A Dark Day for Religious Freedom

“Today’s a good day,” President Joe Biden told a cheering crowd at the White House on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 after he signed the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” into law.  

“No, it’s not, said some conservative groups, who see the law as another opportunity for leftists to force their nontraditional ideology onto people who respect societal and religious norms.

“Today is a dark day for religious freedom,” Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins said in a statement:

“President Biden has now unleashed one of the greatest assaults on religious freedom in modern history.  The principles of our First Freedom, guaranteed in our Constitution, that he swore to ‘preserve, protect and defend,’ are now in even greater jeopardy.  These founding principles have been challenged for seven years since the Obergefell decision, and in cases involving Jack Phillips and others.  In signing the (Dis)Respect For Marriage Act into law, Biden has succumbed to the temporal forces of the culture rather than the transcendent principles of our nation’s Constitution.  As Bible-believing Christians, we understand that whether by the White House, the Court, or by the Congress, truth cannot be altered -- nor will our commitment to that truth.  Marriage is an institution created by God for the well-being of men, women, children, and society as a whole -- it cannot be redesigned without impoverishing them all.”

The FRC specifically warned:

“The law will now accelerate and intensify the already-existing attacks on religious liberty (by creating a private right of action); legislatively cement antifamily policies harmful to children; make faith-based adoption and foster-care agencies a greater target for frivolous litigation, curtailing or ending their ability to help children find homes; threaten the tax-exempt status of adoption and foster care agencies (and other vitally needed non-profit organizations, whether religious or secular); and tacitly vilify millions of Americans who believe in natural marriage by labeling that belief as ‘sex discrimination,’ tantamount to racism.”

“Catholic charities and schools will likely end up in court soon,” warned Brian Burch of CatholicVote.  “Business owners likewise will be shamed and sued.  This is all part of the plan.”  Burch noted that the law was “rushed” through Congress after the election “so that public accountability would be limited.  The law did nothing to change same-sex ‘marriage’ in the United States,” Burch said.  “Instead, the new law allows LGBT activists to unleash a new round of legal attacks on faith-based organizations and conscientious citizens who hold fast to the time-honored truth about marriage.”

“Don’t forget who voted for this -- every Democrat in the Senate, along with 12 Republicans,” Burch noted.  “In the House, 89 Catholics (74 Democrats and 15 Republicans) voted to redefine marriage and expose our religious organizations to a flood of lawsuits.  When asked to include a simple amendment that would ensure Catholics would not be targeted, these politicians ignored us.”

CatholicVote is urging Church leaders and Catholic business owners to “hold fast. Refuse to surrender!  Support the legal groups that will be called upon to defend anyone challenged under this new law.  Fight for every inch...”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel