Posted on 10/23/2014 7:19:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
All churches are open to the public. Sure, they lock their doors at times; I’ve yet to run into a place that doesn’t do that, but the idea of church of any denomination is that anyone is welcome to come in and pray. That applies to Christian churches, but that also applies to most other houses of worship I can list: Jewish synagogues, Buddhist temples, and Muslim mosques. After all, how is a church supposed to gain converts if they don’t allow those not already formally affiliated to enter?
All churches, and other houses of worship also allow wedding ceremonies (as well as other ceremonies) on their grounds, and these ceremonies often are officiated over by a member of the clergy for that house of worship. A fee is charged for both the use of the facilities and, usually, for the speaking of the holy words and solemnizing of the marriage.
If houses of worship are open to the public and make money from offering a service, then under liberal rationale doesn’t that make them business that are “open to the public?” I have a hard time seeing how it doesn’t. And this creates a very dangerous problem.
In Coeur D’Alene, Idaho a recent issue has caused a stir in the nationwide gay marriage debate. A wedding chapel run by two Christian ministers has been told that they must officiate gay weddings or be fined and/or serve jail time. Conservatives have lambasted this as an attack on religious freedom and the first amendment. Liberals have (mostly) reacted with glee. Despite having assured everyone that religious officials would never be coerced into performing ceremonies against their conscience, there has been strikingly little condemnation from the Left on this development so far.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
If all churches are public places. So are mosques. I’m waiting patiently for the gays to go after mosques and muslim-owned businesses. I’m not holing my breath while I wait though.
Yes, houses of worship are open to the public. But not all that goes on in the church is open to all. Some of the pastors I know will not marry a couple unless at least one is a member of his congregation or denomination.
Congress is a “public place” with all sorts of legal beagles who can “officiate” these fiascoes. Send all of the “openly gay” homosexuals and other sexual deviants to Congress and let the buffoons on the hill officiate the ceremonies.
Let’s put it this way — the two institutions that the government will leave alone for now are — THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH and the Mosques.
Why? BOTH ARE WELL ORGANIZED, WITH LARGE, VISIBLE SUPPORT FROM HERE AND OVERSEAS.
It is the tiny independent churches that will be the target of persecution first, and then slowly, but surely, the bigger fish will be fried.
It is the Alinsky way.
I keep hearing from all over the political spectrum that “nobody is talking about forcing churches to perform gay marriages”. Even conservative talk radio types say this. Well, that is the OBVIOUS end game of the whole thing. How can anyone be so naive?
How is the Constitution going to protect churches? The Constitution doesn’t stop these people from doing anything. Before Obama is out of office, there will be a huge push to FORCE ALL churches to perform gay marriages, or lose their tax exempt status. It’s coming.
That is not true, not true at all. there are many churches that serve a particular audience that are not open to any and all.
A pastor comes to my dad's barn and holds services, they are only open to those invited.
I am sure we are not unique.
Remember, the basis of this whole thing is the goal of criminalizing Christianity.
Muslims, mosques, and muslim-owned businesses will be conveniently ignored.
I know will = I know pastors that will
Something happened during my editing.
“Gays” are bullies now but as Islam and Sharia grow in influence in and power over W. Europe very soon “gays” will either convert and live out whatever remains of their wretched lives as second-class citizens bereft of any rights or be killed.
I hope to God that you are wrong, but I fear that you are right, that the end game will be to force homosexual marriage on churches.
Religion is the last bulwark against the mainstreaming of homosexuality and homosexual marriage.
I have been hoping that the homosexual activists would leave churches alone. Since virtually no mainstream religions recognize homosexual marriage, and many consider homosexuality itself to be sinful, it could be that the liberals, who tend to be irreligious anyway, will go after churches. Time will tell.
A Catholic priest can refuse to conduct a wedding unless at least one of the couple are Catholic. If only one is Catholic, then the couple must have participated in marriage preparation. That will not keep the couple from trying to find a priest with more liberal policies.
It’s common now for clergy to refuse to marry heterosexual couples who don’t meet the church’s standards of eligibility. Denying homosexuals for the same reason would therefore not qualify as discrimination.
Moreover, a couple can be legally married without any church or clergy involvement at all.
Public schools, public universities, public parks and government buildings are public places, too. Right?
So, free speech and prayer are fine in all of them. Right?
Go to your library or call the IRS for a 501(c)3 tax-exempt application and read it carefully. There is language therein that would do exactly as you say.
Plus we have the real life example of Lois Lehrner.
This is NOT tin-foil hat land.
“It is the tiny independent churches that will be the target of persecution first, and then slowly, but surely, the bigger fish will be fried.”
I attend a small, independent Protestant church, which will never acquiesce to that crap.
Show me one mosque that will allow any non muslin in to pray! Not a stinking one will allow you past the door.
The government knows they'll have no problem at all getting 95% of non-Catholic Christians to go along with whatever they demand as far as contraception and abortion are concerned because 95% of such Churches already go along to get along with everything else that society accepts.
Marrying queers to one another is no problem for the heirs of Luther.
Non-Catholics will just play Luther's game of saying marriage is a Civil matter and gradually stop having marriage services at all just like they gradually stopped preaching that infanticide by contraceptive and divorce are wrong.
Mormon Temples such as Mitt Romney and Harry Reid and Glenn Beck attend, do not even allow rank and file Mormons in, to be a member of one requires ID that must be reissued every two years, after two interviews from church leadership, verifying among other things, that you truly give at least 10% of your income to them.
[Go to your library or call the IRS for a 501(c)3 tax-exempt application and read it carefully]
The IRS has yet to file suit against a church. That’s why thousands of pastors mail their sermons to the IRS on Pulpit Freedom Sunday. They want to force a suit.
However, the IRS will not because muzzling the mouth of a pastor in the pulpit is unconstitutional.
Meanwhile the church remains silent, their silence being covered by veiled IRS threat.
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