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cbayer

(146,218 posts)
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 11:22 AM Feb 2014

The Kansas 'Religious Freedom' Bill Is Unbiblical

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-timbol/kansas-religious-freedom-bill_b_4783354.html

Emily Timbol
Author of Two Words: Why Hearing, "I'm Gay" Changed My Straight, Christian Life

Posted: 02/13/2014 4:45 pm EST Updated: 02/13/2014 6:59 pm EST



There are few things that make me angrier than when Christians try to twist the Scriptures for their own comfort or gain. As a life-long believer who has read the Bible cover-to-cover more than once, I have a profound love and respect for the scriptures.

Which is why I feel confident in saying that Kansas House Bill 2453 is not only immoral, it's unbiblical.

This bill was passed under the guise of protecting religious freedoms concerning marriage, but it goes much further. According to Slate's legal writer Mark Joseph Stern,

"In addition to barring all anti-discrimination lawsuits against private employers, the new law permits government employees to deny service to gays in the name of "religious liberty." This is nothing new, but the sweep of Kansas' statute is breathtaking. Any government employee is given explicit permission to discriminate against gay couples--not just county clerks and DMV employees, but literally anyone who works for the state of Kansas. If a gay couple calls the police, an officer may refuse to help them if interacting with a gay couple violates his religious principles. State hospitals can turn away gay couples at the door and deny them treatment with impunity. Gay couples can be banned from public parks, public pools, anything that operates under the aegis of the Kansas state government."


Could a Christian lawmaker in Kansas pull a couple of verses from the Bible and make the argument that this law isn't about discrimination, but protecting "religious freedom?" Absolutely. I'm sure some already have. But the Bible was never meant to be used this way, as a set of verses and proof texts to be taken and applied out of context, in the attempt to make a point. The Bible was meant to be a collection of stories and re-tellings of Christ; the Old Testament, showing the hardship of life under the law and our need for a Savior, the gospels, where that Savior came to fulfill the law and prophets and sacrificially die for our sins, and the remainder of the New Testament, where His followers tried to carry out His will and spread His teachings.

more at link

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The Kansas 'Religious Freedom' Bill Is Unbiblical (Original Post) cbayer Feb 2014 OP
Yet another "liberal", "progressive" Xstian skepticscott Feb 2014 #1
The Kansas law is obviously, painfully and massively unconstitutional, but keeping the Fred Sanders Feb 2014 #2
I can't imagine how this can stand, cbayer Feb 2014 #3
Unfathomable to you perhaps. trotsky Feb 2014 #5
Oh, yes I can WovenGems Feb 2014 #6
What does that have to do with skepticscott Feb 2014 #8
Impossible WovenGems Feb 2014 #9
The Bible is full of discrimination skepticscott Feb 2014 #10
You're joking, right? Warren Stupidity Feb 2014 #11
It should not matter one bit whether a law is "biblical." trotsky Feb 2014 #4
Horrible law that I am not surprised is being pushed by the right wing in KS. hrmjustin Feb 2014 #7
 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
1. Yet another "liberal", "progressive" Xstian
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 11:31 AM
Feb 2014

who is absolutely convinced that he knows what the Bible is all about and how it should be interpreted, and that his political enemies don't.

But neither side can prove the other one wrong so, as you've argued countless times, there's no point debating it, and we have to accept both viewpoints as equally valid.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
2. The Kansas law is obviously, painfully and massively unconstitutional, but keeping the
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 12:00 PM
Feb 2014

religious zealot base in an uproar, and thinking that such laws are not legal jokes is what keeps the hate alive.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
3. I can't imagine how this can stand,
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 12:05 PM
Feb 2014

and it is unfathomable how people use religion to support such a position.

Scary stuff.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
5. Unfathomable to you perhaps.
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 12:07 PM
Feb 2014

It makes perfect sense to them, and who are you to say they're wrong? You can't prove it.

WovenGems

(776 posts)
6. Oh, yes I can
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 01:41 PM
Feb 2014

Any law which harms a group must be shown to be for the greater good. In this case there is no upside thus a court has no choice but to shoot it down. One can not piddle on civil rights and not get ones weenie smacked.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
8. What does that have to do with
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 02:46 PM
Feb 2014

PROVING to an absolute certainty that the religious beliefs of the people pushing this don't justify what they're doing?

Can you PROVE that?

WovenGems

(776 posts)
9. Impossible
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 03:57 PM
Feb 2014

You can't justify discrimination. Not even God itself made an appearance and said "Pretty please discriminate against these folks I don't like". We have Rights with a capital R.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
10. The Bible is full of discrimination
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 04:11 PM
Feb 2014

Genocide (as severe a form of discrimination as you can get) was practiced regularly by the Hebrews, not only with god's permission, but at his command.

Please do actually READ your Bible before you spout such uninformed nonsense.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
4. It should not matter one bit whether a law is "biblical."
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 12:07 PM
Feb 2014

And in fact, given the horrors and contradictory information that can be found in that book, we should be extra suspicious with a bill that is claimed to be.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
7. Horrible law that I am not surprised is being pushed by the right wing in KS.
Fri Feb 14, 2014, 02:21 PM
Feb 2014

And no it is not very Christ like.

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