1/8/20 Breaking interview with future Democratic State Representative Cynthia Neeley. Will fix the damn roads be in the State of the State, and what’s going on with Rep. Larry Inman, followed by a discussion about the potential LGBTQ amendment. Partners with www.DeadlineDetroit.com.
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Religious freedom challenged by Democratic backed State and Federal LGBTQ Equality Acts…
Michigan political and civil rights activists have launched a petition initiative to expand protections for the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer) community. The proposed language would broaden the definition of “sex” in the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 to include gender identity and sexual orientation. The group needs 340,047 petition signatures by the end of May to qualify for the November 2020 ballot.Their drive will cost $3 million.
Michigan Republican Mike Shirkey, State Senate Majority Leader, said the proposal will be heavily contested. Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield has questioned the need for new LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections. He said where these laws have been passed there has been reverse discrimination against people of faith.
A similar national bill to the Michigan initiative is the Equality Act (H.R. 5) which has run into a roadblock in Washington DC. H.R. 5’s purpose is also to give expanded rights to the LGBTQ community.
In a March 13, 2019 Washington D.C. press event, Speaker Nancy Pelosi with other Democratic leaders introduced H.R. 5. This Act amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations and the use of federal funds. H.R. 5 was passed by the United States House of Representatives on May 17, 2019 and delivered to the United States Senate for consideration on May 20, 2019.
The Senate immediately said Whoa..not so fast! The Senate then began serious questioning on how this Act would negatively impact churches and America’s religious freedom. Instantly, influential Christian leaders, pastors, and pro-family activists began loudly voicing their genuine concerns about the discrimination in this Act directed at Christians and the Bible.
Franklin Graham called it an atrocious Act that would raise tremendous legal problems for Christians and churches. Mr. Graham said “This legislation will have catastrophic consequences for competitive sports, along with churches and faith-based nonprofits who would lose all protections to hire people who adhere to their Biblical statements of faith. Christians will be persecuted for their sincerely held beliefs as never before. The clear teachings of the Bible on the sins of homosexuality and abortion will no doubt be considered ‘hate speech.’ It will be a nightmare from which this nation may never recover.”
This Act could cause Christians to be criminally prosecuted for “hatred”. Biblical truths on morality and gender would be totally renounced. The Heritage Foundation spoke out on how this Equality Act “would lead to the dismantling of sex-specific facilities, sports, and other female-only spaces.” Employers and workers would be forced to conform to new sexual norms or lose their businesses and jobs.
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said the Equality Act is a thinly veiled attempt to finish off religious liberty in America once and for all. Dobson said the religious component is staggering and would impact everything from Christian colleges to banks, retailers, federal programs and health services.
An open letter was also sent to Congress opposing the Equality Act by over a dozen top Christian leaders including Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council.
Their letter adamantly opposed H.R.5 because it is incompatible with God’s Word, the historic teaching of the church and it is riddled with threats to religious liberty and the sanctity of human life. They stated the Act falsely equates one’s sexual conduct with immutable characteristics like skin color and ethnicity, and it would lay the groundwork for this lie to be taught in schools.
Andrew Walker, Senior Fellow at the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, calls H.R. 5 “the most invasive threat to religious liberty ever proposed in America. He said the effects on free speech, freedom and conscience would be historic and chilling. It imposes on our entire culture the unhealthy lifestyle of homosexual and transgender sexuality and its powerful anti-religious components.
It is important to understand that the LGBTQ community is already covered by existing laws, and they have the undivided attention, support and resources of the Democratic Party. God’s Word, however, calls their lifestyle a sin and an abomination that will deliver them straight to the gates of hell. The Bible declares that there are only two sexes which are male and female. God’s Word is the main obstacle they see standing in their way.
Many Christians have not yet awakened to these realities, but they will. If these Equality Acts are passed, these Christians will awaken from their slumber to a discrimination and nightmarish hostility. At that point, the Christian persecution will have commenced in America.