Posted on 04/03/2015 3:36:04 AM PDT by concernedcitizen76
Last week, Arlene's Flowers in Washington was fined $1,000 for declining a request to provide floral arrangements for the religious wedding service of gay men that she had served secularly for years. Citing her Christian convictions against participating in pagan rituals, grandma Barronelle Stutzman failed to prevail in her religious freedom case.
Faithful American Christians are increasingly under attack across the country by the gay lobby. Religious freedom is being radically and swiftly eroded. Remember the Houston 5, whose sermons and emails were subpoenaed as a repercussion of their opposition to the radical gay lobby in Houston, Texas.
It is a mark of national shame that the Religious Freedom Bill in Indiana—a Bill that mirrors President Clinton's Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act—is being exploited by the gay lobby during Holy Week. The country has been forced into a national conversation on deviant sexuality during the holiest time of year for Christians.
"Even radicalized jihadis have put war on hold during Ramadan," said Rev. CJ Conner, Author of Jesus and the Culture Wars: Reclaiming the Lord's Prayer.
"I'm encouraging Christian pastors, churches, florists, bakers and boutique merchants to join together in concrete and deliberate steps to take a stand and protect the principle of American Christian Liberty," said Conner.
Here's how:
Florists, Bakers, and Other Wedding-Related Businesses
Christian merchants who serve weddings can protect their religious liberty by only offering their services to Christian Churches in exclusive, binding contracts. Merchants can continue to provide all other services as usual, but protect the free practice of their faith by contracting exclusively and specifically with Bible believing congregations to provide wedding services for their members.
Merchants would not be limited to only one faith community, but would be free from offering wedding services to the general public.
Faithful Christian Congregations
Congregations who rent space out for wedding related events or services as an outreach ministry should modify their organizational by-laws so that their facilities are only available for use to confirmed members of the congregation. This is a good general rule of thumb for every congregation. As the gay lobby expands its agenda to target Christians and houses of worship directly, congregations that rent their space to any couple are at risk for costly legal action if they do not also rent to gay couples.
Congregations should also begin to identify Christian florists, bakers, caterers and wedding boutiques that share their values and enter into exclusive, binding contracts for the service of Christian weddings. This will help ensure the success of Christian-owned businesses while also protecting the religious liberty of Christian wedding merchants and congregations.
"The burgeoning agenda of the gay lobby will soon turn to other targets on the horizon, including the 'fair use' of sacred worship spaces. In fact, the Alliance Defending Freedom/Faith has warned that the next battle-front for Christian liberty could well be where churches charter Boy Scout Troops. Congregations that allow the Boy Scouts to use their facilities either for rent or for free are at risk of legal liability should they refuse to perform a gay marriage on the basis of religious liberty. The Boy Scouts have embraced the gay lobby and their agenda."
"It is telling that during this penitential season the nation has been embroiled in a discussion over sin. I urge Christians to pray for the leaders of the gay lobby, that the Resurrected Lord may lead them out of their darkness and into His light, that they might repent, and God might forgive them for their persecution of Christians," said Rev. Conner.
"For faithful Christians, we are called to the same long-suffering as our Lord Jesus who gave His all for us on the cross on Good Friday. To the extent that we can peacefully side-step and not engage the gay lobby at all, we will be free for gospel mission—to be a holy blessing to our communities and the world."
This is the pith of Reverend Conner’s plan:
“Florists, Bakers, and Other Wedding-Related Businesses
Christian merchants who serve weddings can protect their religious liberty by only offering their services to Christian Churches in exclusive, binding contracts. Merchants can continue to provide all other services as usual, but protect the free practice of their faith by contracting exclusively and specifically with Bible believing congregations to provide wedding services for their members.
Merchants would not be limited to only one faith community, but would be free from offering wedding services to the general public.
Faithful Christian Congregations
Congregations who rent space out for wedding related events or services as an outreach ministry should modify their organizational by-laws so that their facilities are only available for use to confirmed members of the congregation.
This is a good general rule of thumb for every congregation.
As the gay lobby expands its agenda to target Christians and houses of worship directly, congregations that rent their space to any couple are at risk for costly legal action if they do not also rent to gay couples.
Congregations should also begin to identify Christian florists, bakers, caterers and wedding boutiques that share their values and enter into exclusive, binding contracts for the service of Christian weddings. This will help ensure the success of Christian-owned businesses while also protecting the religious liberty of Christian wedding merchants and congregations.
