Wednesday, February 26, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty
Arizona is ground zero in the latest culture clash. Governor Jan Brewer is under enormous pressure to veto a bill (SB 1062) that strengthens religious liberty protections for individuals.
The state legislature passed a bill intended to protect religious business owners from being forced to conduct business in any way that violates their religious beliefs. Eighteen states have laws preventing the government from substantially burdening an individual’s free exercise of religion. Where these laws fall short is when the parties involve private citizens, not the state government. SB 1062 attempted to clarify that important distinction.
For the past week, the American people have been told what the bill allegedly does. Some have outrageously suggested it is a throwback to Jim Crow laws.
But the bill was a response to a growing problem: Christian business owners, non-profit organizations and individuals are under siege from bureaucratic tolerance czars. In New Mexico, Oregon and Washington Christian photographers, bakers and florists have been sued for refusing on religious grounds to participate in homosexual weddings.
In each case, the owners were accused of violating the civil rights of homosexuals and were fined thousands of dollars. But what about the religious liberty rights of the photographer, the baker and the florist?
Catholic Charities has been forced to shut down its foster care and adoption services in several states because it would not violate the teachings of its faith by placing children in the homes of same-sex couples. When the state of Illinois forced Catholic Charities to close its doors, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield said, “In the name of tolerance, we’re not being tolerated.”
This growing intolerance is extending into the private lives of Christians too. A black professor at Gallaudet University was suspended from her job for merely signing a petition in support of normal marriage at the urging of her pastor.
The outcry against SB 1062 from the radical left and the media has accelerated a trend that has been in place for some time. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and big businesses like Apple, AT&T, Yelp, Delta and PetSmart have come down on the side of the gay rights lobby, demanding that Governor Jan Brewer veto SB 1062. They claim that the legislation will create a hostile business environment in Arizona. The NFL is threatening to pull the 2015 Super Bowl out of Phoenix.
Now some Republican politicians are waving the white flag in this latest skirmish in the culture war. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake want Brewer to veto the bill, as do former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and contender Newt Gingrich.
Governor Brewer has until Saturday to make her decision. She promises to do “the right thing,” and it is widely believed that she will veto the legislation.
In the last 24 hours there has been a new development. A bi-partisan group of law professors from around the country has written a joint letter to Governor Jan Brewer arguing that uninformed critics of SB 1062 have “egregiously misrepresented” the legislation. Nevertheless, those uninformed critics seem to have the loudest voices.
Make no mistake, my friends, just like Obamacare, which is forcing business owners to violate their religious beliefs by forcing them to pay for abortions, increasingly the homosexual rights movement is waging war on religious liberty. We have been warning for decades that the ultimate goal of the radical left has little to do with same-sex marriage and everything to do with putting men and women of faith into the recently vacated closet.
The left may permit you to pray in private, but your faith will be off limits in the public square. The left has even argued that laws motivated by religious beliefs are invalid. That was a major justification for the decision striking down California’s traditional marriage law.
Governors Gather In Washington
The nation’s governors were in town this week for their annual winter conference. Several governors made headlines after meeting with Barack Obama at the White House. Governor Rick Perry said he was “troubled” and “offended” by the tone Obama adopted when he addressed the governors at the White House. Governor Bobby Jindal got into a shouting match with Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy.
But what really had conservatives in Washington buzzing was not Perry or Jindal, but Governor Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence made several visits around town and appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and on Fox & Friends Monday. He delivered a vision in those appearances, which many conservatives said sounded “Reaganesque.”
When asked in interviews about running for president in 2016, Governor Pence responded that he is focused on doing his job in Indiana. I’m sure that is true.
But with so many Americans desperately looking for someone with reliably conservative views and a Reaganesque ability to articulate them, Mike Pence once again has D.C. insiders chattering.
“Son Of God”
Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the couple who brought hit mini-series “The Bible” to the History Channel last year, are back. This time, they are bringing the life of Jesus to the big screen. Their film “Son Of God” will open in 3,000 theaters across the country this Friday.
Downey, who plays Mary, mother of Jesus, in the film, said, “This really is a love story — the greatest love story ever told.” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles have endorsed the movie.
Rev. Rick Warren has produced a Bible study based on the movie, which Saddleback Church will be using during the weeks leading up to Easter. Due to scenes depicting the crucifixion, the movie received a PG-13 rating and may not be suitable for young children.
In fact, Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman also supports the film. Burnett and Downey reached out to Foxman during filming in order to avoid the inclusion of theological errors that blame Jews, rather than the sin of mankind, for the crucifixion.
“ ’Son of God’ is the most sensitive, caring depiction of the story of Jesus that I have ever seen,” Foxman said. “The producers have done everything possible to put the events into historical, political and psychological context.”
Film industry projections initially expected “Son of God” to bring in about $13 million during its opening weekend. Those projections are now suggesting it could net more than $20 million. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Hollywood critics have to say. More importantly, will attendance figures tell us anything about our culture today?
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