Religious Freedom – Defined by the Left

By: American Decency Staff

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” ~ Ezekiel 33:6

Consider this a blowing of the trumpet.  The sword is coming.  It may or may not be a literal sword, but there’s no doubt those who live out their Christian faith are being targeted for destruction – and the wielders of the sword are our very own government institutions.

There’s no doubt a moral revolution is taking place in our nation, seeking to make one’s sexual orientation and gender identity the freedom that trumps all other freedoms.  And what happens in a revolution, a coup d’état?  Those in opposition are silenced – quashed – eliminated.

Before President Obama was elected he signaled who he saw as the problem in America with his comment about “bitter” Americans “clinging to their religion.”  It’s been obvious that the religion he was referring to wasn’t Islam or Buddhism, but Christianity.  With nearly eight years in office he has done much to undermine the exercise of that faith.  President Obama has radically transformed the federal judiciary, appointing two Supreme Court justices, 55 appeals court judges, and 268 district court judges.  We have already seen the impact of this leftist swing of the courts.  From the legalization of gay marriage to the overturning of abortion restrictions – the ideology of the left is being codified into law by judicial fiat.

But the push extends even farther than the federal courts as Christian bakers, photographers, and florists have found out. 

For declining to take part in homosexual weddings, we have seen bakers and florists lose their entire livelihood, fined tens of thousands of dollars, sent to “re-education” training, and forced to file quarterly obedience reports with the government.  It’s clear that the state has the power and the determination to crush dissent by forcing citizens to choose between their livelihoods and their faith.

And now the gauntlet has been officially thrown down by the United States Commission on Civil Rights.  The Civil Rights Commission, which once nobly opposed racism and shameful Jim Crow laws in the 1950s and ‘60s, has now labeled people of faith as the bigots.  In an ironically-named report called Peace Coexistence, the Commission states:

“Religious exemptions to the protections of civil rights based upon classifications such as race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity, when they are permissible, significantly infringe upon these civil rights.”

In other words, religious freedom cannot stand – it will not be allowed to stand – if it does not align with the sexual/gender revolution.

With the report, Martin Castro, chairman of the Civil Rights Commission, released this stunning statement:

“The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.”

Notice that Commissioner Castro put what are referred to as ‘scare quotes’ around the terms religious liberty and religious freedom.  The use of quotes in that way is in essence saying, “so-called religious liberty” – as if it’s not real – a denial that this is the first freedom guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.  Progressives ignore that Constitutional fact and instead seek to replace it with a fictitious right – one that will stand above all other rights – the right to have one’s ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ not just accepted, but affirmed, and codified.

While this made up right doesn’t appear in the Constitution, the First Amendment does guarantee our right to the “free exercise” of our faith.  The word, exercise, indicates action.  I believe “exercise” was specifically chosen because our Founding Fathers understood that one’s deeply held religious beliefs could not be restrained within the walls of a church, but would shape every aspect of one’s being and actions. 

As Archbishop William Lori, chair of the Committee on Religious Liberty, stated: “We do not seek to impose our morality on anyone, but neither can we sacrifice it in our own lives and work.  We respect those who disagree with what we teach. Can they respect us?”

The answer is becoming increasingly clear.  No.  They will not respect us, they will not respect our faith, and they will not respect our rights emblazoned in the First Amendment.  Rather, they will force all citizens to adhere to the government-sanctioned religion – the new orthodoxy of this sexual revolution.  Those who don’t will be added to Hillary Clinton’s ‘basket of deplorables.”

You’ve probably heard that at a recent LGBT event Hillary Clinton labeled conservatives who support her opponent as “deplorable”.  Clinton described vast numbers of Americans, who she seeks to serve as president as: “ racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic. . . some of those folks, they are irredeemable.”

This is how the left attacks those who don’t go along with their radical agenda.  If you believe marriage is between a man and a woman, you’re labeled a homophobe.   If you’re concerned about the threat of radical Islam, you’re called an Islamophobe.  If you don’t want men using the ladies restrooms, you’re a bigot.

I began this article with a warning about the coming sword.  I end it not with a warning, but a threat from Hillary Clinton – the candidate who could very well be the one who places her hand on the Bible and pledges to defend the Constitution of the United States, including the freedom of religion.

In 2015 Hillary Clinton stated to a Planned Parenthood audience:  “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” 

The religious beliefs she threatens must change are yours and mine.  Elections have consequences.  And in this election, the freedom of religion is at stake.  Consider yourself warned.

---

To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412. 

American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

---