Posted on 07/14/2014 1:10:53 PM PDT by Kaslin
The mask is off. All pretense has been dropped, and the anti-Christian left’s boundless depth of hatred for individual liberty, our First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is now on full display.
I wrote last week about the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby opinion, a rather tepid acknowledgement of every American’s non-negotiable right to religious free exercise (yes, that includes Christian business owners). I observed, among other things, that “the secularist left’s utter meltdown over having but a small measure of control over others wrested away is highly instructive.”
The meltdown continues. This week brings two new developments: 1) Democrats in Congress have readied a legislative “Hobby Lobby fix” that stands exactly zero chance of passing and would be struck down as unconstitutional even if it did, and 2) The ACLU, AFL-CIO, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal and a hodgepodge of other left-wing extremist groups have withdrawn support for the ironically tagged “Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” the crown jewel of homofascism, because the bill’s paper-thin “religious exemption” does not adequately outlaw the practice of Christianity.
The Hobby Lobby ‘fix’
Addressing the high court’s Hobby Lobby decision last Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., fumed, “We have so much to do this month, but the one thing we’re going to do during this work period – sooner rather than later – is to ensure that women’s lives are not determined by virtue of five white men.”
To which Justice Clarence Thomas replied, “Say what, honky?”
“This Hobby Lobby decision is outrageous,” continued Reid, “and we’re going to do something about it.”
Well, “do something about it” they shall try. TalkingPointsMemo.com reported on legislation Democrats introduced Thursday that would do away with religious liberty protections altogether:
“The legislation will be sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Mark Udall, D-Colo. According to a summary reviewed by TPM, it prohibits employers from refusing to provide health services, including contraception [and abortion pills], to their employees if required by federal law. It clarifies that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the basis for the Supreme Court’s ruling against the mandate, and all other federal laws don’t permit businesses to opt out of the Obamacare requirement.
“The legislation also puts the kibosh on legal challenges by religious nonprofits, like Wheaton College, instead declaring that the accommodation they’re provided under the law [there is none] is sufficient to respect their religious liberties.”
This reactionary response to the Hobby Lobby ruling is, of course, little more than an election year fundraising scheme for the Democratic National Committee.
Withdrawn support for ENDA
The Washington Post reports, “Several major gay rights groups withdrew support Tuesday for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would bolster gay and transgender rights in the workplace, saying they fear that broad religious exemptions included in the current bill might compel private companies to begin citing objections similar to those that prevailed in a U.S. Supreme Court case last week. …
“But the groups said they can no longer back ENDA as currently written in light of the Supreme Court’s decision last week to strike down a key part of President Obama’s health-care law. The court ruled that family-owned businesses do not have to offer their employees contraceptive coverage that conflicts with the owners’ religious beliefs,” concluded the Post.
Gary Glenn is a candidate for the Michigan State House. He’s also president of AFA Michigan. Glenn has been a national leader in defense of religious liberty for well upon two decades. In an email, Glenn wrote, “The extremely limited religious exemptions typically included in discriminatory homosexual and cross-dressing ‘rights’ laws have always been mere window-dressing with no real protection or effect, as witnessed by the ongoing persecution and discrimination under such laws against Christian business owners and community organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, and even the United Way.
“But now that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision threatens to give real teeth to such exemptions, the AFL-CIO’s in-house homosexual activist group has announced it will no longer support discriminatory ‘sexual orientation’ legislation that includes even limited exemptions for religious institutions.
“If this zero tolerance stance spreads to larger groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force [it now has], this could become the sticking point which hamstrings future attempts to pass federal, state, and local homosexual ‘rights’ legislation. These supposed religious exemptions, which the AFL-CIO’s homosexual lobby at least now says it will no longer support, have been a key propaganda point in blunting the opposition of churches and citizens concerned about the obvious threat such laws pose to religious freedom.”
According to its leftist proponents, ENDA would merely insulate people who choose to engage in homosexual conduct (sexual orientation) or those who suffer from gender confusion (gender identity) against employment intolerance. In truth, however, this legislation effectively would codify the very thing it purports to combat: workplace discrimination.
Though in its current form ENDA contains an extremely weak religious exemption that might – and I mean might – partially protect some churches and religious organizations (until they’re sued by “gay” activists), this so-called exemption would leave most others, such as Bible bookstores and many Christian schools and para-church organizations, entirely unprotected. It would additionally crush individual business owners’ guaranteed First Amendment rights.
Any “religious exemption” is meaningless. Last year Harry Reid promised homosexual pressure groups that Democrats would remove all protections for Christians and other people of faith on the flipside – after ENDA passed. The homosexual news site Washington Blade reported that homosexual activist Derek Washington of “GetEqual” confirmed Reid’s promise. In a conference call with homosexual activists, Washington admitted that Reid vowed, as goes any religious exemption, “the main thing to do was get the vote taken care of, and then deal with it later. As oftentimes happens, you don’t get something perfect the first time around, you go back and fix it later, so that was basically his take on it.”
According to the Blade, “That account was corroborated by Faiz Shakir, a Reid spokesperson, who said the Democratic leader understands the concerns, but wants to get the bill passed first, then go back and address the exemptions.”
