Democrats Are Going to Regret Beto’s Stance on Conservative Churches

The Atlantic ^ | 10/12/19 | John Inazu

[Faith Presses On]

The issue of gay rights and recognition and acceptance of the LGBTQ community has moved at warp speed—in political terms anyway—this past decade.

“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage,” said the candidate Barack Obama in 2008.

At Thursday night’s nationally televised forum on LGBTQ rights, candidate Beto O’Rourke showed how far, and how quickly, the Democratic Party has moved. The former Texas congressman caused quite a stir when he said he would support revoking the tax-exempt status of religious institutions—colleges, churches, and charities—if they opposed same-sex marriage.

(snip)

The candidate’s view isn’t entirely new to Democrats. It echoes, for example, then–Solicitor General Donald Verrilli’s concession during his oral argument in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 that the tax-exempt status of Christian colleges and universities who hold traditional views of marriage was “going to be an issue.” And it aligns with the Harvard law professor Mark Tushnet’s policy recommendation to take a “hard line” with religious conservatives because, after all, “trying to be nice to the losers didn’t work well after the Civil War,” and “taking a hard line seemed to work reasonably well in Germany and Japan after 1945.”

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Beatoff O’Rouke’s stance re religion is to piss on it. That is why he is always moving around like he does. Also lets you understand why he is always moving his hands around his body.

[Mastador1]

That was 2018, Beto was still wearing a mask then, this year he’s completely torn the mask off. I know there are a lot of Hispanic Americans in Texas and if they are like the majority of American Hispanics and legal Hispanic immigrants they are religious and and anti illegal immigration so I have to believe that Beto will be bleeding more and more of his Hispanic support.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Ask ten people under 30 whether they agree with Beto on this.

You won’t like the results.

[T Ruth]

I won't worry about the deduction, and you won't worry about the deduction, but some people will. And some nervous-Nelly church leaders may cave on that account.

So the point is not to resist this ridiculous Democrat idea after it is enacted, but to defeat and completely destroy the Democrat party before the Democrats can enact it.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I agree with fighting this at the ballot box, because it is pretty much guaranteed that the Democrats will try to push it through if they get the chance. But religious people and leaders need to start thinking about how to fight this, in the courts and other ways if necessary. And the case needs to be cast on these terms: it isn’t just about the money, but primarily about the government presuming to dictate religious doctrine and practice.

[Still Thinking]

“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage,” said the candidate Barack Obama in 2008.

"If you like your marriage laws, you can keep your marriage laws", he continued.

[kaehurowing]

Russell Moore on why the First Amendment (Free Exercise Clause) bars taxing churches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=285&v=pOzRPOp-2nU