Idaho, Houston Show Consequences of “Nondiscrimination” Ordinances

Religious Freedom, , , ,

For several days we have followed two stories related to religious liberty in America.

The first is from Houston, where city officials are leaning hard on local pastors in order to get the ministers to cough up communications related to homosexuality and the city’s “nondiscrimination” ordinance.

The second is in Idaho, where–again, because of a “nondiscrimination” ordinance–two ministers face fines and jail time for declining to perform a same-sex wedding at their wedding chapel.

Both situations underscore the unintended consequences of these city ordinances. When cities start writing special protections for homosexuals and transgender people into the city code, they open people of faith to the threat of litigation and criminal prosecution.

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Calling Christians to Contact the City of Houston

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Eric Metaxas has released a call to action asking Christians all over America to contact the City of Houston over its attempt to intimidate local pastors who stand against the city’s new so-called “nondiscrimination” ordinance.

Metaxas asks Christians to send Houston’s mayor a Bible, sermon, or scripture. He writes,

“Won’t you please join us and send a sermon or a Bible or even a card with a scripture verse to Mayor Parker? Pray over it and send it in love. Pray that God would show Mayor Parker and every politician in America that religious freedom is sacred and we cannot allow the State to trample upon it — and by God’s grace, we won’t.

“As I’ve said, the church has to answer this mayor’s outrageous and deeply un-American action. We’ve got to forcefully remind those in government that the church in America has been free since 1776—and the Founders intended it to stay that way. And we do too.”

If you would like to contact Houston’s mayor, you can use the following address:

Mayor Parker
City Hall
901 Bagby Street
Houston, TX 77002

You can listen to Metaxas’ full call to action below.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1vIfKbk|titles=Eric Metaxas – A Line Has Been Crossed]

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Idaho “Nondiscrimination” Ordinance Could Land Couple in Jail

Religious Freedom, , ,

We have written before about the unintended consequences of so-called “nondiscrimination” ordinances like the one recently passed in Fayetteville. These types of city ordinances actually make it a crime to discriminate on the basis of sexual-orientation and gender-identity–meaning violators can be hit with jail time instead of simply a lawsuit. However, the ordinances are written so broadly that relatively benign actions qualify as “discrimination” under the law.

Case in point, a husband and wife in Idaho now face the prospect of expensive fines and jail time simply for declining to officiate a same-sex wedding.

According to the Daily Signal, (more…)

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