Open Season on People of Faith in Eureka Springs

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Eureka Springs may be the toughest place in Arkansas for people who want to practice their Christian faith in the public square. Tuesday’s passage of a so-called “anti-discrimination” ordinance has made it a lot harder for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and anyone else of faith to exercise their religious beliefs. Now, it’s open season on people in those groups.

Rather than preventing bias and discrimination, this ordinance makes discrimination the law in Eureka Springs. People of all faiths have always enjoyed religious freedom in Eureka Springs. Under this ordinance, citizens can be forced to choose between obeying their faith and obeying the City of Eureka Springs.

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Congressional Prayer Resolution from 1856

Religious Freedom

The_U.S._Capitol_under_construction,_1860_-_NARA_-_530494It’s hard to imagine Congress these days voting to recognize the significant role “the Gospel of Jesus Christ” has played in American society, but in 1856 and 1857 that’s just what Congress did.

On January 23, 1856, Rep. James Dowdell (D-Alabama) successfully sponsored a Congressional resolution that read,

Whereas the people of these United States, from their earliest history to the present time, have been led by the hand of a kind Providence, and are indebted for the countless blessings of the past and present, and dependent for continued prosperity in the future upon Almighty God; and whereas the great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it eminently becomes the representatives of a people so highly favored, to acknowledge, in the most public manner, their reverence for God: Therefore,

Resolved, first, That the daily sessions of this body be opened with prayer.

Resolved, second, That the ministers of the gospel in this city are hereby requested to attend and alternately perform this solemn duty.

Nearly two years later on December 10, 1857, Congress approved a virtually identical resolution.

In browsing the journals of the Congress from 1857, it appears much of the debate and controversy over these resolutions did not surround their strong, religious language, but whether or not the ministers who opened the Congressional meetings with prayer would receive any compensation for their services.

We have written many times about Congressional and Presidential resolutions recognizing the providence of God and calling for prayer. They were a staple of American government from the days before the American Revolution to the first half of the Twentieth Century. While Congress still opens its meetings with prayer, pausing to recognize prayer’s power and importance the way past lawmakers did might be a good idea–especially given the troubles our nation is facing these days.

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The Inside Scoop on Arkansas’ New Religious Freedom Law

Religious Freedom, , ,

IMG_6796Many people still do not fully understand Act 975, Arkansas’ new Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

What does this law do? Is it different from H.B. 1228, the first religious freedom bill the Arkansas Legislature sent to Governor Hutchinson? Why is this law even necessary?

We have the inside scoop.

Attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom have prepared an excellent analysis of Act 975. They compare it with H.B. 1228 and Indiana’s religious freedom law.

You can download ADF’s excellent analysis of the law here.

Here is our analysis of Act 975:

The Inside Scoop on Arkansas’ New Religious Freedom Law

Summary: Act 975 of 2015, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), is a very strong law protecting religious liberty. It includes the same legal balancing test that is in federal RFRA, the RFRAs of 20 other states, and U.S. Supreme Court case-law dating back nearly a century. This law will protect the religious freedom of Arkansans in the same way that the other RFRAs have protected the rights of other Americans. It will protect the right of all Arkansans to live and work according to their faith by ensuring that they have a claim or defense to raise in court if the government tries to force them to violate their faith. (more…)

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