In Defense of Religious Liberty
Ken Blackwell, Senior Fellow, Family Empowerment at FRC, wrote an article in The Huffington Post in which he addresses an article by Jay Michaelson entitled “The ‘Religious Liberty’ Bullies and Their Fight Against LGBT Equality.” Blackwell states:
“One, there can be no comparison between the fight for racial equality and the movement for same-sex marriage. Two, supporting the traditional definition of marriage is not the same (or even akin) to supporting institutionalized racism. Three, concerns about religious liberty are both sincere and valid, especially regarding the social trends Michaelson discusses in both his article and a related report he recently released.”
Flower Shop Sued for Not Providing Services to Homosexual ‘Wedding’
FRC’s Peter Sprigg was quoted in a recent Fox News article concerning the owner of a flower shop in Washington who declined to provide service for a homosexual wedding. The shop is now being sued by the state of Washington.
“People need to be aware this is the underlying motive for the push for same sex marriage,” he said. “It’s not just about legal rights and benefits. It’s about forcing everyone in society to recognize their relationships as being one hundred percent equal to opposite sex marriages. It also reflects a narrow view of religious liberty where people may have freedom to exercise religious liberty in their church but they don’t have that right when they go outside those four walls.”
Speaking Across the Chasm
Rob Schwarzwalder, Senior Vice President at FRC, explains the balance of reaching those immersed in culture while still holding fast to the faith in his recent article on Religion Today. Schwarzwalder states:
“My suggestion: Rather than always going for the moral jugular – “How can you support that, you evil idiot?” – go back to the “assumptions of the assumptions,” per Kevin DeYoung. So when in conversation someone says, “What’s the big deal with same-sex ‘marriage,’” it’s likely not going to be convincing to rattle off what are, to you, obvious statements of fact and reason. Such things might be wholly new thoughts to someone raised in the culture of sentiment, mass media, and fluid morality. Instead, maybe say, “What do you think of same sex 'marriage'? Sounds like you’ve got some strong opinions.” And then affirm what you can about your opponent’s argument: That all persons deserve to be protected by the law and treated with civil and social respect, that cruelty to someone based on sexual orientation is wrong, etc. Inviting into dialog those with whom we disagree affirms their value before God and us, and provides us with a credible platform from which to make our case.”
How Do We Measure ‘Progressives’
Rob Schwarzwalder discusses what “progressives” really are in his recent article in The Christian Post. Schwarzwalder states that “liberal” has lost appeal and that progress itself is not bad. He asks important questions about progress and states:
“Is it progress to make the definition of family so amorphous as to be practically and legally meaningless? Is it progress to dehumanize the unborn child and assert that its value is based on nothing more than the judgment call of her mother? Is it progress to diminish religious liberty and the exercise of the conscience, to use the courts to invalidate legitimate legislation and public policies, or to employ science as a pretext for endangering women and girls through ready access to dangerous contraceptives? Our descent into moral anarchy, once almost imperceptible, is picking up speed. But speed, while temporarily exhilarating, is fatal when the steering wheel and brakes don't answer and a high cliff appears. Such "progress" we can live without.”
