Free Republic

Future historians will likely be flummoxed by the moment we're living in. In what amounts to less than a blink of an eye in the history of Western civilization, homosexuality has gone from a diagnosed mental disorder to something to be celebrated -- or else. Indeed, the rush to mandatory celebration is so intense, refusal is now considered tantamount to a crime. And, in some rare instances, an actual crime if the right constable or bureaucrat concludes that you have uttered "hate speech." Or, if you refuse to bake a gay couple a cake for their wedding. That was the...

"Christian Leaders to Obama: Thanks for Standing Up for Religious Freedom Abroad; Please Protect Religious Freedom in US Too" Ten Christian leaders sent a Wednesday letter to President Barack Obama, thanking him for his National Prayer Breakfast speech in which he called for expanding religious freedom abroad. They also urged him to pay greater attention to his own policies that are infringing upon the religious freedom of his own citizens. "As religious leaders we write to express our appreciation to you for lifting up the issue of international religious liberty in your recent address at the National Prayer Breakfast," they...

SB 1062 is not about religious freedom, it's about forced labor.For the last few days, I, like many Americans, have been furious about SB 1062 . . . only I have been angry for a different reason than most. Opponents are angry because they think the bill is "mean" or that it allows discrimination against certain groups of people. Some people are even claiming that it somehow mandates discrimination. Supporters are angry because they don't like the idea that a private citizen can be forced to engage in a transaction that violates his or her religious beliefs. I am angry because I believe...

It is sad that we, in the 21st century, are at this point in the United States of America. We should be willing to leave each other alone and have basic respect for one another. We should not wish to impose our views on others or force others to serve us against their will. Unfortunately, in the name of tolerance, a group of activists nationwide believes that if you do not worship at the altar of gay marriage, your business must be shut down — you must be punished. Sadly, they are also winning in court. This necessitates legislatures passing...

Back when gay rights advocates were first pushing for gay marriage, they claimed that they only wanted equality and that no one would be compelled to participate in gay marriage events.They lied.As soon as gay marriage went on the books, and in some states where it wasn’t even on the books, religious bakeries and photographers were assaulted with demands that they participate in gay ceremonies, sued if they didn’t and ordered to take part in gay ceremonies or face fines… and even jail time.States have responded by trying to pass measures that will protect religious freedom and freedom of...

Four years after igniting a national uproar over immigration, the Arizona Legislature has jumped into the battle over gay rights with a piece of legislation that had opponents on Friday predicting business boycotts against the state. The legislation allows business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to refuse service to gays, and all eyes are on Republican Gov. Jan Brewer as she decides whether to sign the bill. A decision is likely next week. The conservative governor is already feeling pressure from the business community to veto the bill passed late Thursday. A prominent Phoenix group believes it would be...

Arizona has passed a bill that is aimed at expanding the rights of businesses to refuse service to homosexuals and others. The usual rhetoric applies. The liberals declare it will open the door to discrimination and the state's economy will be damaged. They have even went so far as to say it will allow people to get away with criminal activity by declaring it as an expression of faith. Like I said, the usual rhetoric applies. What can not be argued against is this. Homosexuals have declared a war on businesses that refuse them service. I'm not talking about refusing...

The Religious Freedom Anti-Discrimination Act (HB 2422) passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives by a vote of 88-0 today. If you are from Oklahoma, and possibly even if you are not, you may ask what does HB 2422 do, exactly. It's simple, really. This legislation would require schools to treat expressions of faith by students the same as they treat any other expressions by students. Here is a better description of what the bill would do, along with comments from its author, State Representative John Bennett. The Okie Blaze - The bill would require school districts to adopt a “Model Religious...

CNSNews.com) – Calling the Obama administration “the most tone deaf to religious liberty issues in recent memory,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput warned that religious freedom in the U.S. is “at risk,” and that “the more government mandates evil action, the more likely civil disobedience becomes.” Last February, Chaput urged his fellow prelates to take the “right action…whatever the cost” regarding the Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate, which requires nearly all insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act to pay for sterilization, contraceptives, and abortion-inducing drugs. Due to “an unfriendly political class” and believers’ own apathy, Chaput told CNSNews.com, “government...

Calling the Obama administration “the most tone deaf to religious liberty issues in recent memory,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput warned that religious freedom in the U.S. is “at risk,” and that “the more government mandates evil action, the more likely civil disobedience becomes.” Last February, Chaput urged his fellow prelates to take the “right action…whatever the cost” regarding the Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate, which requires nearly all insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act to pay for sterilization, contraceptives, and abortion-inducing drugs. …

Anti-Religion: Ignoring abhorrences such as China's one-child policy and atrocities condoned by Shariah law, a U.N. committee tells the Vatican to deal with abusive priests and change its teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality. That the report issued by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child would mention the instances of abuse of children by priests in the United States is not surprising. What is surprising and unfortunate is that the U.N. would act as if the Catholic Church had done nothing about it and use the report as a springboard to attack the core doctrines of a...

Every conservative by now should have noticed that February has become Ronald Reagan Month for Republicans. The man’s birthday was last week, February 6, the forerunner to Lincoln’s birthday (February 12), Washington’s birthday (February 22), and President’s Day (February 17). Throughout the nation, county and statewide Republican groups have been changing their longtime annual Lincoln Day dinners into Reagan Day dinners. I’m speaking on Reagan multiple times this month, including at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, where we’re releasing (pardon the plug) my new book that endeavors to answer the question “What is a Reagan conservative?” Thus, this...

In a statement put into the record at a Jan. 29, 2014 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, retired Lt. Gen. William “Gerry” Boykin, said religious liberty is a “core value of our nation,” and that religious beliefs “sustain” troops who face harm or death in the course of performing their duties. “In sum, religious freedom and expression is not something to be given begrudging accommodation,” Boykin, the former commander of the U.S. Special Forces Command, said on behalf of the Family Research Council (FRC) as its executive vice president. “It is a core value...

Archbishop William E. Lori welcomed a Jan. 24 Supreme Court order that affirms an injunction blocking enforcement of a mandate requiring the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide contraceptive coverage in health insurance for their employees. The order affirmed Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s Dec. 31 order in the case. It temporarily blocks the federal government from requiring the sisters and their co-plaintiffs at Christian Brothers Services from having to meet that requirement of the Affordable Care Act. “This is certainly a preliminary victory, but I’d also say a significant victory,” said Archbishop Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc...

On Wednesday, Pres. Obama declared today “Religious Freedom Day”—even as his administration continues its court fights against those seeking religious liberty. While fighting 91 different lawsuits against his HHS mandate requiring employers to provide coverage for abortifacients and contraceptives, Obama even vowed to “remain committed to promoting religious freedom” in his proclamation. …

HB744 will prevent discrimination on the basis “race, religion or sexual orientation” in any “…activity receiving state or county financial assistance or utilizing state or county facilities.” Activities that constitute discrimination include: exclusion “from participation in, be(ing) denied the benefits of, or be(ing) subjected to discrimination”. Using this broad language, any church or religious organization holding services at a state or county facility (such as a public school cafeteria or auditorium) could not deny services or benefits associated with their organization. This could include participation in services, membership to the religious organization or even the sanctioning of a same-sex marriage....

If we wanted your religious beliefs on abortion-pill coverage, we’d give them to you appears to be the latest in an untenable string of arguments from the Obama DOJ over the HHS Mandate. On Friday, the DOJ filed its response to the Supreme Court in the Hobby Lobby case. Politico has the latest on the DOJ’s arguments: In arguments filed late Friday, Justice Department lawyers told the court that an employer’s religious beliefs aren’t a legitimate reason to deny something as important as preventive care to an employee who is entitled to it under the health law. “The connection is...

Last November marked the twentieth anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. At an event hosted by the Newseum and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, RFRA’s champions shared stories of how the statute came into being and the long odds it had to overcome. Though no one was resting on his or her laurels, there was a general sense of a job well-done. And then Douglas Laycock, one of the primary architects of RFRA, began to speak. He warned that millions of Americans view religious liberty as their enemy because they resent religion’s interference in their sex lives....

Is this a Christian country? There are likely as many ways to answer the question as there are stripes on our flag. Yes, the country was populated at its beginning with Christians looking for a place to worship freely. But that was before we became a country. Yes, many of our founding fathers were sincere professing Christians. But many of them were not. Yes, we are Christian in the same sense as all of Europe is Christian — it is the faith tradition of the majority in our country. But no, we have rejected the faith of our fathers. Yes,...

New York Archbishop at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican last month when he was installed as a cardinal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)Editor's Note: The leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week issued a statement reiterating the conviction of the Catholic Church in the United States that President Barack Obama's mandate that all insurance plans--including those that are purchased by and provided by Catholics and Catholic institutions--must provide free coverage for sterilizations, contraceptives and abortifacients is an "unjust and illegal mandate."The Administrative Committee of the conference, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, declared the mandate...