Posted on 04/25/2012 10:18:17 AM PDT by NYer
.- A proposed ordinance in Hutchinson, Kansas could force individuals and institutions – including Catholic churches – to host and participate in events that violate Church teachings on sexuality.
“As far as individuals go, there doesn't seem to be any likelihood that there will be a protection or an exemption for them,” said Kansas Catholic Conference Executive Director Michael Schuttloffel, addressing a proposal to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation in the city of Hutchinson.
“As far as religious institutions, that will depend entirely on what sort of exemption – if any – is put in place (by the city council) … If there is none, then you could conceivably have a Catholic church that is forced to host a ceremony that violates Catholic beliefs.”
Schuttloffel spoke to CNA on April 24, as members of Hutchinson's Human Relations Commission prepared for a meeting the following day to finalize their “Proposed Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Protections.”
The proposal will be submitted to the Hutchinson City Council, which will make a decision on May 15 about adding the categories to the list of “protected classes” – along with categories like race, sex, and disability – in the city code.
Human Relations Commission spokesperson Meryl Dye told Fox News that parts of the proposed rule would apply to churches, which she said “would not be able to discriminate against gay and lesbian or transgender individuals.”
Dye confirmed that the “type of protection” proposed for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals “parallels to what you find in race discrimination. If a church provides lodging or rents a facility they could not discriminate based on race. It’s along that kind of thinking.”
In his remarks to CNA, Schuttloffel noted that the proposal is still “early in the process” of rule-making, and its outcome is not yet clear.
But the essence of the proposal, he said, is a radical breach of religious freedom, comparable to the federal contraception mandate.
“Religious freedom is very much under attack in this country, at various levels of government,” he observed. “Obviously, there's the contraceptive mandate at the federal level – but also there's stuff like this at the local level, that's popping up more and more.”
The Kansas Catholic Conference director believes the Hutchinson ordinance is “very much part of a strategy.” Believers, he said, “are vulnerable to these things at the local level, because there aren't the same defense systems in place that there are at the state or federal level.”
Local threats “are dangerous, but they don't get the same level of media attention. I don't think most people are even aware that it's going on at all.”
“They're being packaged as 'anti-discrimination ordinances,' when in fact their entire purpose is to discriminate against people of faith,” he warned. “When a city passes an ordinance like this, they take the position that our views are 'bigoted.'”
An exemption for churches would not make the situation any more acceptable in principle, he explained.
“Even then, an 'exemption' still suggests that in the normal order of affairs, Catholic teaching on this issue is bigoted. We reject that entire premise, that the city should be taking sides against people of faith on these issues.”
Schutloffel called attention to the case of a New Mexico wedding photographer who was fined for refusing to photograph a lesbian ceremony, and the more dramatic cautionary example of Britain where “equality” laws put an end to Catholic adoption agencies.
“This is a very serious business,” he stated, warning the nation to pay close attention to what is about to happen in Hutchinson.
“These ordinances are being drafted to force people, to coerce people, into participating in conduct that violates their religious beliefs. It's a form of government coercion against individual people – and, if there's no exemption for churches, against religious institutions.”
“That of course runs completely counter to the 200-year tradition of religious freedom that we have in this country. If we can't protect that right after 200 years, and if a city council can overturn the first protection of the First Amendment, it raises the question of whether this is even America anymore.”
How do you spell unconstitutional? The state interferes with the free exercise of religion and seemingly establishes a State religion by mandationg what kind of acts and teaching can take place in the church building. This is tantamount to the State mandating the Catholics or any other faith to host Wiccans or devil worshipers in their place of worship.
Let’s see how many Mosques comply with this.
Conservatives would be more than happy to let the liberals remain in their own created “Utopias” undisturbed. But they cannot be content leaving conservatives in our “backwards, dystopias” They’ll continue to insist on how the world they create is so much better, yet they will try to climb over the walls of our society’s to enter them, and then to change them.
Interesting. I think I’ll sign up with a Muslim forum, and post this to get their reactions.
So don’t comply, this is worth fighting another revolution over.
Mosques to be exempted, naturally.
...................How do you spell unconstitutional................
Just one more reason to not let Zer0 get to choose Ginsberg’s replacement during a second term.
If this passes, it is sure to escalate to SCOTUS level.
Okay, but duck! ;^)
I hear ya. Agreed...
If these days are not the end times then they are certainly doing a good job of imitating them.
bkmk
A couple of thoughts. One, the churches could move outside the city limits of Hutchinson, KS. Second, isn’t Kansas the state from which the Sec HHS originated? Kinda makes you wonder what’s going on there.
Sebelius actually originated from Ohio, and moved to KS after marrying a KS politician. As for this gay stuff, it happens all the time here, and every newspaper editorial will be in favor of it, just as they’re always in favor of every leftist cause.
I don’t think The Supreme Court, including the two illegally appointed clowns, could answer how to spell ‘unconstitutional’.
This is talking about a church that rents out its social hall. They would not be able to refuse renting it out to homosexuals, just like they wouldn’t be able to refuse to rent their hall out to blacks.
This isn’t saying the Church has to perform gay weddings.
Not yet, anyway.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not ‘PARTAKERS” of her sins, and that ye receive not of her “PLAGUES”.
Revelation 18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 1 Corinthians 6:15
REPENT and follow the true Lord Jesus Christ. Come out of the 501c3 churches.
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