America was founded on the idea that all men are endowed by their Creator with basic human rights.
In modern-day America, people of faith are looked down on and told to conform to society.
But Tennessee just passed a law that might let Christians live life in a way that reflects their beliefs.
Christians have been punished for refusing to participate in same sex marriages
The Democrats like to say that Christian conservatives are trying to force their religious doctrine on the LGBTQ community by refusing to acknowledge same sex marriages as legitimate.
But the situation is actually in reverse.
The LGBTQ community is trying to force their ideology on Christian conservatives.
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges, Christians across the country have been required to participate in same sex marriage ceremonies that went against their beliefs.
Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, has served jail time, paid fines, and still faces legal challenges after refusing to sign a marriage license in 2015.
Yanicka Parker of Broward County, Florida, was fired from her position as a court specialist over similar actions in 2016.
And Laurel Eriksen was put through an exhaustive investigation in Root, New York, over the same issue in 2018.
Now the state of Tennessee has just passed a bill that will solve this problem in their state.
Tennessee law will now allow for exemptions based on personal beliefs
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 878 into law last week, which allows public officials to opt out of participating in same-sex marriages.
The bill only requires that the person must make a good faith argument that the marriage would go against their religious beliefs.
The exact text of the bill explains that “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”
It passed both chambers of the legislature with wide margins.
The votes were mostly along Party lines, with just one Democrat voting in support of it.
The LGBTQ lobby quickly responded with protests on Capitol Hill in Nashville.
Tennessee has a “responsibility to protect the exercise of religious beliefs”
Molly Whitehorn of the Human Rights Campaign said that “marriage equality was settled by the Supreme Court in 2015” and had since been “reaffirmed” by Congress in 2022.
Touting “overwhelming support nationally,” she said that the new law was an infringement on the rights of Tennesseans.
“All Tennesseans have a right to marry the person they love regardless of gender and should not be turned away by a government employee based upon that employee’s personal beliefs,” Whitehorn said.
But a Tennessee lawmaker, Monty Fritts, said that the government must extend its “responsibility to protect the exercise of religious beliefs.”
Fritts believes that people should be afforded the right “to refuse to solemnize a marriage for reasons of conscience.”
It should be noted that the bill does not make it illegal for same sex couples to be married.
The Tennessee General Assembly’s Fiscal Review Committee also found it wouldn’t make a dent in same sex marriages.
The Committee said the legislation “is not expected to have any significant impact on the number of marriages solemnized in Tennessee nor the number of marriage licenses issued.”
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
