them to engage in what they might consider blasphemy. I would rather find another bakery, or bake my own cake, or go without cake.
Don't get this wrong. The intolerance and bigotry and hatred in our culture is not coming from Christians toward gays, by and large. Believing what the Bible teaches does not make you a bigot. The hatred and intolerance are coming from those on the far left who want to punish anyone who believes that gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle are immoral.
We must love gays. We must love our country and obey the law. But loving God and obeying His word comes first.
The new law is not new at all. The federal government has had the same law in place since 1993. It passed in the House unanimously, and it passed in the Senate with a vote of 97-3. It was ultimately signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Even Barrack Obama voted in favor of the same law when he was a state senator in Illinois. We have our own version of the law in the great state of Louisiana, I'm proud to say.
Don't be fooled by the liberal media or the radical homosexual activists. The purpose of this law is not to give people the right to discriminate against gays; it protects people of all religions from being forced by the government to violate their consciences. No one should be forced by the government to disobey God.
The law doesn't give people the right to refuse service to gays. Hopefully, however, this law can be used to protect Christian business owners who think it is a sin to participate in or promote a gay wedding. Again, no one should be forced by the government to disobey God.
Tolerance is a two-way street. Gays want tolerance. So do Christians. We want the the freedom to exercise our religion. That is why our country was founded.
According to the Bible, it is a sin for me to force someone to do something they think is sinful, even if I don't think the behavior is sinful. This is true tolerance. This is true respect.
As well, if I go to a Muslim-owned bakery and they refuse to make me a cake that says "Jesus is the only way to God," I can tolerate that. I would not want the government to step in and force them to engage in what they might consider blasphemy. I would rather find another bakery, or bake my own cake, or go without cake.
Don't get this wrong. The intolerance and bigotry and hatred in our culture is not coming from Christians toward gays, by and large. Believing what the Bible teaches does not make you a bigot. The hatred and intolerance are coming from those on the far left who want to punish anyone who believes that gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle are immoral.
We must love gays. We must love our country and obey the law. But loving God and obeying His word comes first.
