Religious
Freedom 1, Money 0 … For Right Now
Published in Marietta Daily Journal Feb. 28, 2016
Why does Georgia’s corporate community
care more about the preferences of the Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transgender
community than it does those of the general populace of Georgia?
That’s an easy one. Easy, but not so logical. The corporatists and the Chamber of Commerce
are afraid of offending visitors and newcomers to the state. But does the Chamber think the majority of
visitors are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered? Whom do they consider their largest customer
base, the general citizenry or the LGBT community?
And
when are the business lobbyists going to add the “nones” to their special
rights list? Oh yes, those who don’t
wish to be labeled as either male or female.
Right now “nones” are the latest preoccupation in the jungle of sexual
identity politics. Whatever crops up
after “nones” is anybody’s guess, but rest assured the Chamber of Commerce will
single them out to protect them from our bigoted General Assembly.
Engaging
in selective tolerance, the Chamber of Commerce has declared its opposition to
the religious freedom bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly. One such bill is House Bill 757, sponsored by
Rep. Kevin Tanner. Dubbed the “Pastor
Protection Bill,” it prohibits suits against any minister who chooses not to
perform marriage rites that violate that minister’s beliefs. It passed unanimously in the House.
HB
757 was inspired, of course, by the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that
re-defined marriage. Simply put, it
protects ministers who do not believe in same-sex marriage and who would not
want to officiate a same-sex wedding.
Leave
it to the Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations to view all
things through the lenses of dollar signs.
One such group is Georgia Prospers.
A coalition of over 300 businesses, Georgia Prospers has ample tolerance
for the LGBT community and none at all for Rep. Tanner. GP’s director, former state senator Ronnie
Chance, believes that religious freedom bills “could prove devastating for our
reputation as a place to do business.”
Another
effort at protecting religious liberty was made by Senator Greg Kirk. His Senate Bill 284, called the “First
Amendment Defense Act of Georgia,” indicates that, like Roe v. Wade and
abortion, the same-sex marriage issue is not settled. Sen. Kirk’s bill prohibits the government
from taking any discriminatory action against a person on the basis of his or
her belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. In a recent article Mr. Chance equated Sen.
Kirk’s bill with hate. (I guess he has
looked into Sen. Kirk’s heart.) Declaring that “Georgia is a state too busy to
hate,” Mr. Chance further stated, “We don’t have to choose between our faiths
and economic growth.”
As
a matter of fact, business owners across the country have had to do just
that. Ask the owner of Hobby Lobby whose
Obamacare-related case was eventually resolved but who was willing to close
down before violating his religious convictions. Check with the American Family Association
for the long list of those who have had to make moral choices that Mr. Chance
claims do not exist.
When
Rep. Tanner’s bill passed the House and reached the Senate, it was combined
with Senator Kirk’s bill and sent back to the House. Rules require that the House either “agree”
or “disagree” with the Senate’s re-worked bill.
If the House “agrees,” the bill goes to the governor; if it “disagrees,”
it will be sent to a conference committee of both House and Senate members for
further work and re-submission to both bodies.
As of this writing, the bill is still in the House waiting to be called
up for “agreement” or “disagreement.”
Meanwhile,
business leaders will be working fiercely to change the minds of legislators
who have already voiced their constituents’ wishes. Their chief argument will be that the sky
will fall if HB 757 becomes law. Don’t
our backward lawmakers realize that Georgia is the home to 20 Fortune 500 and
33 Fortune 1000 companies? And don’t
forget the film industry that makes those wonderful, wholesome R-rated movies
in Georgia. We wouldn’t want them to
leave us, depriving us of their positive values.
The
Chamber of Commerce considers religious freedom supporters a regressive
force. In the Chamber’s world, commerce
(money) trumps religious freedom. Condescendingly, they’re telling us that it’s
not sophisticated to be too concerned with religious freedom. But that’s not the thinking of Georgia
voters, and that’s why in this election year lawmakers have been listening to
voters and not to CEO’s.
If the governor and the speaker ignore “the
folks” and decide that HB 757 should die quietly, we will see one more reason
for the Trump phenomenon: leaders who turn on their people.
Roger
Hines
2/25/16
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