“The burgeoning agenda of the gay lobby will soon turn to other targets on the horizon, including the ‘fair use’ of sacred worship spaces. In fact, the Alliance Defending Freedom/Faith has warned that the next battle-front for Christian liberty could well be where churches charter Boy Scout Troops.
Congregations that allow the Boy Scouts to use their facilities either for rent or for free are at risk of legal liability should they refuse to perform a gay marriage on the basis of religious liberty. The Boy Scouts have embraced the gay lobby and their agenda.”
“is to have the business established — through its charter, bylaws, etc. — as a religious organization. “
This used to be our society. Why are we backing up? To HELL with the filthy, UGLY deviants. If War is all they’ll have then so be it.
This is a purely defensive move. It may protect a few merchants but few congregations are of a size that they can support a merchant on an exclusive contract.
And as a defensive move it is defending only one front while the Christians of this country are under attack on multiple fronts.
The Christians of this country need an offensive strategy. If we are the majority we need to act like the majority and stop bending and apologizing to every cry of oppression. Christians are being oppressed in this country and other countries. It is we who should be protesting for relief from our oppressors.
The best defense is a good offense. Now we need a plan that is not defensive but offensive. We will not survive by hiding behind walls of legal technicality.
Does this mean that the Kosher Deli can be forced to serve ham?
I like the idea of being creative, thinking outside the box, and playing offense. I really do.
But I don’t like this particular plan. Let’s step back and see what the issue really is: it’s not cakes or flowers for gay ceremonies - it’s fabricated attacks. It would be far wiser to just quote very high prices and agree to do it. No one would actually accept the offer - they don’t WANT to get the cake or the flowers - they just want the issue.
Besides, I don’t think the “contract” idea would work. That itself could be challenged. But again, kudos to the mentality.
Send the protesters into the communities that practice sharia law to test the business for compliance!!!! Equal application of the law.
The short answer is “No” because ham is not part of their menu. The same deli probably doesn’t serve pizza, quail eggs, or champagne. The better question is whether a Kosher deli would be forced to add some of the cheese they do have on hand to a hamburger.
I had a meeting with an individual who had given birth but wanted to identify as the dad, her girlfriend identified as the mom and wanted me to keep the actual dad out of the picture. I told her the Court didn’t care about all that, but would identify the mom as whoever the baby came out of and the sperm provider as the dad and dad would have parenting time, period. It boggles the mind.
It's worth reflecting on this on Good Friday: When given a choice here in this world, most people will choose Barabbas.
They could re-establish as membership organizations. Charge members $5 per year. The member agreement would permit the organization to decline to perform a service which is not in compliance with the organization’s mission. Appeals can be made to the board. The board is comprised of family members of the former company. All board decisions are final.
It's not like they weren't warned about the price of discipleship.
“I hate to break this to you, but the idea of a “religious” society is really an anomaly in the modern world,...”
And yet Christians built the damn thing in the first place. Whatever. Not everyone will backup forever. I’m fine with that.
Homo-Bullies want to force Christians to act against their faith and seek them out to provoke and then sensationalize the encounters.
Let's start holding prayer-meeting at the local Star Bucks with Bibles on the table, heads bowed in vocal prayer and see how loud they squeal!
...I can just hear 'em, "Sorry, we don't allow Bibles and praying in here, it offends our Homo-Religion."
One homosexual will surreptitiously join the church then claim the benefit so this guys plan is naive
The only way for churches to defend against the gay-plague is to refuse to do any legal marriages. At this point no Christian couple should get a marriage license. No church should perform a “Legal” wedding in the eyes of the State. Have a church wedding but do not follow the state laws for marriage. Marriage is a religious institution not a secular one.
Look at the Oklahoma law that was just passed. That is the right direction. The state should not be in the business of granting marriage licenses. Let the faggots have there own perverted churches and do their own unholy marriages
Other than that the homonazis need to be taken to court for abridging the constitutional rights of businesses the pressure. They win the case because they control the dialog. Be the plaintiff not the defendant. Bankrupt them with lawsuit after lawsuit. Ask for a jury trial.
It's worth noting that these Christians who founded and built this country saw fit to make sure that the governing structures had either no religious influence, or were "religious" to an extent that was so watered down that it was meaningless.
They probably knew damn well that enshrining religion in a democratic governing process was a bad idea.
They probably knew damn well that enshrining religion in a democratic governing process was a bad idea.
They knew religion or morality can never be codified into law. They built a CULTURE and then allowed the left to pick it to death. The coda will be interesting...and it’s coming.
Yeah, but here’s the point: we already won in court. Remember the hobby lobby case?
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