Here is the Truth About Issue 3

Religious Freedom

Winston Churchill is credited with saying, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth even gets its pants on.”

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with religious freedom amendment Issue 3: Gossip and lies about the measure have made the rounds on social media much more than the truth has.

Here is the truth about Issue 3:

Issue 3 is a good amendment that will protect the free exercise of religion in Arkansas. 

That is why attorneys at Focus On The Family, Family Research Council Action, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Liberty Counsel have endorsed Issue 3, and that is why liberals at the ACLU and atheists at the Freedom From Religion Foundation oppose Issue 3. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention and Family Council Action Committee also have endorsed the amendment.

Unfortunately, some conservatives—including a few of our friends—on social media have claimed that Issue 3 will give the government more power to restrict religious freedom. A self-proclaimed constitutional expert from Florida has posted videos online making that claim.

But stop and ask yourself: 

If Issue 3 makes it easier to restrict religious freedom, then why would the Freedom From Religion Foundation oppose Issue 3? They attack the free exercise of religion every time they have the opportunity.

What seems to bother some people is that Issue 3 says the government may burden the free exercise of religion if it has a compelling governmental interest at stake and if it behaves in the least restrictive manner possible.

I understand why some people would ask questions about this language, but here’s why Issue 3 contains that exception:

Over the past 200 years, courts have had to address situations where cult leaders wanted to commit crimes in the name of their religion, where cities and counties denied building permits to churches, and where conscientious objectors wanted to avoid military service during times of war.

In situations like these, courts traditionally asked two questions:

First, does the government have a “compelling interest” at stake in this situation—like providing for national defense or protecting people from violent crime?

And second, can the government protect that compelling interest while burdening the free exercise of religion as little as possible?

Under this test, cult leaders who broke the law went to prison, conscientious objectors in the military were assigned to non-combat duties, and churches that were denied a building permit typically were allowed to build anyway.

In the 1980s and 1990s courts began abandoning that standard and issuing rulings that made it easier for the government to run roughshod over religious freedom—even when it did not have a compelling interest at stake or could operate in a less restrictive manner.

In response, states began passing laws like Issue 3 to protect religious freedom.

In fact, Arkansas passed a religious freedom law similar to Issue 3 in 2015. 

Issue 3 simply improves on that good law, and it writes the protections into the Arkansas Constitution.

If Issue 3 fails to pass this year, it probably will be because conservatives who did not understand the amendment sided with the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation in voting against the measure.

Normally when we disagree with our friends, we simply agree to disagree. In this case, I have to tell you why I am standing with the growing list of highly credible, Christian organizations that support Issue 3 and why I am voting for Issue 3 and urging everyone else to do the same.

If you have questions about Issue 3, please feel free to reach out to me or my staff.

Sincerely,
Jerry Cox

READ MORE

Despite Liberalizing Drug Laws, Cartels Undeterred in Pacific Northwest

Marijuana
Illicit drugs recently seized in the Pacific Northwest.

A recent drug bust in the Pacific Northwest shows that legalization of marijuana has not weakened the control of drug cartels in the area.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported last week that authorities arrested eleven people from “three significant drug trafficking groups responsible for trafficking more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills.”

In a press release, the DOJ said,

“These individuals were bringing large loads of meth, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine from Mexico across the border and up I-5 to the Pacific Northwest,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “Even when an RV loaded with drugs was pulled off the highway and seized by law enforcement, they weren’t deterred. The wiretap revealed various organizations continued to recruit drivers and vehicles to transport their drugs throughout our District.”

This story further underscores how legalizing marijuana and other drugs fails to weaken the drug cartels and organized crime.

Colorado was the first state to start selling recreational marijuana, but authorities seized more fentanyl in Colorado during the first five months of this year than in all of 2021. Legalizing marijuana did not help the opioid epidemic there.

Illegal marijuana farms reportedly have inundated Oregon and California despite the decision to legalize marijuana in those states.

According to news reports, Oregon has been inundated with illegal marijuana farms “run and controlled by multinational criminal organizations” — in other words, drug cartels and organized crime — tied to human trafficking, theft, and violence.

California created a legal framework for growing and selling marijuana in order to weaken drug cartels’ power in the state, but instead the illegal marijuana farms have expanded.

Legalizing marijuana simply creates more drug problems. Contrary to popular belief, legalization does not decrease drug-related crime, and it does not alleviate drug abuse. If anything, it seems to make those problems worse.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE

Former Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Dr. Don Moore Opposes Marijuana Issue 4

Marijuana

On Monday Family Council received a written statement from the former Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Dr. Don Moore opposing marijuana amendment Issue 4.

In his statement, Dr. Moore said,

“History as well as science is supposed to guide reasonable and responsible people. Science is clear that marijuana has a detrimental effect on brain acuity. History demonstrates that the homeless and many mass murderers have a record of marijuana use. Being guided by scripture, as well as science and history, it is inconceivable that a follower of Christ would favor expanding a gateway drug to the most damaging addictions known to man.”

“Read the small print. Provisions of issue # 4 set forth protections and limitations not made on other Amendments to the Constitution. For every tax $1.00 gained by Colorado, a recreational marijuana state, the the state has had added expenditures of $4.56. No state has demonstrated that streets are safer and quality of life is better where marijuana is sold as a recreational drug. It is still an unnecessary ‘Drug.'”

Last month the current Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Dr. Sonny Tucker and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention itself released statements opposing Issue 4.

Dr. Tucker’s statement said,

“As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves,” Dr. Tucker said. “Legalizing marijuana does not show love to our neighbors. Drug abuse hurts families and robs people of their God-given potential. Over the past ten years we have seen those problems worsen in states that have legalized marijuana. All of us know someone who has been devastated by drug use. Issue 4 would devastate many communities in Arkansas.”

READ MORE