Bryan Fischer
When it becomes illegal for Christians to hold public office
By Bryan Fischer
Follow me on Twitter: @BryanJFischer, on Facebook at "Focal Point"
Host of "Focal Point" on AFR Talk, 1-3pm CT, M-F www.afr.net
The Supreme Court last Friday, through an act of judicial tyranny, made sodomy-based marriage a part of the Constitution.
The liberal majority bypassed Congress, the American people, and the Constitution itself by amending it all by themselves. In their benighted view, there is now a fundamental right to same-sex marriage embedded in the Constitution. Not because it's actually there, mind you, but because the Supremes put it there.
Mark my words on this. The ultimate outcome of this unconscionable act is that one day, before too long, it will be officially illegal for Christians to hold public office in the United States.
How will this happen? It's simple. Every holder of public office takes a solemn and sacred oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Liberals will argue that since June 26, 2015, our Constitution has been amended to include the right to marriage based on the infamous crime against nature.
The left will argue that if an individual is not prepared to swear that they wholeheartedly support sodomy-based marriage, they have no right at all even to take the oath of office. An individual's opposition to same-sex marriage will be (falsely) interpreted as opposition to the Constitution itself.
Perhaps things will go beyond mere public shaming to some kind of an official act by which a candidate signals his unqualified support for homosexuality as a condition of running for office, perhaps by signing an affidavit of affirmation (or its equivalent) for homosexual "marriage." Such a requirement may have to be satisfied before an individual will even be allowed to put his name on a ballot or before he swears the oath and takes his seat, whether as as a school board member, a city council member, a county commissioner, a lawmaker, or a congressman.
The left will argue we cannot let an individual with such antiquated and virtually racist views assume public office. We must have officeholders who will uphold and defend the entire Constitution, not just the parts he likes, and see that all its laws, not just the ones he likes, are faithfully executed. This man will not in good conscience be able to do that, liberals will argue. He must not be allowed to threaten our entire system of government through his refusal to endorse this most fundamental and basic human right.
It is already the case in every jurisdiction that there are certain requirements that must be satisfied before an individual is even eligible to run for public office.
For instance, in Pennsylvania the state constitution disqualifies any person who has been convicted of embezzlement, bribery, perjury, "or other infamous crimes" from holding office. It won't be long before opposition to same-sex marriage will be added to the list of disqualifying sins.
In fact, the city of San Antonio tried this very thing in 2014, considering an ordinance that would ban Christians entirely from public service. Here's how the language of the proposed ordinance read (emphasis mine):
"No person shall be appointed to a position if the City Council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, or disability."
It won't be long before similarly worded restrictions appear everywhere, not just as proposals but as adopted ordinances, policies and laws.
You may think I'm hyperbolizing. Yet things are happening with frightening rapidity. Fifteen years ago, no nation in the entire world legitimized sodomy-based marriage, and yet now the mightiest nation in the history of civilization has imposed it on its own citizens against their will.
Those us of in the pro-family movement argued all along that if same-sex marriage was ever legalized, barriers against polygamy would be the next to fall. Posh, said the homosexual lobby. Just fear-mongering, it'll never happen, nobody's even talking about it.
Well, a man has already filed for a wedding license in Montana so that he can create a polygamous family with his two wives. If he doesn't get one, he'll sue, and he will win. His argument is based on exactly the same bizarre reasoning that led to the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage.
The point is that things are disintegrating and deteriorating at warp speed. We are rapidly approaching the point where it will be against the law for any Christian who believes in natural marriage and the sinfulness of homosexuality to hold any government job at all, whether as a lawmaker, a school teacher, a police chief, or a fire chief.
You can ask Kelvin Cochran of Atlanta all about that. His 34 years of spotless and exemplary fire service were brought to a screeching halt last year because of his personal and privately held views on homosexuality. If you think that's not going to happen all across the board, with regard to every public sector job you can think of, you will be in for the shock of your life.
Already county clerks and magistrates have been forced to leave public service, even in conservative places like Mississippi and Alabama, because of their deeply held moral objections to same-sex marriage. It will be only a brief time before individuals will be vetted on this matter before they're even hired. Holding to a natural view of marriage will become a disqualification for public office.
The answer to this challenge is found in the First Amendment, which protects the right, not just to religious belief, but to the free exercise of religion. It is an individual right that every American possesses 24 hours of every day, seven days of every week, on the job as well as off the job. What we need now is a Supreme Court which will be guided by the actual Constitution instead of the one they have invented.
