Tag: rights
The Battle’s Not Over: Here’s What the Cake Baking Ruling Didn’t Do
Posted on June 14, 2018 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I’m certainly not trying to be a killjoy in the wake of a decision that brings good news for religious freedom and free speech. But I do want to be realistic and understand the ruling in its context and scope. To do that we need to understand what the ruling did not do.
Why Guns Aren’t the Problem: A Response to Gun-Control Activists
Posted on April 5, 2018 in Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
In each of the examples above we place the blame where it belongs, on the person using the object. How is it we don’t do the same when discussing guns? It seems some in our culture want to place blame on anything other than the individual pulling the trigger. Somehow, a person that decides to start shooting other people is absolved of their responsibility for that decision and all responsibility is placed squarely in the hands of…the gun?
But we must take notice of an exception to this strange denial of responsibility. When someone commits an act of terror, we blame the person.
Making Sense of the NFL and the Rights of Business Owners
Posted on October 26, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Some owners are taking matters in their own hands. It’s not surprise that outspoken and heavily visible owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys has already told his team “If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period.” Jones is a long-time owner of the Cowboys and a career businessman. It’s really no surprise that he made this decision as it is good for business.
Of course not everyone liked the decision. A rapper by the name of Common blasted Jones…
Christian Business Owner Wins Important Court Case Protecting Religious Liberty
Posted on August 30, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The judge in this case determined that Lawson’s home-based business is not subject to the city of Madison’s public accommodations ordinance or the state of Wisconsin’s public accommodations law.
Furthermore, the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin agreed to this judgment.
This is welcomed news to Christians that have come under fire for trying to live and do business according to their deeply held religious convictions. Certainly the photographer in New Mexico, the baker in Colorado, the florist in Washington, and many others will be overjoyed to hear of this news; even as they have faced lawsuits, fines, and a total loss of their livelihood.
Do School Employees Lose All Religious Rights By Being a School Employee?
Posted on December 17, 2015 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
There’s an enormous misunderstanding regarding the Constitution and religion that is causing all sorts of trouble for folks that just want to pray. The misunderstanding is being intentionally propagated by an atheist group that doesn’t want to see religious expressions in public.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has a notion that government and religion are mutually exclusive. They have as their mission “to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.” The problem here is that there is no such “constitutional principle.” Nowhere in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the Declaration of Independence is there a word about keeping religion out of public life; or the so-called “separation of church and state.” In fact, what the Constitution does say is that the government has no authority to make any laws pertaining to the free exercise and expression of religion.
But that doesn’t stop this atheist group from demanding that coaches not take part in team prayers.
One of the latest cases comes from Naperville, Ill. where a high school football coach is under fire for simply being present with his players during team prayers. (Click here to read the local article) The complaint came after a picture of the team, including the coaches, was sent to the FFRF. They sent a letter to the school district demanding the action cease immediately.
UPDATE: US Civil Rights Commission Tells Houston Mayor to Leave Pastors Alone
Posted on October 27, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
The news that Mayor Annise Parker of Houston, Texas subpoenaed the sermons and other communications from several pastors after the passage and attempted repeal of a controversial “bathroom bill” in the city has become a national matter.
Bathroom bills are dangerous, to say the least. Typically a bathroom bill will allow a man to use the women’s bathroom, locker room, or other facilities (and vice versa) based on little more than a perceived gender identity. In other words a man can simply say that he is a woman and be allowed to use the women’s facilities. The dangers of such bills seem obvious to everyone but the activists pushing for their passage.
When the Houston bathroom bill was being proposed by the city many pastors spoke out against it and even encouraged their congregations to oppose the bill. Such speech is not merely appropriate for a pastor inside his church it is constitutionally protected speech. But that didn’t stop the city of Houston and Mayor Annise Parker from subpoenaing the sermons, emails, and other communication of these pastors.
That’s when people across the country got mad.
Do You Know What the “Gay Rights Platform” Is? If Not You Will Be Shocked!
Posted on August 11, 2014 in Marriage, Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
The question is, “Do you know what that gay rights agenda is?
In an article for WND, pastor, writer, and human rights consultant Dr. Scott Lively has explained in great detail exactly what the gay rights agenda is, and how it is being accomplished. And he’s done so using their own writings.
Take for example the 1972 Gay Rights Platform. This platform was adopted in 1972 when more than 200 homosexual organizations met in Chicago to write and adopt it. Why should it matter to you? Because nearly every plank in this platform has been achieved. A platform that is more than 40 years old has been implemented with surgical precision. Check for yourself, read the platform and check off how many of their goals have been accomplished.
FEDERAL LEVEL:
1) Amend all federal Civil Rights Acts, other legislation and government controls to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and public services.
My Twitter Conversation About Transgender Rights Being More Important than Christian Rights.
Posted on July 3, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I had a friendly conversation with a LGBT rights group on Twitter that said the religious convictions of Christian should be protected. As you can imagine, I was a little shocked. Seldom have I encountered any LGBT activist that believes religious convictions are important, much less that they should be protected.
The person I was communicating with said as long as people have sincerely held religious convictions and not just personal opinions, those convictions should be protected. I had a little trouble understanding the difference, but, okay, we were basically on the same page.
Or so I thought.
Wanting to dig a little deeper I asked a very simple question: “You would then condemn the court’s decision against the photographer in New Mexico who refused to render services to a homosexual couple for the fact that it would violate her religious convictions, right?”
That’s where things went south.
Two European Cases Hold Critical Implications for American Christians and Churches
Posted on July 2, 2014 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Let me ask a question: how many times have homosexual advocates promised to respect religious liberty and religious freedom as they simultaneously demand “equality” and “rights”?
Activists and lawmakers alike have said religious freedom would be respected as homosexuals continue to push for LGBT rights. Pundits sneer at the idea that churches would be forced to perform gay weddings against their religious convictions. And yet such events are taking place.
Let me ask another question: if the government can force people, organizations and businesses to violate their religious convictions why can’t it force churches to do the same?
Author Says Efforts to Defend Religious Freedom A Scam – Christians Haven’t Lost Any Rights
Posted on April 23, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Uncategorized by Nathan Cherry
I recently came across an article titled “The Christian Rights ‘Religious Freedom Law’ Scam” by Vanessa Sheridan, writing at the Huffington Post.
This might be one of the worst mischaracterizations of efforts to secure religious freedom through legislative action by anyone I’ve read in recent memory. The article is so full of misstatements and absurd claims that it’s hard to decide if it should be at The Huffington Post or The Onion.
Ms. Sheridan first accuses a small group of people of seeking to pass laws that would legalize open discrimination. She is, presumably, talking about laws like the one recently vetoed by Arizona governor Jan Brewer that would have protected the religious convictions of business owners from forced government violation. But in her words this bill would: