Free Republic

Last week, millions of Facebook users gave their profile pictures a rainbow makeover to celebrate the double Pride/Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling but an unpleasant backlash has begun. The translucent rainbow tool was laid on by Facebook itself, but a number of third-party apps are now offering an American flag equivalent to people opposed to gay marriage and equality in general.

If same-sex marriage is used to pummel religious Americans into submission, it will be a disaster. I’ve supported same-sex marriage ever since I first heard the idea. And when I became a political columnist in the early 2000s—despite being the “conservative” at a good-sized newspaper—I was the only one at the paper (as far as I can recall) who unequivocally backed gay marriage publicly. Though I wasn’t gullible enough to believe I’d be persuading many readers, I was gullible enough to believe that my allies in the cause were merely concerned with “equality.” As we dig out from the avalanche...

What can it possibly matter to you, they were asked, if two men or two women who love each other call their relationship marriage? We learned that it matters a great deal. It matters to Brendan Eich, who was forced to resign last year as CEO of the company he co-founded after it became public that he had donated $1,000 to Proposition 8, the successful California ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. It matters to Chick-fil-A, which in 2012 saw the mayors of Chicago and Boston declare the restaurant chain had no place in their cities because its chief executive held...

I’ve been more concerned by the large number of self-proclaimed Christians and conservatives who’ve repeatedly informed me that the whole gay marriage issue isn’t important. “It won’t affect us,” they tell me over and over again. It’s not relevant to our lives. We aren’t hurt by it. Who cares? It’s all good. Whatevs, man. There are matters more urgent than truth and morality and the future of the human race. Like, what about the economy and stuff? I’m not proud to say it, but I feel an immense disgust for these Apathetic, Weak, Oblivious, Scared, Distracted, Impotent, Frivolous, Christians And...

It’s the first post-ruling poll I’ve seen in either case. There wasn’t much mystery about where the public was on ObamaCare subsidies — “free” money! — but there was a little suspense around the SSM decision in light of this YouGov poll last week showing a plurality of the public opposed to having the Court decide the issue. That raised the question of whether a backlash might be brewing around process. Sure, Americans support gay marriage in principle, but what happens when the judiciary wrests that issue out of the states’ hands and settles it as a matter of...

It’s difficult to see how the nationwide legalization of gay marriage could have any kind of significant negative repercussions for anybody who’s not gay. Difficult – but not impossible. Because now that the US government formally recognizes marriage equality as a fundamental right, it really shouldn’t skew the tax code so as to give millions of dollars in tax breaks to groups which remain steadfastly bigoted on the subject. I’m talking, of course, about churches.

Freedom of religion and the government "qualified" church Last week’s Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges opens another can of worms that is driving rhetoric in a way that misdirects people from the reality of its affect on religion and the free exercise thereof. No, this does not come from a lawyer, it comes from a missionary who, for more than 20 years, has delved into the legal entities that churches have embraced, essentially transforming their structure. And the change occurred innocently by way of the non-profit organization enticement. Here are some salient points: There is only one Law...

MANILA, Philippines - Same-sex marriage is impossible to be legalized in the country, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday. “From the point of view of our culture, it’s an impossibility for quite some time,” he told reporters. He said he does not see Congress approving a bill allowing same sex marriage because it is against the Filipinos’ culture. “The law lives within the culture and not the other way around,” he said. In the same breath, Belmonte said he does not see efforts to have Congress pass a divorce bill succeeding. “I don’t think we are going into something like...

(CNSNews.com) – Former Solicitor General Ted Olson told “Fox News Sunday” that it is “not illegal” for a bakery for instance to refuse to participate in a gay wedding under last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. “It's not illegal under this ruling,” Olson said in response to Fox News host Chris Wallace’s question about how the ruling will affect religious freedom. “There's the question – and it became hot this spring – of religious freedom. Can the proverbial baker or photographer who is selling his services openly, can he refuse to participate in a same-sex marriage...

MOSCOW — At the height of the Cold War, it was common for American conservatives to label the officially atheist Soviet Union a “godless nation.” More than two decades on, history has come full circle, as the Kremlin and its allies in the Russian Orthodox Church hurl the same allegation at the West. “Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a recent keynote speech. “Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in...

(JTA) — American Jews are among the most supportive religious groups of same-sex marriage. Some 77 percent of American Jews expressed support for same-sex marriage, according to data gathered in 2014 by the Public Religion Research Institute. Some 47 percent of American Jews polled said they “strongly favor” allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, and 30 percent said they “favor” it.

Coeur d‘Alene, Idaho, city officials have laid down the law to Christian pastors within their community, telling them bluntly via an ordinance that if they refuse to marry homosexuals, they will face jail time and fines. The dictate comes on the heels of a legal battle with Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers who own the Hitching Post wedding chapel in the city, but who oppose gay marriage, The Daily Caller reported. A federal judge recently ruled that the state’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, while the city of Coeur d‘Alene has an ordinance that prevents discrimination based on...

At last check the market (DJI) was down 254 points after a steady decline throughout the day. US Treasury yields down 14 basis points. I know, the Greek crisis. But Who orchestrates these events beyond our understanding?

U.S. Homosexual “Marriage” Will Affect Other Countries But in a strange cover-up, big leftist media denies that the U.S. is the leader of the global homosexual movement By Julio Severo Because of the U.S. global cultural hegemony, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of homosexual “marriage” will affect other nations, and homosexual activists in many parts of the world are excited in their expectation to use the court ruling to advance their cause, according an Associated Press report. Even though large U.S. companies (Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc.) and even the U.S. government have greatly incited the trend...

Archbishop Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago has asked his congregation to be compassionate toward gay people following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to legalize gay marriage nationwide. Cupich said in a news release that Catholic Church teachings call on members to avoid unjust discrimination of gay people. He said the respect must be real and reflective of the Church’s commitment to accept all people.

<p>NBC Today host - Savannah Guthrie - tries to throw gotchas at Sen Ted Cruz over his stance on the recent SCOTUS homo marriage ruling. Sen Cruz' handling of the host, and interview, are a glorious thing to see....</p>

....But according to Justice Kennedy, the Fourteenth Amendment does not protect children whom gay people demand as an entitlement. Children of gays are slaves. Justice Kennedy made no reference whatsoever to the COGs who had submitted detailed amicus briefs to him. The four dissenting justices made no reference to us, either. In the eyes of the court, we do not exist. Some COGs do exist: that is, children of gays who refrain from criticizing their loss of their heritage and who cheer for the gays who control them and keep them silent. At least the latter “good” children get to...

In a statement released Friday, the president of the American College of Pediatricians said the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage will have a significantly negative impact on children in the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlzL4OwfW8kSunday (Morning) Preaching: Jun 28 2015 Culture Wars and Supreme Court's Endorsement of Sodomite/Gay Marriages. Scripture: II Chronicles 7:14

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia should resign.That's the thought I had while reading his acid dissents in the two headline-grabbing Supreme Court cases last week, one affirming the IRS's interpretation of the Affordable Care Act, and the other discovering a right to same-sex marriage in the 14th Amendment.Scalia's considered view is that the court has usurped power from Congress in the health care law, and from the American people themselves in the marriage case.Ultimately, on the health care case, John Roberts agreed with most of the claims of the plaintiffs, but decided to rewrite the disputed clause because, as he...