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Too Soon to Go Full Totalitarian
Townhall.com ^ | April 10, 2015 | Erick Erickson

Posted on 04/10/2015 4:19:08 AM PDT by Kaslin

The gay rights movement has tended to be a well-choreographed stage production over the last number of decades. Over time, behind the scenes, they pushed hard for gay characters in film and television. They pushed gay actors out of the closet and encouraged celebrations of diversity.

A population that, according to the census, makes up less than 10 percent of the nation, gives the impression that it represents at least a quarter of the population. Many Americans are surprised by how few gay Americans there actually are. To its credit, the gay rights movement has worked hard to shift culture and opinion. The growth of acceptance of gay marriage is one of those areas.

With the Supreme Court set to mandate gay marriage nationally this summer, it might have been wise for such a well-orchestrated campaign to coast. Let the sentiment continue to grow. But a movement hostile to tradition and religion could not stop there. As I write regularly, you will be made to care about the issue, and the gay rights movement is rushing things sooner than they probably should.

The federal government enacted the Religious Freedom Restoration Action in the mid-nineties, and now 21 states have similar laws. But in the past two weeks, gay rights activists and their allies in corporate America signaled that protecting religion has come to an end. While they do not think a gay baker should have to bake a cake for a bigoted Christian, they are insistent that Christian bakers bake cakes for gay weddings or be driven from business.

Anthony Kennedy, America's black-robed master on the Supreme Court who decides every case based on what will enhance his power to referee the decisions of Americans, is set to impose gay marriage. It will be his Brown vs. Board of Education. But Kennedy, for all his faults, is a civil libertarian at heart.

Kennedy's notions of jurisprudence tend to play out with a "live and let live" attitude. Suddenly, on the verge of total victory, gay rights activists are letting their inner totalitarian out too soon. In Indiana, a local pizza restaurant owner dared tell a reporter that her business would gladly make pizzas for anyone, including gay customers. But the owner answered truthfully that she was a Christian and did not want to cater a gay wedding. Mind you, she had never been asked, but merely saying it was enough to generate death threats and calls to burn the restaurant to the ground.

In the New York Times, liberal columnist Frank Bruni insists that Christians must be "made" to change their church doctrines on sexual immorality, doctrines that are 2,000 years old. Bruni actually quoted a gay rights advocate that "church leaders must be made to take homosexuality off their sin list." Bruni called this "worthy" and "warranted."

Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia, in 2012, wrote to his congregation on abortion. He told them, "Evil talks about tolerance only when it's weak. When it gains the upper hand, its vanity always requires the destruction of the good and the innocent, because the example of good and innocent lives is an ongoing witness against it. So it always has been. So it always will be. And America has no special immunity to becoming an enemy of its own founding beliefs about human freedom, human dignity, the limited power of the state and the sovereignty of God."

Americans can disagree on gay marriage. The Supreme Court declaring it legal and imposing it on states that voted to prohibit it will not, like with abortion, change church doctrines that have existed for 2,000 years. The faithful will not suddenly redact First Corinthians or Matthew 15:19 from the Bible.

In a nation that has prided itself on individuality and free conscience, it seems we should allow the mom-and-pop shop of committed Christians to opt out of gay weddings. But, even before Anthony Kennedy rules, we are seeing that will not happen. The gay rights movement, a part of the left, is showing its totalitarian nature.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: religiousfreedom; supremecourt
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To: Kaslin

That’s what they want to do, though. At heart, “progressives” are totalitarians. They’re just pragmatic enough to understand that they can only achieve their dream incrementally.


21 posted on 04/10/2015 5:45:50 AM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Kaslin

Slaves did not dream of freedom, they dreamed of becoming the masters.

I am not equating slavery and homosexuality, but the concept of power.

Now that they are out of the closet, they want to put Christians in the closet. You can be church pew Christians. Inside the church walls is okay. In the public square is not.

Freedom of religion will become freedom of worship.


22 posted on 04/10/2015 6:09:01 AM PDT by joshua c (Please dont feed the liberals)
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To: Kaslin

Seems like the fagbot freaks are ramping up their activism, could it be they have realized that everybody’s watching and it’s not a good thing for them/the last thing they needed?


23 posted on 04/10/2015 6:12:13 AM PDT by W. (3 Disqus sites, nytimes.com, cheezburger.com and archive.org all censor conservatives.)
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To: Kaslin

They’ve declared war on me.

I intend to fight back.

Vigorously.


24 posted on 04/10/2015 6:32:41 AM PDT by Arm_Bears (Rope. Tree. Politician. Some assembly required.)
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To: Kaslin
Better get ready for Homo-Fascist Kristallnacht.


25 posted on 04/10/2015 6:34:09 AM PDT by DiogenesLamp
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To: Smokin' Joe

They claim for their “majority” victims plus pampered academics and pampered rich kids. In real numbers they may total less than 40% but they are still determined that they are the “majority.”


26 posted on 04/10/2015 9:52:51 AM PDT by arthurus (it's true!)
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To: arthurus

Women are roughly 51% of the population, yet claim victimized minority status. That is what I was referring to.


27 posted on 04/10/2015 11:17:36 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: maddog55

Once homosexuality is accepted as normal what will they go for next? Maybe coprophagia will be the new frontier?


28 posted on 04/10/2015 12:49:56 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Racism is racism, regardless of the race of the racist.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

Women are 51% of the population and some of them claim victimized minority status. My wife tells me that women should have never got the right to vote. Run for and occupy elective office, fine, but shouldn’t have got the vote.


29 posted on 04/10/2015 9:17:57 PM PDT by arthurus (it's true!)
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To: arthurus

After Bill Clinton was elected in part by women who ‘thought he looked better than Bob Dole’, I agree. Criteria have become even more superficial since.


30 posted on 04/10/2015 9:20:17 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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