Tag Archives: gay “agenda”

More Evidence of Civic Ignorance

Over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars, Ed Brayton quotes a column written by one of those “serious news” folks from increasingly  absurd Fox News.

Joe Carr believes a day is fast approaching when pastors will be charged with hate crimes for preaching that homosexuality is a sin and churches will face lawsuits for refusing to host same-sex weddings.

“It’s just a matter of time,” said Carr, the pastor of Waynesville Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia. “What’s happening in Europe – we’re going to see happen here and we’re going to see it happen sooner rather than later I’m afraid.”

And that’s why the congregation will be voting next month to change their church bylaws – to officially ban the usage of their facilities for gay marriages.

“We needed to have a clear statement,” Carr told Fox News. “It’s to protect us from being forced to allow someone to use our facilities who does not believe what we believe the Bible teaches.”

In how many ways is this unbelievably stupid?

First–and most important–the U.S. Constitution has this provision called the First Amendment. The First Amendment includes something called the Free Exercise Clause–and that Clause absolutely prohibits government from telling churches what to preach or who to marry. Your church can preach hate, it can ban gays, blacks, unwed mothers or smart-ass bloggers–your church can refuse to conduct same-sex marriages, interfaith marriages, or marriages between ducks and drakes…whatever your doctrinal pleasure, no matter how unwelcoming or bizarre.

READ MY LIPS: the government can’t make you change your theology or your practices. You are safe from the assaults of the homosexual hordes.

Feel better?

On the other hand, if the government actually could impose its will on your church–if there was no Free Exercise Clause, and if (as you seem to believe) a Supreme Court decision mandating equality could be applied to churches and religious bodies–do you seriously think that changing your bylaws would protect you?  Try to think (I know it’s hard). If your church changed its rules and declared its church van would no longer observe the speed limit, do you really think that would protect you from getting a ticket?

And by the way–if you own your church, you get to say who uses it. Even if your bylaws don’t spell that out.

This is why civics teachers and lawyers drink.

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Speaking of “Agendas”

A friend sent me a copy of this year’s American Family Action Pac political questionnaire. Rather than characterize it, I decided to let it speak for itself. (The odd numbering and format are original.)

Indiana Family Action PAC  2012 Questionnaire for State Candidates

Please circle the response that most accurately reflects your position on the following issues.

(SF=Strongly Favor; F-Favor; U=Undecided; O=Oppose; SO=Strongly Oppose; Y=Yes; N=No)

  1. 1.   Education – Protect and expand parental choice options provided in current law to allow all parents

the opportunity to receive a voucher to send their children to any public, private, religious or home

school of their choice.                                                                                                                  SF     F     U     O     SO

  1.  Education – Allow parents dedicated to their children’s education to home-school their children

without imposing additional state regulations, other than that which is already required in state law.   SF     F     U     O     SO

3. Education – Redefine “bullying” so that students who express opposition to the public promotion of

homosexuality in public schools will be guilty of “bullying” if they offend students who have taken

 on a homosexual identity.                                                                                                                     SF     F     U     O     SO

4.Academic Liberty – The teaching of evolution is currently an educational requirement for teachers in

Indiana public schools.  Protect Indiana teachers within state law so that they can also discuss the

problems and weaknesses of evolutionary theory.                                                                                   SF     F     U     O     SO

5.Business – Some Indiana cities have increased regulations on businesses by adding “sexual orientation” and

“gender identity” to the list of protected classes that get special rights. State law does not require businesses

to treat these groups as protected classes.  Require all levels of government to recognize the list

 of specially protected classes within state law in order to give businesses uniform regulations. SF     F     U     O     SO

6. Faith – Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior.  I believe the God of the Bible is sovereign

over all of life, including public policy, and I will use biblical principles to guide how I vote.                       Y              N         

7. Homosexual agenda – Change state discrimination law to protect an employee’s sexual

    preferences in the same way that race, religion, age, gender and ancestry are protected.                  SF     F     U     O     SO

8. Marriage – Increase the time a married couple with minor children must wait for a divorce

(current law is 60 days) in order to give them a longer opportunity to work toward reconciliation.          SF     F     U     O     SO

9. Marriage – Amend the Indiana Constitution as follows:   “Only a marriage between one (1) man

and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or

substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.”     SF     F     U     O     SO

10. Abortion – Prohibit abortion by law except when the life of the mother is in danger.                         SF     F     U     O     SO

11. Abortion – As the medical abortion field explodes (abortion pills like RU486), make Indiana law apply

the same standards for dispensing abortion pills as it does for surgical abortions (i.e., define it in the law,

require licensing and regulatory standards, require key health and safety standards, and require

informed consent/patient information standards).                                                                 .                    SF     F     U     O     SO

12. Taxes – Increase state taxes in order to provide more services.                                              SF     F     U     O     SO

13. Taxes – Discontinue all direct and indirect state support of the Kinsey Institute

 (controversial “sex research” organization in Bloomington, IN)                                                    SF     F     U     O     SO

14. Gambling – Prohibit Casinos in Indiana.                                                                               SF     F     U     O     SO

15. Sex industry – Require strip clubs to close at midnight and make them ineligible for

Liquor licenses.  Require dancers to remain at least 6 feet away from customers at all times.             SF     F     U     O     S

Anyone who “favors”  numbers 5, 7 and 12  will clearly be opposed; the language of the others–especially #6–is simply jaw-dropping. These folks are the ones with an “agenda”– and it is anti-science, anti-gay, anti-sex and deeply, profoundly un-American.

When the American Family folks endorse someone, remember that these are the positions that candidate has promised to support.

As another friend put it–so many Christians, so few lions….

 


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