House Committee Votes to Concur on Religious Freedom Bill

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This morning the House Judiciary Committee voted to concur in the amendments the Arkansas Senate made to H.B. 1228, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

This brings the bill one step closer to the governor’s desk.

The bill passed the committee with 11 representatives voting for it; 5 representatives voting against it; and 4 representatives not voting.

Below is a breakdown of the vote.

The Following Representatives Voted for the Bill

  • Rep. House (R-North Little Rock)
  • Rep. Ballinger (R-Hindsville)
  • Rep. Baine (D-El Dorado)
  • Rep. Farrer (R-Austin)
  • Rep. Petty (R-Rogers)
  • Rep. Drown (R-Dover)
  • Rep. Michelle Gray (R-Melbourne)
  • Rep. Copeland (R-Little Rock)
  • Rep. Tosh (R-Jonesboro)
  • Rep. Beck (R-Center Ridge)
  • Rep. Rushing (R-Hot Springs)

The Following Representatives Voted Against the Bill

  • Rep. Scott (R-Rogers)
  • Rep. Eddie Armstrong (D-North Little Rock)
  • Rep. Whitaker (D-Fayetteville)
  • Rep. Broadaway (D-Paragould)
  • Rep. Bennett (D-Lonoke)

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

  • Rep. Vines (D-Hot Springs)
  • Rep. Talley (D-Hope)
  • Rep. Wright (D-Forrest City)
  • Rep. Shepherd (R-El Dorado)

The bill now goes to the entire House of Representatives for a vote.

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Help Stand for Religious Liberty in the Military

Current Events,

The following is by Family Council staff member Deborah Beuerman.

The persecution and hostility against Christians in the U.S. Military is strong.  Both gay activists and atheists have been allowed register complaints resulting in punitive action and even dismissal from the military for Christian members.

Military chaplains are particularly under attack as evidenced this week by the removal from duty of U.S. Navy Chaplain Lt. Commander Wes Modder, who has served 19 years with great distinction.

Credentialed by the Assemblies of God, Chaplain Modder was accused of “failing to show tolerance and respect the rights of individuals.”  This by the base commander who had just weeks before commended Chaplain Modder as “the best of the best.”  Under the pretext of curiosity about the chaplain’s beliefs, a young officer newly assigned as a chaplain’s assistant visited with him in private numerous times.  Chaplain Modder expressed his biblical view on sexual morality–including homosexuality.  Never disclosing that he himself was gay and married to a man, the officer appeared one day with 2 Equal Opportunity representatives and a 5-page complaint which could result in the chaplain being forced out of the military.

Chaplain Modder was simply doing what he is trained and directed to do: offering spiritual guidance in accordance with his faith. His right to do so is legally protected. In fact, according to military policy, if he does not adhere to the tenets of his faith, he could lose his ability to remain a chaplain.

Federal law and military regulations forbid the Navy from taking adverse action against a chaplain based on his faith, making the Navy’s actions against Modder unlawful.

Below are links for signing two petitions to the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus calling for Chaplain Modder to be fully restored and all charges against him to be dropped. Family Research Council and Liberty Institute will deliver your petitions to them to show them that the American people will not stand for hostility toward faith in their military.

http://www.frc.org/alert/another-chaplain-needs-your-help

https://www.libertyinstitute.org/modderfacts

you can also contact your members of Congress.  American Family Association has provided this link that allows you to easily send emails:

http://www.afa.net/activism/contact-elected-officials/

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Navy Chaplain Fired for Expressing Religious Views

Religious Freedom,

Recently, news broke about the Lt. Commander Wes Modder, a Navy chaplain who served the U.S. Navy SEALs, who was targeted by the U.S. Navy for being honest about his faith.

Family Research Council has some details on the case:

“[T]he 19-year veteran has been stripped of his duties for sharing the good news he was hired to share. In a stunning turn of events, the chaplain was sabotaged by one of his own men, who secretly gathered enough information on Modder’s beliefs and private counseling sessions to file a formal complaint. Believe it or not, he was targeted by his own assistant — who Modder didn’t realize was gay. Looking back, the chaplain says the young officer asked a lot of questions about homosexuality, which Modder answered as most would expect: in accordance with the Bible’s teachings.

“The mask finally slipped in December, when representatives with the Equal Opportunity office served Modder with papers accusing him of ‘discrimination.’ Captain Jon Fahs — who five months earlier praised Modder as the ‘best of the best’ — now insists that he ‘failed to show tolerance and respect.’ Worse, he didn’t have a chance to defend himself. Almost immediately, the dad of four was relieved of his duties and told to clean out his office.

“He was guilty before proven innocent. And of what? Fulfilling his job description?”

Chaplains have been a part of the U.S. military since the days of George Washington. A chaplain’s duty is religious in nature. If chaplains are not free to discuss their faith, then what are they free to discuss? What’s the point of having chaplains in the military if they are not free to be religious and share the tenets of the faith that motivates their service? It simply does not make sense.

We will continue to monitor this situation in the days to come.

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