Houston Rejects “Equal Rights” Ordinance

Religious Freedom, ,

Voters in Houston rejected a so-called “equal rights” ordinance by a vote of roughly 61% to 39%.

This represents a major victory for religious liberty in Houston. As you may recall, Houston’s mayor tried to subpoena pastors’ sermons and church documents last year during the debate over the ordinance.

In 2014 the Houston City Council passed the controversial “Houston Equal Rights Ordinance” which gives special protections to citizens based on sexual-orientation and gender-identity.

The proposal threatened the liberty of religious people and institutions who object to homosexual behavior, and it arguably would have allowed a biological male to enter women’s restrooms, showers, locker rooms, and similar facilities in Houston.

Houston residents petitioned to bring the ordinance up for a popular vote. This week, voters made their position overwhelmingly clear.

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Researchers Try to Label “Homophobia” a Mental Disorder

Religious Freedom, , ,

A new column from our friends at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview highlights recent “research” attempting to peg homophobia as a psychological disorder.

Eric Metaxas writes,

“‘Live Science’ reports that researchers at the University of Rome Tor Vergata asked 560 university students to report their feelings about homosexuality, then gave them a standard psychiatric evaluation. . . . .

“Lead researcher Emmanuele Jannini concluded, ‘After discussing for centuries if homosexuality is to be considered a disease, for the first time we demonstrated that the real disease to be cured is homophobia.’

“Well, this was red meat for progressive websites and news outlets, who gladly trumpeted the results.

“I can’t help but think of C. S. Lewis’ chilling and prophetic essay, ‘The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment.’ Lewis believed that persecution in the future would look less like jack-booted thuggery, and more like therapy: ‘…certain schools of psychology already regard religion as a neurosis,’ he wrote. ‘When this particular neurosis becomes inconvenient to the government, what is to hinder the government from proceeding to “cure” it,’ with mandatory re-education or other forms of treatment?”

Of course, as Metaxas points out, there are a number of problems with how this “research” is being analyzed and applied–not the least of which being the fact a phobia is “an irrational and debilitating fear,” something that is not the basis of Christians’ objections to homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage.

Christians object to same-sex marriage not because they are afraid of something; they object in large part because same-sex marriage ignores two the fundamental truths about marriage: That men and women are each made distinctly in the image of God, and that marriage unites these two halves of God’s image.

You can listen to Metaxas’ full commentary below–or click here to read it.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/2015/102815_BP.mp3|titles=Diagnosing Dissenters–Is Homophobia a Disorder?]

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Why Is There No “War on Halloween”?

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Friendly pumpkinThe past few years we have heard more and more stories of the ACLU, atheist organizations, and others threatening local governments and public schools with legal action over Christmas decorations.

Baxter County is still in the middle of a lawsuit over its Nativity display placed on its courthouse lawn. Christmas decorations in Texas and elsewhere have been similarly attacked.

In 2012 atheists tried–unsuccessfully–to have an anti-Christmas message placed alongside Christmas decorations in Michigan; the proposed sign read,

“At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world, Religion is but Myth and superstition that hardens hearts And enslaves minds.”

Here’s a question for you: How come we never hear about these groups going after Halloween decorations?

The ACLU in Ohio has written about whether or not Halloween qualifies as a “religious” holiday; overall their tone is very dismissive, opening with,

“Is Halloween off limits in the public schools? Do paper witches and goblins hung on bulletin boards violate the separation of church and state?

“Not really. . . .”

They go on to note how religious groups and individuals have unsuccessfully challenged displays that were allegedly satanic.

By and large, few believe in vampires that turn into bats, ghosts under white sheets, or witches that fly on broomsticks. When students color Jack-O-Lanterns and skeletons during Art Class this time of year, it’s generally viewed as harmless fun. However, many people do believe in ghosts; many pagan religions–both ancient and modern–believe in magic and witchcraft; and many religions–including Christianity–believe in devils and spirits.

The “paper witches and goblins” that adorn school bulletin boards this time of year may look little like what any of these people have in mind when they discuss spirits or witchcraft, but arguably they are still depictions of something that is at the very least supernatural and perhaps even directly tied to certain religious beliefs.

Theoretically, an atheist would believe in God and Jesus no more than in a witch with warts and a green face. So why is there no effort to put disclaimers up alongside Halloween decorations at school? Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to remind people there are no gods, devils, or angels at Halloween as at Christmas? Shouldn’t Halloween magic be just as offensive to freethinkers as a Christmas miracle? Where is the outrage?

When it comes to the treatment of Halloween versus Christmas, perhaps Ravi Zacharias put it best when he said concerning many modern atheists, “The anger with which they speak about God you would not speak against the tooth fairy. Something in the back of their minds tells them, ‘He’s real, and we’re angry.'”

Photo Credit: Anders Lagerås (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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