Homosexual agenda—threat to religious freedom
‘I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest….’” Isaiah 62: 6 (NIV)
The homosexual agenda which proudly trumpets its sinful behavior is a threat to the religious freedom of Christians who identify homosexual behavior as sinful because they are by definition mutually exclusive. One CAN NOT be obedient to CHRIST and the TRUTH and support and/or be involved in homosexual behavior or allow it to flourish without taking a stand. Tonight, a short article that points out this obvious TRUTH as it discusses the two issues I have covered, since they are presently before the Legislature in Illinois and before Congress, as well as a third issue of “employment protections” which will be actively promoted by some members of Congress if the “hate crimes” legislation passes. The article with some comments:
“The Radical Homosexual Agenda and the Threat to Religious Liberty
5/29/2009 7:59:00 AM By Barrett Duke, Ph.D., Vice President for Public Policy and Research—The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
People of faith are on a collision course with the radical homosexual agenda. It is inevitable. In order for the radical homosexual agenda to be fully implemented, people of faith are going to have to be silenced and marginalized. The radical homosexual community will have to violate our religious liberty and our consciences in order to achieve this.
At this very moment, three issues move us closer to what I believe is an eventual clash. These issues affect our religious liberty in unique and distressing ways. I will mention two related to each.
Same-sex marriage
First, same-sex marriage will lead to the violation of our children’s consciences. Many of us send our children to government-run schools armed with our convictions and the Bible’s teachings about homosexuality. (If homosexual “marriage” or its counterfeit twin “civil unions” becomes law in Illinois, or in any State for that matter, my advice to ALL Christian parents is to get your children out of government schools NOW. Home educate them as we should—my addition.) Yet our children are already getting a much different message in some of them. Imagine what will happen if the government feels compelled to indoctrinate our children about the new civil right of same-sex marriage. We can expect government to look for ways to achieve this. The ‘struggle for same-sex marriage’ will be detailed as a civil rights triumph in their history and civics textbooks. Our children will be exposed to speakers who will ‘help’ them understand and accept same-sex marriage. Doubtless, many more insidious means will be deployed to indoctrinate our children and undermine their faith convictions about homosexuality.
Second, our freedom to choose our associations based on our religious convictions will be trampled. Legalization of same-sex marriage will create a situation in which the government will prohibit religious groups from using convictions about homosexuality as a determining factor in membership. This will extend to our participation in activities and access to religiously based accommodations, like church camps or retreats. What we have been seeing on this front lately is just the beginning. Imagine if we get to the place where same-sex marriage is treated as a civil right and all of the power of the United States government is brought to bear on making sure that no one involved in a same-sex marriage has his or her civil rights violated. It will not be possible for the government to secure the civil rights of those who are in a homosexual marriage and simultaneously accommodate our religiously held beliefs about homosexuality. (Reread this last sentence. That statement is absolutely true! Homosexual activists know this and CAN NOT WAIT for the day when they achieve their goals and homosexual sin becomes the accepted position of the government—government sanctify our behavior! Diametrically opposed views CAN NOT exist together as one. One will eventually be trampled on. And if homosexual marriage is legalized, guess which of the two conflicting viewpoints will be dismissed because that viewpoint is perceived as being a form of “discrimination”—my addition.)
Employment protections
The Employment Non-discrimination Act (ENDA) is a perfect example of the coming conflict. This bill is alive today in Congress and it threatens religious liberty. First of all, our ability to hire people who share our values will be taken away. A version of this bill provides an exemption for religious groups, but not all of their religious activities. The provision defines what is to be considered an exempt religious activity. So a church may be exempted from the requirement to extend employment to homosexuals, but this same exemption will not be available to other faith-based activities, like bookstores, daycare centers, or retreats. (And eventually churches themselves will also lose this exemption because, after all, it is “discriminatory!”—my addition) ENDA will prevent churches from applying their faith convictions about homosexuality to all of their hiring decisions.
Second, our faith will lead to accusations of discrimination in the workplace. These non-discrimination laws will treat as bigots all who communicate any kind of negative conviction about homosexuality in the workplace. Part of the current bill reads: ‘It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to adversely affect the status of the individual as an employee (What in the world does that mean!—my addition) because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.’ (A poor job performance review by a Christian given to a homosexual could be argued to be based upon the homosexuality of the employee! A homosexual could never get a negative review from a Christian without a question being raised about a homosexual “bias.” How many thousands of cases might end up in court?—my addition) This language is so broad in its scope that a homosexual would have legal grounds to sue an employer who keeps a Bible on his desk. He can simply argue that by displaying a Bible, the employer is publicly identifying with its condemnation of homosexual behavior and thereby ‘adversely affecting’ his status as an employee. (Isn’t that something! Now, some homosexual activists argue that the Bible does not condemn homosexual behavior, although it DOES! If they are momentarily victorious in this world though, you can rest assured they will make this very argument—if you believe the Bible, you are automatically discriminating against us!—my addition)
Hate crimes
Hate crimes bills also threaten our religious liberty. First, our faith conviction about homosexuality could lead to federal prosecution for hate crimes. Under hate crimes statutes a Christian who happens to engage in an act of violence against a homosexual could be charged with a hate crime simply because he believes the Bible’s teachings about homosexuality, regardless of whether that has anything to do with the crime. No one should engage in acts of violence against a homosexual simply because he is a homosexual. But neither should someone’s religiously held beliefs about homosexuality be the cause of his prosecution.
