OneNewsNow reports on Jan. 8, 2015, that City of Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed has fired Kelvin Cochran, chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and a Southern Baptist Christian, after suspending him for a month without pay.
What horrible thing did Cochran do?
He wrote a short book, Who Told You That You Were Naked? (self-published in November 2013), a portion of which conveys the biblical view of homosexuality. Then Cochran gave copies of the book to a few co-workers he knew to be strong Christians – but three city employees also received a copy without asking for one.
Mayor Kasim Reed says Cochran’s “personal religious beliefs are not the issue,” but that the city’s nondiscrimination policy is “nonnegotiable.” Reed claims the fire chief’s “actions and decision-making undermine his ability to effectively manage a large, diverse work force.”
Cochran has an unblemished record in more than three decades as a firefighter.
Kasim Reed, a Democrat, claims United Methodism as his religion. Curiously, his full name is Muhammad Kasim Reed. (Source: Wikipedia)
Gary Cass of DefendChristians.org responds:
“It appears that simply upholding a traditional Christian view of morality automatically makes you unfit for any kind of leadership in this morally upside down world of political correctness. It seems that Chief Cochran is being fired not for his actions, but simply for holding a biblical worldview.
So here’s somebody [Reed] who ostensibly identifies as a Christian, who thinks he can be fair in the way that he conducts his business but apparently [thinks] Chief Cochran can’t be fair. So it’s an interesting confluence of hypocrisy and double standards all at the same time.
Does Mayor Reed believe what the Bible says about the sin of homosexuality? If so, shouldn’t he resign, too?”
That being sad, Cass points out that at the end of the day, the mayor’s firing of Cohran is “an overt violation of Chief Cochran’s First Amendment liberties.” Cass urges Christians to contact Reed’s office on Cochran’s behalf.
Following Cochran’s suspension, the Georgia Baptist Convention initiated an online petition calling for the chief’s reinstatement. Another petition is available at ExtinguishIntolerance.com.
The American Family Association has launched a “Stand with Chief Kelvin Cochran” campaign that allows individuals to (1) sign a statement of support that will be delivered to Chief Cochran, and (2) contact Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed via email or telephone.
Kasim Reed was invited to the élite king-maker Bilderberg conference last year, which prompted our Trail Dust to ask “Is the Bilderberg group grooming a new messiah?“
H/t FOTM’s MomOfIV and John Molloy
~Eowyn
