Category: Religious Freedom
Parkersburg South Wrestling Team Intimidated for Expressing Religious Freedom
Posted on April 21, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A controversy over wrestling shirts is brewing in Wood County, West Virginia, at Parkersburg South High School. Thanks to the dubious Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) lodging a complaint with the school Superintendent the wrestling team has been asked to stop wearing their shirts which display the Bible verse Philippians 4:13:
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation makes a practice of sending threatening letters to anyone expressing their religious freedom in the public sector. The group seeks to use bullying and scare tactics to intimidate silence on the part of Christians seeking to live out their faith.
“Government Every Citizen Should Fear” Supreme Court Ruling Strikes Blow to Religious Freedom
Posted on April 14, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Christians now have every reason to fear their government.
That is the general sentiment after the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Elane Photography after the disastrous ruling by the New Mexico Supreme Court. Here’s what you need to know and where the case currently stands.
Elaine Huguenin refused to render services to a homosexual couple that asked her to photograph their same-sex ceremony. She cited her religious convictions and said she simply could not in accordance with her faith photograph their ceremony. The couple sued Elane Photography for discrimination based on sexual orientation. After years in the court system the New Mexico Supreme Court finally ruled against Elane Photography for discrimination and fined her.
New York City Says Churches Can’t Use Public Schools
Posted on April 11, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The case of the Bronx Household of Faith is a storied one that has spanned decades. It began when the New York City Board of Education changed a city policy forbidding churches to rent public schools for church services. Other organizations may rent public schools, only churches were barred from using them. The Bronx Household of Faith sued the city for unfairly targeting the free exercise of religion.
In 2012 a lower court granted a full injunction which barred the city policy from taking effect, this allowed the churches to continue meeting in schools pending the ruling by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The 2nd Circuit reversed the lower court ruling last week and allowed the city policy to take effect. Without intervention by the full 2nd Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court churches in New York City will now be homeless.
The good news is that newly elected mayor Bill de Blasio has said he supports allowing churches to meet in schools like everyone else. In fact he made such statements more than once during his campaign. After the ruling Mayor de Blasio was quoted as saying:
Our Culture is Starving for Bold Pastors Willing to Speak Up
Posted on April 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Pastor, let me ask you a question. Does your congregation know their religious rights? I’m not trying to be funny, it’s a serious question. And I am willing to bet that not only does many in your congregation not know their rights, but neither do you.
My friend Erik Stanley has been leading the charge to educate churches and pastors on their religious rights for a long time. As a religious freedom litigator with Alliance Defending Freedom he is on the front lines ensuring our constitutional rights are protected and defended. Part of his work has been the “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” project which aims to challenge the unconstitutional Johnson Amendment in the IRS code. Erik recently wrote:
“Why is it that Christians have a sense that our faith is under attack and that we are a disfavored minority on the road to sure persecution? One reason is because of the stories we see of fellow believers who are currently undergoing trials and tribulations for simply exercising their faith… Pastor, what are you doing to prepare your congregation to live in a culture that seems bent on denying them the right to live out their faith and to share their faith with others around them? Are they aware of the increasing attacks on people of faith?”
By now many people know of the florist in Washington, the baker in Colorado, and the photographer in New Mexico facing lawsuits for adhering to their religious convictions. What you might not know is that these are just three of the hundreds of cases wherein people of faith are facing legal action for their convictions. The reality is that these stories are growing in number.
This Homosexual Couple Was denied a Cake. Their Response is Shocking!
Posted on March 25, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
More stories are cropping up in the news about homosexual couples being denied service from Christian business owners. If you’ve not read about the photographer in New Mexico, florist in Washington, or baker in Colorado, you can do so here. Big names have shared their thoughts on the issue in light of the religious freedom bill vetoed in Arizona.
By now I should be used to reading these stories. Despite that fact I am genuinely shocked by the response of one homosexual couple when they were turned down by a baker in Indiana.
The story goes like this. The couple wanted to celebrate their relationship in April and called 111 Cakery to order a cake for their occasion. They were told by the owner that they could not get a cake because doing so would violate his religious convictions.
At this point we should be hearing about the couple getting mad, hiring a lawyer, alerting the press, and suing the baker. And though a social media firestorm happened over the weekend as a result of the incident, the couple’s response is beautifully shocking. They said:
Did Andy Stanley Misspeak? Should Christians Violate Their religious Convictions?
Posted on March 12, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In light of the Kansas bill that died in committee and the Arizona religious freedom bill that made national headlines for several weeks before being vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer, mega-church pastor Andy Stanley made some troubling remarks that have evangelicals questioning his intentions.
