I am becoming more and more angered over the so-called religious freedom acts being signed into law in various states across our country.
I know it sounds good, and I do believe everyone should have the freedom to choose their religious beliefs or to not accept any religious beliefs. Yet a lot of these bills sound more like discrimination to me.
When we sign into law a bill that forces one groups views on everyone, or when the religious beliefs of one group are forced on another group, that is not standing up for your faith…that is discrimination. When we can forfeit the normal human rights and privileges that everyone should be entitled too, just because they do not go along with one groups ideas of morality and normal day-to-day living, I think we have gone to far.
I can hardly believe in our modern time laws are being passed saying that if you have a certain religious belief, you do not have to give the same rights and consideration to a certain group of people just because they differ from you.
What happened to the teaching of Jesus to love our neighbors and do not judge. Do we not remember that Jesus spent time with the non-religious people and those who the religious crowd would not spend time.
We need to remember, just because people are different, just because we have different views and different faiths or no faith at all, God created us all and He loves us all. We, as his followers are to do the same.
We are not going to legislate christian morality. We are not going to convert anyone to our way of thinking by passing laws, especially those that discriminate against anyone. Remember, as christians we are to love God, love our neighbor, love our enemies, love those who hate us and mistreat us. The Holy Spirit is the one who will convict the world of sin where convicting is needed. We should stop trying to do the job of the Spirit and love one another in spite of our differences.
Done with Religion 
For sure Patricia, they would claim persecution and discrimination louder than anyone. Thanks for the comment.
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I wonder if Atheists or Gays owned a business and refused all Christians from their businesses ,whether or not the Christians would cry foul?
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Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it.
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“We are not going to legislate christian morality.”
Morality is routinely legislated, which would mean the question isn’t whether or not rules which are in keeping with or in favour of the Judeo-Christian ethic are installed (they already are), rather the question is whose morality is being signed into law.
The above becomes problematic when believers in certain sorts of right practice are themselves being forced into providing or facilitating an event or activity they fundamentally object to (no part of Christians being coerced into compromising their values has angered you?).
Not being state side I’d be really very interested to hear some specifics of the above laws which are so offensive. The first of these passed laws I’ve read about meant believing psychiatrists (Christians) who didn’t want to counsel a patient struggling with same sex attraction if that meant also having to affirm their behavior didn’t have to. They’d simply refer them to another qualified professional who would affirm their gay behavior. Nothing in the above appears unreasonable, rather the believer is happy to council their patient, they’re not content however if this means compromising their method or lying to the patient or supporting a gay desire of theirs when it’s clearly destructive. Saying they ought to do otherwise or are “discriminating” for not affirming gay behavior is akin to saying the Christian is a bigot for bucking a hypothetical consensus in which being an alcoholic is affirmed as good. Just because the culture and Hollywood is destroying young people with the “gay is okay” myth believers shouldn’t add to the young person’s distress by agreeing with the crowd.
Yet another example would mean an owner of a Christian bookstore wouldn’t be coerced into hiring an activist cross dresser as opposed to many of the other highly qualified candidates. Nor would a small hotel be forced into housing gay lovers in the same room when they find their lifestyle immoral. This happened in the UK where a kindly bed and breakfast couple, a couple who also didn’t allow unmarried people to share a room/bed, where targeted by two gay activists wanting to goad them into a court battle. The couple offered the men separate rooms, this of course wasn’t “accepting” enough for the queer couple. Considering the most famous of these cases didn’t involve an honest interaction, but rather gay activists specifically targeting Christian businesses knowing they’d be turned away, after which their campaign of freedom eroding hatred began, I’m still looking for the downside to these Christians being allowed to live out their conscience publicly.
Perhaps you can explain your anger against believers defending their views and refusing to facilitate sinful behavior further.
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Thanks for the comment.
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Seems the moment early believers got the backing of the government, they became persecutors. Nicene Creed-timish. And maybe by then, there was resentment and revenge on the plate for the persecution they’d suffered. BUT Jesus said we’d get that if we believe, and not to get revenge. Legislation always feels in the spirit of revenge to me.
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