Stupidity has no limit. I used to think that was a joke until the militant gays, lesbians, and cross-dressers went ballistic over the new Indiana law. However, Indiana did not pass an anti-gay law.
What the law does is protect the right of individuals to follow their consciences and religious convictions unless the state has some compelling reason to force them to violate those convictions.
There are laws similar to the Hoosier statute in a number of states, and it is similar, as well, to a 1993 federal law that was signed by that right-wing religious fanatic, Bill Clinton. These laws are redundant in that they are echoes of the First Amendment, but since the Establishment Clause has been stood on its head for so many years and made to guarantee freedom from religion in the public square, perhaps such clarifications on the state level are necessary.
As Denninger points out, it would be wrong to force the owner of a Jewish deli to fry up some bacon to meet a customer's demand.
I think it's generally wrong to use the guns of government to force anybody to do anything "positive". It is legitimate for government to punish those who cause harm to the person or property of another. Government can, in a sense, "referee" disputes between belief systems, but it has no business taking sides. In other words, if some of us decide that we ought to go downtown and beat up homosexuals and people who are "gender confused", the government can legitimately step in and tell us that we are over the line. What it can't do -- or shouldn't be able to do -- is tell us that we have to like trannies or that we have to think the abnormal is normal.
Christians, in general, have no animosity toward homosexuals and no desire to harm them physically or deny them any human rights. We do think we have the right to tell them what they are doing is wrong, just as adultery, promiscuity, and other forms of sexual immorality are wrong. And any person, religious or not, ought to have better sense than to let a cross-dressing male use the women's locker room. Again, the government has a place in helping us balance our freedom of expression against the rights of homosexuals to live in peace. But that works both ways. The Christian has a right to live in peace and practice his or her religion, and, as a business person, to be free from coercion regarding beliefs to which he adheres.
What the law does is protect the right of individuals to follow their consciences and religious convictions unless the state has some compelling reason to force them to violate those convictions.
There are laws similar to the Hoosier statute in a number of states, and it is similar, as well, to a 1993 federal law that was signed by that right-wing religious fanatic, Bill Clinton. These laws are redundant in that they are echoes of the First Amendment, but since the Establishment Clause has been stood on its head for so many years and made to guarantee freedom from religion in the public square, perhaps such clarifications on the state level are necessary.
As Denninger points out, it would be wrong to force the owner of a Jewish deli to fry up some bacon to meet a customer's demand.
I think it's generally wrong to use the guns of government to force anybody to do anything "positive". It is legitimate for government to punish those who cause harm to the person or property of another. Government can, in a sense, "referee" disputes between belief systems, but it has no business taking sides. In other words, if some of us decide that we ought to go downtown and beat up homosexuals and people who are "gender confused", the government can legitimately step in and tell us that we are over the line. What it can't do -- or shouldn't be able to do -- is tell us that we have to like trannies or that we have to think the abnormal is normal.
Christians, in general, have no animosity toward homosexuals and no desire to harm them physically or deny them any human rights. We do think we have the right to tell them what they are doing is wrong, just as adultery, promiscuity, and other forms of sexual immorality are wrong. And any person, religious or not, ought to have better sense than to let a cross-dressing male use the women's locker room. Again, the government has a place in helping us balance our freedom of expression against the rights of homosexuals to live in peace. But that works both ways. The Christian has a right to live in peace and practice his or her religion, and, as a business person, to be free from coercion regarding beliefs to which he adheres.
Very good points for liberty, Mushroom.
ReplyDeleteWhile our current left wing administration is happy to violate the rights of Christian bakers and photographers, I have noticed they haven't gone after Muslims.
Nor do I think it would be justified to do so.
However, many democrats have tried to push Islam dogma in public schools, while prosecuting Christians for simply praying in those same schools.
And left wing radicals have no problem with widespread anti-semitism in our schools and colleges.
Yes, you're right. I thought the left was supposed to be all for freedom of expression and that dissent was the highest form of patriotism. They are worse than hypocrites.
ReplyDelete