According to a recent article Stanley said that he:
“..finds it ‘offensive that Christians would leverage faith to support the Kansas law. Serving people we don’t see eye to eye with is the essence of Christianity. Jesus died for a world with which he didn’t see eye to eye. If a bakery doesn’t want to sell its products to a gay couple, it’s their business. Literally. But leave Jesus out of it.’”
A Man’s Response When He Was Refused Service for Being Conservative Should Be a Lesson to All
Posted on March 6, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
We’ve all heard of a Christian being sued for effusing to take part in a same-sex ceremony. Sure you have. There’s a baker in Colorado, a photographer in New Mexico, a florist in Washington, these are just a few of the many people being attacked by LGBT activists and the government for refusing to violate their religious convictions. (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, click here.)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a straight person was ‘discriminated” against by a homosexual simply for being straight, conservative, or Christian?
Wonder no more.
Not long ago Alan Sears, the president of Arizona based legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, was turned down by a photographer when asked to take a family photo for a Christmas card.
Are You Sure You Want to Support Disney After This Decision?
Posted on March 5, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
We all saw this coming. The Boy Scouts are faced with yet another decision regarding homosexuals in their organization. After they caved to pressure to allow openly homosexual boy scouts, pressure is now mounting for the boys group to also allow openly homosexual leaders. Disney has now cut off funding from the organization unless they change their policy to allow the homosexual leaders. A recent article reports:
“Walt Disney World has decided it will stop funding the local Boy Scouts of America chapter beginning next year unless the childhood group allows open homosexuals to serve as Scoutmasters. The Disney corporation said the BSA violates its non-discrimination policy…It is not clear how much money the amusement park provided to the scouts annually. However, that revenue stream may be available again if the scouts change their policy before January 1, 2015. Homosexual groups said the decision is a sign of their growing influence in the culture, especially in the realm of children’s entertainment.”
There is so much wrong with that paragraph. First, Disney states that the Boy Scouts violate the Disney non-discrimination policy. At what point is it appropriate for one organization to demand another organization abide by its policies? But that’s the goal of liberals, progressives, and homosexuals; everyone will affirm one universal, world-wide social policy – effectively removing autonomy and individuality.
Second, the fact that homosexuals believe they are gaining influence in “the realm of children’s entertainment” is scary. They are seeking to “educate,” or rather indoctrinate kids into a particular worldview that celebrates homosexuality. Any gains in children’s entertainment should be a cause for concern for parents.
Supporting Disney at this point is simply not an option for me. They have, over the last several years become a very liberal organization that approves and celebrates a whole host of immoral behavior and views. To say the least, my family won’t be visiting anytime soon.
31 States Have Religious Freedom Protections. Is West Virginia One of Them?
Posted on March 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In light of the debacle that took place in Arizona last week, the question has been asked whether or not states already have religious freedom protections. The answer? Yes! At least 31 states have religious freedom protections that were either enacted by legislation or by state court decisions. The map below shows the breakdown of which states have what kind of protections.
Unfortunately, West Virginia has no such protections. I am currently unclear on what protections, if any, West Virginia has in place. According to this map our state doesn’t have any protections other than what is provided in the Constitution of the United States. It’s alarming to me how behind West Virginia is on critical issues like abortion limits, abortion funding, marriage protection laws, religious freedom laws, and more. It’s as if our state has been in the hands of liberal leadership for the past century. Oh wait…
Daily Roundup: Arizona Religious Freedom Bill Vetoed by Governor
Posted on February 27, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In a surprising move by outspoken conservative Republican Governor Jan Brewer, the Arizona religious freedom bill that has caused so much controversy in the last week has been vetoed.
Unfortunately mischaracterizations and outright lies from opponents seemed to have overwhelmed public opinion about this bill and contributed to its demise. While many claimed the bill would encourage and allow discrimination, the truth is that it simply would have brought Arizona law up to the level of federal law regarding religious freedom. It would have also protected any person of faith from being sued for living according to their religious convictions.
While I can’t begin to speculate on Gov. Brewer’s motives, the fact that she has been so outspoken and firm in her beliefs in the face of opposition leas me to believe there was something greater at stake for her here. In my opinion, Gov. Brewer was the victim of economic bullying. This opposed to this bill, including the NFL, made sure the governor knew that they would harm Arizona financially should she sign the bill into law.
Welcome to the new America. A place where your beliefs are protected, so long as they align with what the federal government deems acceptable. If they don’t, expect persecution and threats until you either change your views or shut up. Personally, I feel bad for Gov. Brewer. She seems to have been between a rock and a hard place and it appears she suffered from the tight squeeze.
The following articles serve as a roundup following the decision to the veto the bill: