Clarification without Apology Pt 1

Good Morning Readers!

I woke up this morning thinking about the latest rounds of discussion regarding the Religious Freedom act in Indiana. Yesterday in response to the discussion I made a post on Facebook taking the stance that some discrimination is completely unavoidable and necessary to protect the interest of the Faith Community. I felt that my comments did not accurately reflect my thoughts so I wanted to take this opportunity to explain myself a little further. In the end you still may not agree with me and that is okay. My job is to educate and empower. Disagreement is par for the course.

Let me start by first posting what I said on FaceBook yesterday;

Indiana now Arkansas

Interesting stuff going on in the political arena and honestly, there is no way for any one who lives contrary to God's design to not be offended. 

Discrimination with a purpose and that is to uphold the precepts of God. I won't deny that it is anything else but discrimination.

But people of faith are also being discriminated against by the government they help support and states they help fund and the business community. Actually that is the wrong word..Bullied is probably the better term.

Stand people of faith! Stand in love! Stand firm and allow the overflow of God's compassion to fuel your discussion when speaking to people outside of your faith.

Always be ready to explain why we believe what believe and who God is. Also don't be afraid to share the consequences of living a life against God. Then be prepared to part in peace because some of us will plant the seed; some water, but God always gives the increase. And there is nothing offensive about that

-sj

As many of you know and if not you can probabably surmise from this post that I am a Woman of Faith and believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe every word of the Bible and in every promise that God has made. I also believe in the structure that He has set forth for marriage and family: 1 man and 1 woman coming together in Holy Matrimony.  I also believe that abortion is not a good choice or a form of birth control it is genocide. Now if you are still with me I will clarify my comments about acceptable discrimination. 

There is a huge rift in our communities regarding the legalization of gay marriage. In many states it has been sanctioned, approved and accepted. The President of the United States has lent his support to the LGBT movement and the momentum doesn't show signs of slowing down. With all of these obvious advances for the gay community it has come at a cost: There are issues in our military where some of our Chaplins who do not support same-sex unions are being ostracized. Churches are divided between those who support the homosexual agenda and those who don't. Businesses who will not service same-sex couples are being charged with discrimination. Business who will not support insurance premiums that cover the cost of an abortion are also in the same boat. Local and Federal governments have enacted policies that protect LGBT from all forms of discrimination. Which they should. Yes you heard me it is not right for a person to not be hired based on their sexual orientation. It is also wrong to deny property or the opportunity to rent based on sexual orientation. It is also wrong to refuse service to solely on their sexual orientation, unless it goes against the principles of that business. 

If you are a bakery whose faith prohibits same-sex marriage then you should have the right to refuse service to gay and lesbian clients. If you are a florist, a printer, a coordinator, a reception hall, an event planner, a photographer or a limo rental company and you are a person committed to a Faith that prohibits such practices then your rights ought to be protected just like the rights of the LGBT community. 

There are plenty of people who support LGBT and will be more than happy to take their money in exchange of goods and services. 

The same with a woman's right to choose. Her choice doesn't mean someone else gets the bill. If you are going to be grown then be grown that means that you clean up your own mess and pay your own way. 

I think the Religious Freedom Act needs some distinct clarification but it is necessary to protect the members of the Faith community from being persecuted because of their religious beliefs.

Stay tuned for part 2

-sj