They’ve stopped pretending, folks. This is about criminalizing Christianity. The Hobby Lobby decision has merely made secular liberals forget themselves momentarily. It’s blown back the propagandist curtain to expose their truly sinister aims. Hobby Lobby hasn’t put the “culture war” to rest. It’s taken a gavel to the “progressive” hornets’ nest.
Break out the popcorn and Jujubes. It’s about to get interesting.
Wow!
I missed the repeal of the second amendment also?
I wrote about this article on a blog page at a website I have published. I want to share it here but am unsure of the proper protocol. I will say it was published at www.ambassadorships.net to give the proper identification and if this is an improper plug I will ask for forgiveness and hope someone will give me a correct procedure. I’m new to this website publicizing protocol.
Anyway Here it is.
OK, it says blogs but as you can see it is missing. In the mean time, I thought a quick little article on a current event might suffice instead.
I bumped into an article dated, July 14, 2014, written by Matt Barber for Townhall.com. Its title, “Left moves to outlaw Christianity,” caught my eye. After reading the article I can see his point, but his title is a bit of a stretch. He is writing about the reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision toward the religious freedoms as they apply to the owners of the business, Hobby Lobby. You can read the article if you want to know what he says. After you’ve read this article, if you feel a need to respond, you can go to the contact us form to reply. I will try to keep it updated on this page.
My thoughts went in a different direction. As I read the article I saw another example of how the political progressive partisans (the PPP-you saw it here first) are continuing to promote their political objectives.
Regretfully this progressiveness is not entirely limited to the “left.” This PPP movement has proponents on ‘both sides of the isle,’ and individuals throughout the country. If you were to quote an old adage, coined by the communists of the last century, one might be inclined to be calling those followers, “useful idiots.” As I have written elsewhere, Socrates said it another way, he said, “The un-examined life isn’t worth living.”
The obvious incremental-ism toward a totalitarian government is on full display. Many, it might even be a majority of people in our country, are willing to allow that form of government to rule over them without realizing the implications and all that they would have to give up. They don’t understand that our forefathers gave us a government that allowed us freedom. This freedom gives us the right to do anything (within reason, by a responsible individual) not legislated against. What the progressives want is a government that tells you what is allowed, and everything else is prohibited. In other words full, total control over every aspect of your life. I don’t know about anyone else but I will reject those premises and refuse to comply.
Finally, I would like to point out that the article also shows us another example of man rejecting God and his precepts. Mankind still seems to think they can rule over themselves better than God can. I wonder, in the end, how many more people will be killed before man gives it up? I know! I know! The answer is, mankind won’t until Christ, the King of Kings returns.
Do you know of any Christians who are not allowed to worship and believe as they believe?
There are a lot of bad things going on. I agree with the bulk of the original post. My only complaint was with the title.
I wish I knew how to reach folks other than to respond to posts. I would like you to know your assessment of our being on a mission is correct. I determined it was way past time to get off the sidelines and not go down without a fight. I choose to go down swinging.
Placemark
Kinsman, is a Placemark the same as or different than a bump.
You’re aware of the progressive erosion of religious rights. If I have to give examples, you’re not paying attention and enumerating them won’t help. These are relentless, continuing, and proceed in one direction - there is no give-and-take here. Read the signs. If you’re waiting for actual prohibition of Christianity, that will be too late to resist. Those who have been there can see the warnings and are shrieking about what’s coming. Beware normality bias.
Evidently.
Here’s how I use the two:
A “PlaceMark” is used by the poster so that he/she can return to a particular place in a thread.
A “bump” is used by the poster to help to raise the visibility and thereby the popularity of that particular thread. In the old days you could sort all of the posts in Free Republic starting with the most recent, without regard to whatever thread they were associated with. That’s why you see the phrase “bump to the top.”
Anyway, that’s the way I use them.
When a country is overwhelmingly Christian, it will never be made illegal.
Maybe Iran will make Islam illegal.
No more second amendment? !
When were your guns confiscated? You didn’t put up a fight? How many of them did you take out before they got them?
LOL but my goats (breeders) only stunk during breeding season....they pee all over their belly and you can smell them for 20 feet. The dumb nannys find that smell exciting. I’d explain to you how they pee on their bellys but its gross.....
OK, got it. I might give it a try sometime. Actually if I’m following you correctly, I can use this post for the same purpose.
My wethers just dribble when they pee...
Oh...
...about this thread?
It was just handy to post the cartoon; as I don’t know if I can do that with Freepmail.
No hidden meaning here at all.
How can it be said that dims hate Christianity?
Look at all of the good protestant and catholic dims such as Nancy Pelosi, the Kennedy’s, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, the reverends Jackson, Wright, and Sharpton to name just a few. (heavy sarcasm intended)
duh, I didn’t find anything with hidden meaning. I am a little dense, but you probably could figure that out over the years....:O)
You seem unaware of the massive sociopolitical changes over the last 30 years.
An outright ban is entirely possible, just takes progressive steps - like this: http://m.townhall.com/columnists/charlottehays/2014/07/18/schumer-you-dont-have-to-convert-but-you-might-not-be-able-to-do-business-either-n1863492?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
“Imagine what will happen after the Rapture.”
Unspeakable terror.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.