Posted on 07/07/2016 12:25:00 PM PDT by marshmallow
Congregations across the state of Iowa are in grave danger of having their pastors silenced in the pulpit over LGBT public accommodation rules, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed what is known as a “pre-enforcement challenge” – arguing that a portion of the Iowa Civil Rights Act, is a threat to First Amendment freedoms.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal firm that specializes in religious liberty lawsuits, is representing the church in its fight against the commission.
“Churches should be free to teach their religious beliefs and operate their houses of worship according to their faith without being threatened by the government,” ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb said. “That is a foundational First Amendment principle.”
The issue involves the commission’s interpretation of the 2007 Iowa Civil Rights Act – specifically about public accommodation.
The law includes a facility use mandate that requires anyone subject to the law to open sensitive areas to people based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
So does the law apply to churches? The commission answered that question in a brochure on the matter:
“Sometimes. Iowa law provides that these protections do not apply to religious institutions with respect to any religion-based qualifications when such qualifications are related to bona fide religious purpose. Where qualifications are not related to a bona fide religious purpose, churches are still subject to the law’s provisions. (e.g. a child care facility operated at a church or a church service open to the public.)”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Try that with islam and their mosques, and see what happens.
I’m certain that churches or 1st amendment rights regarding religion will be a thing of the past if leftists have their way.
I can understand some godless liberal bureaucrat in California or New York doing this, but how can this be happening in Iowa???
IOWA?
The agency set up to keep folks from being discriminated against because of their creed is busy discriminating against folks because of their creed.
…In other words, it is the advocates of transgender access to bathrooms and showers who, under the guise of their nondiscrimination rhetoric, are in fact seeking to discriminate on the basis of — in favor of — gender identity. That’s exactly what a policy of making gender identity override biological sex entails: It makes gender identity determine which restrooms and showers a person is allowed to use, just as a policy of race-segregated restrooms and showers makes race determine which facilities a person is allowed to use. (I am of course not asserting that racial discrimination and discrimination in favor of gender identity are moral equivalents.)The unsound proposition that separate facilities assigned by biological sex involves discrimination on the basis of gender identity collapses into incoherence. If a boy who identifies as female has a right under Title IX to use the girls’ restrooms and showers, then it would clearly be discrimination on the basis of gender identity to bar a boy who identifies as male from also using them. After all, the difference between these two biological males is that they have different gender identities. How could one of the males be allowed to use the girls’ facilities and the other be barred from doing so if Title IX bars discrimination on the basis of gender identity? In short, contrary to everyone’s (including the Obama administration’s) understanding of Title IX, the transgender illogic would disallow any system of single-sex facilities to survive.
- Transgender Activism Has Produced a Legal Absurdity
Just set up about 4 port-0- cans outside each church and tell the congregation to pick which ever on they want and seal off the rest rooms. No violation then!!
What part of “separation of church and state” do they not understand - it goes both ways (I know that’s not what is written but I’m just using their mantra).
“Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion.”
That doesn’t just mean the CREATION of a state church, it also means the state has NO jurisdiction over the church. It’s fundamentally what they can’t tax the church, even if liberals would like to. When they think the state can start telling the church what to do....the Constitution is truly ripped up. Time for change.
IOWA?
“Build it and they will come.”
Yes, churches have an exemption from paying taxes because of the First Amendment, not because of Section 501(c)(3). Section 501(c)(3) simply recognizes the pre-existing constitutional exemption.
But ever since the Johnson amendments banning politics from the pulpit, the lefties have been arguing that exemption from paying tax is simply a matter of legislative grace, and can be conditioned by controls over the churches.
I would not attend a church where the pastor didn’t have the guts to stand up to the statists. I know mine would because he already has.
The homos are just being used to destroy the Christian church and the family. Once they have that under their belt nothing will stop them from subverting the masses into citizen slaves (taxpayer Sheeple).
Sounds like the preempt to the Church of England all over.
I know many churches have members packing heat to deal with the Muzzie threat these days. Half of our congregation is. If the Muzzies come in screaming Allah Ackbar they won’t need to call the police just the coroner and several hearses.
Pastors might be silent but not the grandmas screaming in the John
FIELD OF DREAMS, fabulous movie.
I DO think that if I had been born a boy I would have tried my darnedest to be a baseball player. Love the game.
They should *fear* nothing.
They need to stand their ground and refuse to comply.
If ALL churches did that, it would make a difference as the government could only handle so much civil disobedience at a time.
The government gets the upper hand because WE allow it.
There are men in my church packing every Sunday and I feel MUCH better about it.
I know and trust those men and know that they would do what is necessary to protect others.
They are real men.
Take a look at Canada to see where the USA is headed.
Preachers are restricted from preaching from the scriptures that condemn homosexuality.
Churches should NOT comply with ungodly laws.
It’s all a social experiment designed to counter the good teachings of the scriptures of the Bible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.