Religious Hate

Two pieces to point out to you today.  The first comes from Mississippi, where an elderly man died in 2016.  The funeral home reneged on taking care of his corpse, because they discovered that (gasp!) he was gay! and married!   While they aren't saying anything, I would bet that they claim that burying a gay man is an invasion of their religious liberty to hate gay people.



Hot on the heels of that report comes news that the president is planning to sign his long-planned "religious freedom" bill.  This would give wide latitude to discriminate on the grounds of religious liberty.  This is way beyond baking cakes for a same sex marriage.  This is....well, this is about refusing to bury a man because he is gay.  Or even refusing him medical care.

President Donald Trump has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for what they expect will be the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited—and highly controversial—executive order on religious liberty, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. 

Two senior administration officials confirmed the plan, though one cautioned that it hasn’t yet been finalized, and noted that lawyers are currently reviewing and fine-tuning the draft language. Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, and the White House was already planning to celebrate the occasion with faith leaders....

The new draft is being tightly held, but one influential conservative who saw the text said it hasn’t been dialed back much—if at all—since the February leak. “The language is very, very strong,” the source said.

 Back in February, Sarah Posner broke the details. The order at the time

construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers “any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,” and protects “religious freedom” in every walk of life: “when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.”

The draft order seeks to create wholesale exemptions for people and organizations who claim religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, and trans identity, and it seeks to curtail women’s access to contraception and abortion through the Affordable Care Act.

Basically, it establishes conservative Christianity as a uniquely protected faith and uniquely disadvantages LGBT people and women.    It is widely reported that Ivanka and Jared Kushner managed to head the previous iteration off at the pass, but apparently that victory was fleeting.

We'll see what the new order brings, but I'm ready to march yet again.  You'll know they are "Conservative Christians" by their hate.  Is there any wonder nfewer and fewer people want to be called "Christian"?