Second, hate crimes legislation could have a chilling effect on religious speech that is critical of homosexuality. A precedent already exists. Today some pastors are reluctant to speak about political issues because they fear the loss of their tax exempt status. (And some churches are afraid to speak out against the sin of homosexual behavior for the same reason!—my addition) To assure compliance with the law, they even shy away from political speech that is still permissible. We can expect a similar response from some pastors if they begin to fear being charged with a hate crime for potentially inciting violence against homosexuals through their preaching or teaching or if they fear endangering their tax exempt status.
These are all serious issues. They must be addressed. Our faith and the radical homosexual agenda are on track for a cataclysmic conflict. (Maybe not, churches and Christians may just acquiesce to the homosexual agenda. Some who claim to be Christian HAVE already—protecting their non-profit status is more important than proclaiming the WORD of GOD!—my addition) If the radical homosexual agenda is codified into law, our own government will be arrayed against us and our struggle to protect our religious freedom. We can fight this battle now or we can fight it later, but we are going to fight this battle. (OR SURRENDER—my addition.) We must stand up and protect our freedom to believe and to practice our faith according to God’s leading, not governments.” (WILL we? And if so, WHEN? WILL it be too late? Some homosexual activists already believe it is too late and some who claim to be Christian have already SURRENDERED!—my addition)
“He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.’” Ezekiel 3: 4 (NIV)
“‘But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified of them, though they are a rebellious house.’” Ezekiel 3: 7-9 (NIV)
“At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.’” Ezekiel 3: 16-21 (NIV)
“‘Now I (spoken by the apostle Paul—my addition) know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. (Spoken specifically to the elders of the church in Ephesus.—my addition) Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.’” Acts 20: 25-31 (NIV)
(Spoken by JESUS) “‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.’” Luke 11: 23 (NIV)
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4: 17 (NIV)
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6: 7-8 (NIV)
‘I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest….’” Isaiah 62: 6 (NIV)
The homosexual agenda which proudly trumpets its sinful behavior is a threat to the religious freedom of Christians who identify homosexual behavior as sinful because they are by definition mutually exclusive. One CAN NOT be obedient to CHRIST and the TRUTH and support and/or be involved in homosexual behavior or allow it to flourish without taking a stand. Tonight, a short article that points out this obvious TRUTH as it discusses the two issues I have covered, since they are presently before the Legislature in Illinois and before Congress, as well as a third issue of “employment protections” which will be actively promoted by some members of Congress if the “hate crimes” legislation passes. The article with some comments:
“The Radical Homosexual Agenda and the Threat to Religious Liberty
5/29/2009 7:59:00 AM By Barrett Duke, Ph.D., Vice President for Public Policy and Research—The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
People of faith are on a collision course with the radical homosexual agenda. It is inevitable. In order for the radical homosexual agenda to be fully implemented, people of faith are going to have to be silenced and marginalized. The radical homosexual community will have to violate our religious liberty and our consciences in order to achieve this.
At this very moment, three issues move us closer to what I believe is an eventual clash. These issues affect our religious liberty in unique and distressing ways. I will mention two related to each.
Same-sex marriage
First, same-sex marriage will lead to the violation of our children’s consciences. Many of us send our children to government-run schools armed with our convictions and the Bible’s teachings about homosexuality. (If homosexual “marriage” or its counterfeit twin “civil unions” becomes law in Illinois, or in any State for that matter, my advice to ALL Christian parents is to get your children out of government schools NOW. Home educate them as we should—my addition.) Yet our children are already getting a much different message in some of them. Imagine what will happen if the government feels compelled to indoctrinate our children about the new civil right of same-sex marriage. We can expect government to look for ways to achieve this. The ‘struggle for same-sex marriage’ will be detailed as a civil rights triumph in their history and civics textbooks. Our children will be exposed to speakers who will ‘help’ them understand and accept same-sex marriage. Doubtless, many more insidious means will be deployed to indoctrinate our children and undermine their faith convictions about homosexuality.
Second, our freedom to choose our associations based on our religious convictions will be trampled. Legalization of same-sex marriage will create a situation in which the government will prohibit religious groups from using convictions about homosexuality as a determining factor in membership. This will extend to our participation in activities and access to religiously based accommodations, like church camps or retreats. What we have been seeing on this front lately is just the beginning. Imagine if we get to the place where same-sex marriage is treated as a civil right and all of the power of the United States government is brought to bear on making sure that no one involved in a same-sex marriage has his or her civil rights violated. It will not be possible for the government to secure the civil rights of those who are in a homosexual marriage and simultaneously accommodate our religiously held beliefs about homosexuality. (Reread this last sentence. That statement is absolutely true! Homosexual activists know this and CAN NOT WAIT for the day when they achieve their goals and homosexual sin becomes the accepted position of the government—government sanctify our behavior! Diametrically opposed views CAN NOT exist together as one. One will eventually be trampled on. And if homosexual marriage is legalized, guess which of the two conflicting viewpoints will be dismissed because that viewpoint is perceived as being a form of “discrimination”—my addition.)
Employment protections
The Employment Non-discrimination Act (ENDA) is a perfect example of the coming conflict. This bill is alive today in Congress and it threatens religious liberty. First of all, our ability to hire people who share our values will be taken away. A version of this bill provides an exemption for religious groups, but not all of their religious activities. The provision defines what is to be considered an exempt religious activity. So a church may be exempted from the requirement to extend employment to homosexuals, but this same exemption will not be available to other faith-based activities, like bookstores, daycare centers, or retreats. (And eventually churches themselves will also lose this exemption because, after all, it is “discriminatory!”—my addition) ENDA will prevent churches from applying their faith convictions about homosexuality to all of their hiring decisions.
Second, our faith will lead to accusations of discrimination in the workplace. These non-discrimination laws will treat as bigots all who communicate any kind of negative conviction about homosexuality in the workplace. Part of the current bill reads: ‘It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to adversely affect the status of the individual as an employee (What in the world does that mean!—my addition) because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.’ (A poor job performance review by a Christian given to a homosexual could be argued to be based upon the homosexuality of the employee! A homosexual could never get a negative review from a Christian without a question being raised about a homosexual “bias.” How many thousands of cases might end up in court?—my addition) This language is so broad in its scope that a homosexual would have legal grounds to sue an employer who keeps a Bible on his desk. He can simply argue that by displaying a Bible, the employer is publicly identifying with its condemnation of homosexual behavior and thereby ‘adversely affecting’ his status as an employee. (Isn’t that something! Now, some homosexual activists argue that the Bible does not condemn homosexual behavior, although it DOES! If they are momentarily victorious in this world though, you can rest assured they will make this very argument—if you believe the Bible, you are automatically discriminating against us!—my addition)
Hate crimes
Hate crimes bills also threaten our religious liberty. First, our faith conviction about homosexuality could lead to federal prosecution for hate crimes. Under hate crimes statutes a Christian who happens to engage in an act of violence against a homosexual could be charged with a hate crime simply because he believes the Bible’s teachings about homosexuality, regardless of whether that has anything to do with the crime. No one should engage in acts of violence against a homosexual simply because he is a homosexual. But neither should someone’s religiously held beliefs about homosexuality be the cause of his prosecution.
Second, hate crimes legislation could have a chilling effect on religious speech that is critical of homosexuality. A precedent already exists. Today some pastors are reluctant to speak about political issues because they fear the loss of their tax exempt status. (And some churches are afraid to speak out against the sin of homosexual behavior for the same reason!—my addition) To assure compliance with the law, they even shy away from political speech that is still permissible. We can expect a similar response from some pastors if they begin to fear being charged with a hate crime for potentially inciting violence against homosexuals through their preaching or teaching or if they fear endangering their tax exempt status.
These are all serious issues. They must be addressed. Our faith and the radical homosexual agenda are on track for a cataclysmic conflict. (Maybe not, churches and Christians may just acquiesce to the homosexual agenda. Some who claim to be Christian HAVE already—protecting their non-profit status is more important than proclaiming the WORD of GOD!—my addition) If the radical homosexual agenda is codified into law, our own government will be arrayed against us and our struggle to protect our religious freedom. We can fight this battle now or we can fight it later, but we are going to fight this battle. (OR SURRENDER—my addition.) We must stand up and protect our freedom to believe and to practice our faith according to God’s leading, not governments.” (WILL we? And if so, WHEN? WILL it be too late? Some homosexual activists already believe it is too late and some who claim to be Christian have already SURRENDERED!—my addition)
“He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.’” Ezekiel 3: 4 (NIV)
“‘But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified of them, though they are a rebellious house.’” Ezekiel 3: 7-9 (NIV)
“At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.
Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.’” Ezekiel 3: 16-21 (NIV)
“‘Now I (spoken by the apostle Paul—my addition) know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. (Spoken specifically to the elders of the church in Ephesus.—my addition) Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.’” Acts 20: 25-31 (NIV)
(Spoken by JESUS) “‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.’” Luke 11: 23 (NIV)
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4: 17 (NIV)
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6: 7-8 (NIV)
posted by Christian Gunslinger at 4:53 AM
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