Same-sex marriage and religious liberty: What's really at stake

We keep hearing that the legalization of same-sex marriage will have no impact on the life of the average American, but nothing could be further from the truth. It will radically reorient society and curtail religious liberties. Obama appointee Chai Feldblum has already acknowledged this inevitable conflict.



In this recent commentary (linked below), Chuck Colson offers several examples of how religious liberties are already under assault.

(The Coming Persecution)



What is seldom discussed in this debate is how the agenda is not just for same-sex marriage, but also to radically redefine the institution to include open marriage. The real motive here is to make the concept of marriage completely unrecognizable. As Colson notes in the following commentary (linked below), same-sex marriage is just the first step in that process.

(Not Like Everyone Else)




Related articles:

• Judge overturns California's ban on same-sex marriage (cnn.com)
• Court Upholds Expulsion of Counseling Student Who Opposes Homosexuality (foxnews.com)
• UPDATE: Student told to change 'unethical' Christian beliefs (icnewssoup.blogspot.com)
• Obama Nominee: Society Should 'Not Tolerate Private Beliefs' That 'Adversely Affect' Homosexuals (cnsnews.com)
• The Coming Persecution (breakpoint.org)
• Not Like Everyone Else (breakpoint.org)

Court Upholds Expulsion of Counseling Student Who Opposes Homosexuality

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a public university that removed a Christian student from its graduate program in school counseling over her belief that homosexuality is morally wrong. Monday's ruling, according to Julea Ward's attorneys, could result in Christian students across the country being expelled from public university for similar views. Full Story>>

Related articles:

• PC Wins Again: EMU Student Expelled for Opposing Homosexuality (beliefnet.com)
• Ga. Coed: I Was ToldTo Lose My Religion (foxnews.com)
• Student told to change 'unethical' Christian beliefs (icnewssoup.blogspot.com)

UPDATE: Student told to change 'unethical' Christian beliefs

Jennifer Keaton, a student at Augusta State University, was told that she would need to go through additional "training" to accept homosexuality or she would not graduate from the counseling program. She was recently interviewed on CNN along with an attorney from the Alliance Defense Fund.

Related articles:

• Ga. Coed: I Was ToldTo Lose My Religion (foxnews.com)
• Religious Freedom onCampus Dealt a Blow (foxnews.com)
• Student told to change 'unethical' Christian beliefs (icnewssoup.blogspot.com)

Student told to change 'unethical' Christian beliefs

AUGUSTA, Georgia, July 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed suit against Augusta State University Wednesday on behalf of a counseling student who was allegedly told that her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. The student, Jennifer Keeton, says she has been told to stop communicating her beliefs and that she must undergo "training" to accept homosexuality in order to graduate from the counseling program. Full Story>>

Related articles:

• Supporters Rally for Prof Fired for Beliefs (foxnews.com)
• EXCLUSIVE: Students Told Prayer Illegal at Court (foxnews.com)

UPDATE: Christians arrested in Dearborn

You may remember this story about the Christians who were arrested in Dearborn Michigan for handing out Scripture. There have been some interesting developments of late as the case works its way through the courts. Most notable is a surprising statement released by the ACLU in support of the Christian missionaries.

Michael Steinberg, the legal director for the ACLU of Michigan, told the Messenger via email, “Based solely on the videotape, it appears that the man encouraging others to convert to Christianity was engaged in speech protected by the First Amendment. The videotape suggests that the man who was arrested was not harassing the people with whom he was speaking, nor was he inciting a riot; rather, he was engaged in the type of free exchange of ideas about religion that is valued in a free society. The man’s message may not have been popular at this particular festival, but the Constitution protects unpopular speech as well as popular speech.”

Steinberg also says that what happened on Sunday, June 20 — when the same missionaries were shooed off a public sidewalk and told they had to be at least five blocks away to hand out literature — looks like an abuse of authority as well.

“If it was being distributed on public streets outside the area reserved for the festival,” he said, “then it was protected First Amendment activity because public streets are quintessential public forums where protection of freedom of speech is strongest.”

He also noted that “videotaping police officers in public – especially when documenting perceived police misconduct – is activity protected by the Constitution.”
Dan Ray, a professor of constitutional law at Cooley Law School in Ann Arbor, agrees. “If any local authority told the religious group that it could only distribute its literature five blocks away,” he said, “that’s a clear First Amendment violation.” As a legal question, he said, this was “not even a close call.” 

The Dearborn Police Department did not return calls seeking comment for this article.

Full Story>>

.Related articles:

• Dearborn Mayor lies about Christians arrested for proselytizing (jihadwatch.org)
• Dearborn Police Violate First Amendment in Arrest of Christian Missionaries  (scienceblogs.com)

UPDATE: 4 Christians charged in Dearborn, Michigan

Last month four Christians were arrested for disturbing the peace while handing out the Gospel of John in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Muslim population. Today they have been officially charged. Full Story>>




HT: Gateway Pundit

Florida school district bans Bibles on Religious Freedom Day

Maitland-based Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit Thursday to overturn a ban on Bible distribution on public school campuses in Collier County. According to the Liberty Counsel, the Collier County School Board allowed World Changers to distribute free Bibles to students during off-school hours on Religious Freedom Day, but now the school officials claim that Bibles do not provide any educational benefit to the students and the distribution should stop. Continue>> 

Cops Arrest Christians For Handing Out Bibles to Muslims in Michigan

Has Sharia law come to Michagan? Several  Christians peacefully distributing the Gospel of John outside an Arab festival were arrested for disorderly conduct. Full Story>>

HT: Gateway Pundit