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
July 3, 2015
Follow me on Twitter: @BryanJFischer, on Facebook at "Focal Point"
Host of "Focal Point" on AFR Talk, 1-3pm CT, M-F www.afr.net
The Supreme Court last Friday, through an act of judicial tyranny, made sodomy-based marriage a part of the Constitution.
The liberal majority bypassed Congress, the American people, and the Constitution itself by amending it all by themselves. In their benighted view, there is now a fundamental right to same-sex marriage embedded in the Constitution. Not because it's actually there, mind you, but because the Supremes put it there.
Mark my words on this. The ultimate outcome of this unconscionable act is that one day, before too long, it will be officially illegal for Christians to hold public office in the United States.
How will this happen? It's simple. Every holder of public office takes a solemn and sacred oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Liberals will argue that since June 26, 2015, our Constitution has been amended to include the right to marriage based on the infamous crime against nature.
The left will argue that if an individual is not prepared to swear that they wholeheartedly support sodomy-based marriage, they have no right at all even to take the oath of office. An individual's opposition to same-sex marriage will be (falsely) interpreted as opposition to the Constitution itself.
Perhaps things will go beyond mere public shaming to some kind of an official act by which a candidate signals his unqualified support for homosexuality as a condition of running for office, perhaps by signing an affidavit of affirmation (or its equivalent) for homosexual "marriage." Such a requirement may have to be satisfied before an individual will even be allowed to put his name on a ballot or before he swears the oath and takes his seat, whether as as a school board member, a city council member, a county commissioner, a lawmaker, or a congressman.
The left will argue we cannot let an individual with such antiquated and virtually racist views assume public office. We must have officeholders who will uphold and defend the entire Constitution, not just the parts he likes, and see that all its laws, not just the ones he likes, are faithfully executed. This man will not in good conscience be able to do that, liberals will argue. He must not be allowed to threaten our entire system of government through his refusal to endorse this most fundamental and basic human right.
It is already the case in every jurisdiction that there are certain requirements that must be satisfied before an individual is even eligible to run for public office.
For instance, in Pennsylvania the state constitution disqualifies any person who has been convicted of embezzlement, bribery, perjury, "or other infamous crimes" from holding office. It won't be long before opposition to same-sex marriage will be added to the list of disqualifying sins.
In fact, the city of San Antonio tried this very thing in 2014, considering an ordinance that would ban Christians entirely from public service. Here's how the language of the proposed ordinance read (emphasis mine):
"No person shall be appointed to a position if the City Council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, or disability."
It won't be long before similarly worded restrictions appear everywhere, not just as proposals but as adopted ordinances, policies and laws.
You may think I'm hyperbolizing. Yet things are happening with frightening rapidity. Fifteen years ago, no nation in the entire world legitimized sodomy-based marriage, and yet now the mightiest nation in the history of civilization has imposed it on its own citizens against their will.
Those us of in the pro-family movement argued all along that if same-sex marriage was ever legalized, barriers against polygamy would be the next to fall. Posh, said the homosexual lobby. Just fear-mongering, it'll never happen, nobody's even talking about it.
Well, a man has already filed for a wedding license in Montana so that he can create a polygamous family with his two wives. If he doesn't get one, he'll sue, and he will win. His argument is based on exactly the same bizarre reasoning that led to the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage.
The point is that things are disintegrating and deteriorating at warp speed. We are rapidly approaching the point where it will be against the law for any Christian who believes in natural marriage and the sinfulness of homosexuality to hold any government job at all, whether as a lawmaker, a school teacher, a police chief, or a fire chief.
You can ask Kelvin Cochran of Atlanta all about that. His 34 years of spotless and exemplary fire service were brought to a screeching halt last year because of his personal and privately held views on homosexuality. If you think that's not going to happen all across the board, with regard to every public sector job you can think of, you will be in for the shock of your life.
Already county clerks and magistrates have been forced to leave public service, even in conservative places like Mississippi and Alabama, because of their deeply held moral objections to same-sex marriage. It will be only a brief time before individuals will be vetted on this matter before they're even hired. Holding to a natural view of marriage will become a disqualification for public office.
The answer to this challenge is found in the First Amendment, which protects the right, not just to religious belief, but to the free exercise of religion. It is an individual right that every American possesses 24 hours of every day, seven days of every week, on the job as well as off the job. What we need now is a Supreme Court which will be guided by the actual Constitution instead of the one they have invented.
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
