Biden Pledges to Gut Religious Freedom Protections

November 2, 2020

Biden Pledges to Gut Religious Freedom Protections, Saying They Give 'Hate' a 'Safe Harbor'

Joe Biden made no bones about it: If he wins the presidential election, he will gut religious freedom protections that allow faith-based homeless shelters, charities, and small business owners to act according to their consciences. Specifically, he will shove LGBT ideology down the throats of religious Americans in the name of fighting “discrimination.”

https://pjmedia.com/election/tyler-o-neil/2020/10/30/biden-pledges-to-gut-religious-freedom-protections-saying-they-give-hate-a-safe-harbor-n1108379

November 3, 2020

The website that Photodude cited raised multiple issues and some very valid questions that are important and should be addressed. I do not have the time or space in this forum to address every question. So, I will simply state a couple of responses which will not address most of the issues raised in that website.

1) If you take Federal tax funds, you submit to some levels of Federal control. Recently a SDA organization fired an employee. It is alleged that the SDA organization has received some $1,700,00 of Federal money from one source and additional Federal money from another source. Common sense tells us that accepting such amounts of Federal money should involve a requirement to operate under some level of Federal control. I happen to believe that in this case firing that employee may have been legal. But, I do not consider it to be a violation of religious rights for an organization that accepted that amount of Federal money to be subject to Federal oversight of their operation.

2) Citizens in the United States are entitled to equal application of the law. Government agents who administer the law should not be allowed to discriminate in the application of the law. As an example, a clerk who gives a marriage license to a couple legally entitled to receive one should not be allowed to refuse to issue such to a couple based upon the religious beliefs of that clerk. A person who has religious objections to such should not take that position.

3) A person engaged offering services to the public at large, should not be allowed to discriminate in the provision of those services. This may require a balance. Under current law, a baker who sells cakes, must sell to all. But, that baker is not required to decorate in any manner requested by the person purchasing that cake.

In another example, If I want to rent out a room in my home, I can discriminate in any manner that I want as to who I rent that room to. However, If I own an apartment building, I can not discriminate as to whom I rent an apartment to.