The recent fallout from the bakery lawsuit in Utah has reached Mississippi. Our legislature crafted and our governor signed into law a bill that would keep anyone from forcing their belief system on a business or individual without fear of persecution that has become commonplace in this tort friendly environment that we have spawned. The uproar is easily understood because of the misplaced offense that has sprung up from the liberal attack wolves. They believe, and rightly so, that no one should be discriminated against.
I have the same belief, I just happen to believe that lawsuits should fall into that category. To sue someone because they wouldn't make you a wedding cake is ridiculous in the first part and secondly, why would you want to associate with such persons anyway? I don't think to abstain from helping someone is the Christian way. In Christ's parable of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10, a man "compromises" his religious principles to help a man that was beaten and thrown into the ditch. It pretty much describes conditions to which we have fallen at one time or another. To be Christian is to love without judgement. It's pretty simple.
While much of the world was focused on the terrorists killing cartoonists in France for offending their religion, in Atlanta, GA, the mayor fired the city's fire chief, Kelvin Cochran, for his Christian faith. The mayor claimed it was not Cochran's faith, but his judgment that got him fired. Mr. Cochran had written a book titled "Who Told You That You Were Naked". The books theme is about biblical morality. In his press conference, Mayor Reed said that "This isn't about religious freedom.
This isn't about free speech. It's about judgment." It was offensive. He said that he was "disturbed" and "profoundly in disagreement" about the "sentiments" written about in the book and suspended Mr. Cochran pending sensitivity treatment. The two time Atlanta fire chief, and former Obama administration fire administrator, said in an interview, "It's a frightening day in the US when a person cannot express their Christian faith without fear of persecution following".
Our government was founded on freedom saying in the Bill of Rights "banning the government from prohibiting people from freely exercising their religion". The very reason so many came to this country in the early years is to escape persecution from the King of England and his belief that there was one religion and you must adhere to the way I think, or you would lose your head. To believe that this latest uprising isn't about religion is to have your head in the sand. Companies have been forced out of business because of their beliefs, forced to compromise their beliefs or face retribution, or be ridiculed in the press because of the same. You have to get along to go along which means compromising a belief system that puts love for God and love for others first, everything else secondary to that.
The very ones who are uncompromising are the ones who are first to call racist and sexist, and homophobe and any other name that points out the beliefs that have stood all the tests that man has delivered to date. To have a desire to force everyone else to follow your way of thinking is wrong. No matter what your way of thinking is. It took a lot of guts for the Governor to stand up for his beliefs. It's not my duty to agree or disagree, but to follow God in the way He leads me. Until next week. ags.
