You know, with this Religious Freedom act I have been awfully quiet but the ignorance I have seen on Facebook as a result has finally broken me away from it.
Listen here. This bill isn't about religious freedom- but rather prejudice masked in law. I do not agree with it being called an "Anti-Gay" law (while I acknowledge it was probably the key root of it's inspiration) because it is all encompassing. Religion can be vague and interpretive. All someone has to do is interpret their religion in a way that allows them to discriminate against gays, Muslims, Buddhists, blacks, Asians- people named Joe.
The bill is also dangerously vague. What constitutes freedom of religion? Denying "services?" What's a "service?" This goes beyond making a cake or taking pictures for someone- this affects hospital care (mostly run on religion), this affects peoples' abilities to buy a home, and can definitely affect one's right to live.
To sit there and say this wasn't gay-inspired is ignorance. How convenient that shortly after Indiana legalizes Gay Marriage we see this bill be born? Same with Michigan. All it is is a last stand against changing times and they were willing to take down any other minority and religious group to do it.
The point is that God nor Jesus practiced discrimination- he practiced acceptance and treating even your enemies as equals (depending on your interpretation of the bible). I have heard religious people refer to Gays and non-believers as "diseased and sick." Jesus kissed the leper did he not? I don't remember the bible saying Jesus said unto the leper "Bye Felicia."
When you start a business you are opening a public service. If you are not willing to serve the public then tell me why you are running a public service? Why are you starting a business when clearly you don't care about maximizing profit? Why are you agreeing to enter medical fields to help people when you don't want to help everyone?
To say the goal of this bill wasn't meant to target anyone but rather to protect business and freedom is pure ignorance. If a company wants to deny service to people based on religious freedom then fine. I don't care. Do it. However the bill needs to be reworded and made more specific. Primarily to exclude medical fields from its umbrella of prejudice. This law is as open to interpretation as, well, the bible.
You shouldn't have to put together a weekend study group to interpret law and what it means. The problem with our system is we have countless "implied rights." Rights that we have that are not actually written anywhere. For example- freedom of privacy? Doesn't exist, not in the constitution- it's simply implied. I can see them pulling this sort of stuff when it comes to this bill.
Ugh.
Listen here. This bill isn't about religious freedom- but rather prejudice masked in law. I do not agree with it being called an "Anti-Gay" law (while I acknowledge it was probably the key root of it's inspiration) because it is all encompassing. Religion can be vague and interpretive. All someone has to do is interpret their religion in a way that allows them to discriminate against gays, Muslims, Buddhists, blacks, Asians- people named Joe.
The bill is also dangerously vague. What constitutes freedom of religion? Denying "services?" What's a "service?" This goes beyond making a cake or taking pictures for someone- this affects hospital care (mostly run on religion), this affects peoples' abilities to buy a home, and can definitely affect one's right to live.
To sit there and say this wasn't gay-inspired is ignorance. How convenient that shortly after Indiana legalizes Gay Marriage we see this bill be born? Same with Michigan. All it is is a last stand against changing times and they were willing to take down any other minority and religious group to do it.
The point is that God nor Jesus practiced discrimination- he practiced acceptance and treating even your enemies as equals (depending on your interpretation of the bible). I have heard religious people refer to Gays and non-believers as "diseased and sick." Jesus kissed the leper did he not? I don't remember the bible saying Jesus said unto the leper "Bye Felicia."
When you start a business you are opening a public service. If you are not willing to serve the public then tell me why you are running a public service? Why are you starting a business when clearly you don't care about maximizing profit? Why are you agreeing to enter medical fields to help people when you don't want to help everyone?
To say the goal of this bill wasn't meant to target anyone but rather to protect business and freedom is pure ignorance. If a company wants to deny service to people based on religious freedom then fine. I don't care. Do it. However the bill needs to be reworded and made more specific. Primarily to exclude medical fields from its umbrella of prejudice. This law is as open to interpretation as, well, the bible.
You shouldn't have to put together a weekend study group to interpret law and what it means. The problem with our system is we have countless "implied rights." Rights that we have that are not actually written anywhere. For example- freedom of privacy? Doesn't exist, not in the constitution- it's simply implied. I can see them pulling this sort of stuff when it comes to this bill.
Ugh.
Written By: Benji Leon I Guest Contributor