Will "Gay-rights" redefine your church's message?

Is this the future of religion (and small business) in America?

A plan being shoved down a fast track in the Oregon Legislature would give homosexuals a vast range of new state laws they could use to impose their moral perspective on Christians across the state, according to opponents who fear for their speech and religious expression rights.

Senate Bill 2, on its face, is written to enshrine in state law special protections for homosexuals by classifying them as a protected civil rights group. But hundreds of pastors – whose churches include tens of thousands of evangelical Christians – are horrified by what they see advancing virtually without opposition.

"Senate Bill 2, in the Oregon House of Representatives, if passed, will limit your free speech rights and rights of conscience; require public schools to teach that homosexual/lesbian/bisexual behavior is 'okay' and 'moral'; impact your rights as a business owner; and put judges in authority on certain church matters," according to David Crowe, of the Christian ministry called Restore America.

Yeah, but that's Oregon, one of the most left wing states in the Union (not counting the People's Republic of Massachusetts) and it could never happen in my state, right? Well, not necessarily. There's that pesky snowball effect that the left is so adept at initiating and propagating. Before you know it, sleepy citizens are overwhelmed by what appears to be a massive movement when in reality, the moral majority wasn't even paying attention.

When you start shredding the Constitution and disregarding the existing rule of law, then you're well on your way down the slippery slope of lawlessness and anarchy. When John Q. Citizen sees that the government has disregard for Constitutional law, it's only a matter of time before people begin to take the law into their own hands.

"This bill is arrogantly, defiantly and deceptively crafted to accomplish a lot more than what it is saying," he told WND. "It definitely adds sexual orientation to the list of protected civil rights groups.

"But there is verbiage in the bill and the verbiage has to do with the primary purpose of a church. They're seeking really to gain a foothold for homosexuals into the Christian church with the court's approval," he said.

"It's more than the nose of the camel, they want the whole camel in the tent to ruminate around however they would like," he said. "The word we've gotten from attorneys is that of all the bills around the country this is the worst," Crowe said.

"The bottom line this is a total effort by the left to subvert our morality, our Judeo-Christian morality and impose on us a morality they consider superior. What it is really is challenging everything we as Christians stand for."

The bill would affect churches even though it has a so-called church exemption, he said, because it would require every church operation that isn't directly in support of its primary mission goal to be subject to mandatory homosexual hiring requirements and other restrictions.

And it would leave the determination of what is in support of a church's primary mission to be determined by a secular judge. It is possible, for example, that a lesbian could sue a church if not hired to be a pastor's secretary.

For Christian business owners, it would require them to hire and promote homosexuals irrespective of the religious beliefs the owner might hold -- or whether the employee agrees with the products, in a Christian bookstore for example.

For parents, it means their children in public schools would be subject to the state-sponsored and state-required indoctrination that the homosexual lifestyle choice is moral – even if the parents hold religious beliefs that contradict that.

"The law – and this is onerous – has a clause that talks about developing a program of education to change our attitudes," Crowe said. "To change our attitudes? Is it the government's business to change attitudes? But that's precisely what's in the bill."

Got an interest in free speech and freedom of religion? Then be sure to read the entire piece and keep your eyes and ears open regarding this story.

Two pertinent quotes are noted on the above mentioned Restore America website. Respectively, they are by Daniel Webster:

"Our destruction if it come at all, will be from...the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence."

and by John Hancock:

"I urge you, by all that is dear, by all that is honorable, by all that is sacred, not only that ye pray but that ye act!"

Law abiding Americans can't allow immoral legislators to run rough shod over our fundamental laws of the land.

Wake up, America!