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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Freedom of Speech, Religion Ushered Out in Colorado

You might have heard about the Colorado "Restroom Chaos" law signed by Governor Bill Ritter a couple of weeks ago. It allows men who "think" they're women or "feel" like women to use the ladies restrooms and locker rooms.

But apparently the law had some more bad stuff in the fine print: politically incorrect Biblical truth has been outlawed in Colorado outside the walls of the church.

From WorldNetDaily:

The law provides an exemption allowing religious groups to continue teaching, inside their doors, the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality. But the exemption itself is ultimately harmful to the church, Hausknecht contends.

"It tends to marginalize the church," he said. "They'll say, 'It's just a church.' It will allow gay activists to continue to marginalize Christians. They'll say, 'Keep it within your four walls. That's all.'"

If you're a publisher of religious materials that contain a message verboten by the politically correct definition of Colorado, you're toast. If you want to give a friend a tract or book explaining God's position on homosexuality, you're toast.

The article also raises fears that the state may be able to quash the freedom to teach the Bible message even inside the doors of the church if that church has a school or community outreach programs.

Part of the law cited:
Section 8. 24-34-701. Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden. No person, being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any place of public accommodation... shall publish, issue, circulate, send, distribute, give away, or display in any way, manner, or shape or by any means or method, except as provided in this section, any communication, paper, poster, folder, manuscript, book, pamphlet, writing, print, letter, notice, or advertisement of any kind, nature, or description THAT is intended or calculated to discriminate or actually discriminates against... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... in the matter of furnishing or neglecting or refusing to furnish to them or any one of them any lodging, housing, schooling, or tuition or any accommodation, right [marriage], privilege [adoption], advantage, or convenience... on account of... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... [which] is unwelcome or objectionable or not acceptable, desired, or solicited."

Who would have thought 50 years ago that freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression in America would be on their way out the door at the beginning of the 21st Century? And who would have thought those freedoms would be murdered to advance the legitimization of a sexual practice with no practical biological function which is condemned by the teachings of every major religion?

I seem to remember something in the U.S. Constitution about freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion. I suppose that silly stuff is obsolete in Colorado now. After all, why should we allow a silly thing like the U.S. Constitution, the highest law of our country, to get in the way of advancing the legitimization of homosexuality.


12 comments:

Joel said...

How can they...but what about the 1st amend...this is in the USA? I'm so confused and depressed.

Anonymous said...

c'mon joel ! get a grip. they want YOU confused,depressed,upset.
Our Constitution is STILL the law of the land,so get together with friends,family,your Church--and get on the phone and put these folk on notice.
They cannnot prohibit free speech or interfere with the practice of religion.
case closed.

Anonymous said...

contact gov ritter

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/GovRitter/GOVR/1177024890452

Anonymous said...

You have got to be kidding me right? You're upset about this? I think you guys need a little bit of a....reality check here. I'm a gay man living in California and this is a very welcome news to me. Go on though Don't add my comment to the board, you're afraid of dissent. Tell you what: post my message in it's entirity on this board and as a gay man even I'll agree with you that this is an infringement upon free speech. Don't allow my comment? Then you're no better than your opinion of the Colorado legislature

NTD said...

Acts 5:29: "We must obey God as ruler rather than man"

This is exactly what this Bible quote refers to ... we must not allow the fear of men or the fear of man's law to stop us from telling the Truth.

However ... Always remember that we do not HATE the individuals who are homosexual (includes "lesbianism"). We hate the sin of homosexuality because sin separates from God. We must always teach Truth in Love .. never a selfrighteous, superior, or condescending attitude toward the lost, remembering we were once as they.

Anonymous said...

Nancy,

Ok, so you don't hate homosexual people, just homosexuality. First of all, where in the Bible does it tell you to HATE anything? I didn't realize that was a Christian value.

Second, think about what you've just said. I, for instance, happen to be a gay man. Being gay is how I experience romance, love, intimacy (both physical and emotional), and companionship -- it's far more than just sex. You happen to hate all of this. Yet you claim not to hate me, despite hating a large part of my identity. How do you rationalize this?



And sorry, but whenever you refer to someone who doesn't happen to know what you know as "lost," you DO come off as self-righteous, superior, and condescending. There's just no avoiding it.

Bob Ellis said...

Luke 14:26 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

John 12:25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Revelation 2:6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

And that's just in the New Testament.

God says we are to have an intense dislike (i.e. hate) for sinful practices just as He does, while loving the person who is caught up in sin (just as He does--so much that Jesus came to die for us sinners).

God makes it clear that human sexuality is to be expressed between a man and a woman in marriage; any other way is forbidden. You can be good, close friends with another male, but sexual intimacy between males is a sin.

There may be no way to avoid coming off as self-righteous to someone who denies the truth, but then there's no way to change the truth. A person can reject it, but it remains the same regardless of the rejection. And if a person doesn't humble themselves and accept it, one day they'll be eternally judged by the truth they rejected. It's not pleasant, but it is a fact.

NTD said...

Bob ... Well said and Thank you.

Bob Ellis said...

I'm sure you could have said it at least as well, Nancy, but we have to stick together for the truth, right?

Thanks again for taking the time to comment!

NTD said...

Amen, my brother!

Oh how I pray the eyes of people like Anonymous would be opened for one second that they might see the beauty of the Lord, might desire to know HIS Truth ... and that they could understand that any form of "strong dislike" from Him is directed toward that which prevents them coming to Him ... i.e. the sin, not the sinner ... because He loves them so

Anonymous said...

Nancy,

Thank you for the prayer, but I've already seen the "beauty" of the lord and his "truth." The truth I saw is that my own Christian parents have chosen blind loyalty to a religion over their own son. I was once a Christian myself for many years, but when I realized how petty and hateful people can be, I chose not to be a part of a community that depends on a book to tell them what to think, feel, and say.

Also, feel free to answer my earlier question, about how you can rationalize "loving" a gay person while hating part of who he is? Imagine if I said this to you, hypothetically: Nancy, I hate that you find men attractive. I find it disgusting, immoral, and offensive to God. Something is wrong with you, and you need to be fixed. I hate that you constantly remind me of your lifestyle and excpect me to affirm it as normal. Your relationship with your boyfriend is an abomination and a mockery of what a sexual and romantic union should be. We've been friends for many years, but if you invite me to your wedding, I will not come. I know it will be the most important day of your life, and you'll want all of your loved ones to share it with you, but I simply cannot condone such sinful behavior. But don't take any of this the wrong way -- I still love you.

Bob,

Thank you for explaining what I can and cannot do with another man. I understand that I'm permitted to be good friends with someone of the same sex, but once that connection crosses into the sexual realm, it becomes sin? I don't get it. Am I allowed to be in love with my boyfriend as long as we don't touch? Am I allowed to hug him in a friendly way, but not kiss him? If he should have some terrible accident that prevents us from having sex ever again, but we are still in love, are we still committing a sin?

Homosexual couples can and do exist (and even thrive) without having sex, just like heterosexual couples can. But all you seem to care about is what happens in the bedroom.

Bob Ellis said...

Anonymous, I think you're confusing "hateful" with being committed to the truth. Your parents seem to have chosen to stick with what they know is right, rather than validate you in something they know is wrong and harmful to you, both physically and spiritually. It must be very hard for them, but they've done the right thing. Hopefully someday you'll be able to see that, and maybe even thank them for it.

I understand your attempted analogy to Nancy about theoretically hating her heterosexuality. The analogy doesn't work, however, because God created human beings to be heterosexual. Even if you really did hate it, it wouldn't matter because God if fine with it because that's the way he wants us to be.

Yes, when your relationship with another man crosses the line into a sexual relationship, that's a sin. The Bible clearly says so in both the Old and New Testaments. It's a violation of God's design for the expression of human sexuality. I had a friend when I was stationed overseas who was closer than a brother. I loved him dearly, and even now, many years later, I still do. In some ways I was closer to him than I am to my wife...but we were never sexually or romantically involved. We even hugged frequently (especially when we were drunk--I wasn't trying to follow God back then), but as friends, not romantically. We enjoyed a deep friendship, camaraderie, closeness, openness and honesty, but without a sexual or romantic dimension. We didn't want that dimension, but whether we did or didn't, it would have been a sin to go there.

If "homosexual couples" as you put it exist without the romantic or sexual dimension, then I would question whether they are actually homosexuals; maybe they're just close friends. It's the sexual contact that God says is wrong, not agape (selfless) love and close friendship.

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