Religion Magazine

Sacred Discrimination: Religious Freedom Fallout

By Ldsapologetics
Because Oklahoma lawmakers want to discriminate against gay people who want to marry they passed a bill to deny them the rights they have always had. But the thing is that the way the bill was written leaves out Atheists. Atheists now cannot get married in Oklahoma.
Satanists have also cited the Hobby Lobby decision and requested religious exemptions to the law for their own members.
Many feel that Mormonism is a cult and could legally refuse us service.
Jim Crow laws were also billed as religious freedom laws, they were billed as being intrinsically tied to the Christian faith, which is an outright lie as is the idea that there needs to be laws that allow one person of faith to deny service to anyone they don't like as having anything to do with Christs' teachings.
I've experienced discrimination as most have though some more than others, and I can say my heart breaks for those who face much worse wrath daily for any numbers of reasons. I have to gay step children and not being able to fully protect them pains me deeply. And I feel that sorrow when I see others discriminated against but especially so when it is the result of our own Church.
Discrimination I feel is a type of abuse and it leaves a lasting scar that often festers as it is never really allowed to heal as the wound is continually reopened.
I hate going through it myself and I also hate seeing others have to go through it. I just don't see how it can possibly have anything to do with Christs' teachings or His life and ministry.
I see these laws exempting people of faith from following the law as giving a blank check to discriminate and a special privilege license to hate.
I don't see Christ as teachings us to hate when He taught us to love one another as He loves us. He taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that we extend that love to our enemies and pray for those who curse us. Christ taught us to serve others not to deny others.
I see these religious exemption laws as being the opposite of Christ's teachings. Christ never gave us exemptions on the love we extend to all even our enemies. We are not exempted from serving our brothers and sisters because we have religious beliefs Christ never taught us.
These people some want the right to discriminate against are children of God. Does The Lord withhold His love, His light and knowledge or His service from those we would deny? We are all children of God, we are all more then Americans, Utahns, white people, black people, men and women. We are family. And we may fight like it at times but we should also make peace like that at times as well.
If we want laws that reflect Christ why don't we fight discrimination instead of allow it? Why don't we do what Utah has done and properly resolve the homelessness issue? Why don't we promote service to one another? Where is the character of Christ in these laws? I don't see it.
Love, compassion and understanding are what Christ stood for. He stood for the outcast, He did not stand against them as these laws do. 
We should not treat the right to discriminated as sacred but rather the opportunity to love and serve our brothers and sisters as Christ did for us is sacred. We are each sacred children of God. We would do better to serve more and deny less.

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