CONSIDERING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACTS
By Nancy Dobson, P.O. Box 71132, Bethesda, Maryland 20813
The essence of the debate over whether or not a business owner is free to discriminate against LGBT persons distills around our desire as a society to either honor God’s laws and strive for self-discipline or reject God’s rules and encourage unnatural sexual behavior. Someone who aids a criminal can be charged with being an accomplice and sent to prison. Similarly, God gave a law that if you do not discriminate against law breakers He will treat you as He will treat them. So when someone aids someone who openly breaks God’s Law, that person is considered to be an accomplice to the law breaking. Breaking the Biblical laws shows contempt for God. (NU 15:30-31) The government should not be in the business of trying to force citizens to aid those who participate in unnatural sexual behavior and who break God’s laws.
Though there is a movement in some church denominations to teach against living by God’s Law, Jesus lived by it and taught it. When a young man came to him and asked point blank, “What must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus’ response was, “Do you keep the Law?” At another time Jesus said he knows God’s commandments mean eternal life. (MT 19:17; JN 12:49-50)
“Laws define and limit the material and spiritual realms. Like other animals in the material realm, we are bound by some fixed laws that govern our physical growth and development and the procreation of our species. But there is an invisible something in us that can perceive and define the invisible laws of nature. We use these laws to create safety and convenience for ourselves.
“The invisible something in us that perceives the laws of nature is like the Invisible Power that creates the laws, which Jesus told us is a Spirit. Humans are both material and spiritual.
“An attribute of our spiritual nature is that we have free will. As free will entities we are required to seek and use the laws that govern our interactions with one another and with God in order to have good emotional and spiritual safety and health.
“Like physics laws are cause and effect, the laws God created to govern free will beings also are cause and effect. When we break them we draw the inevitable negative effects onto ourselves and our communities. With our free will we have chosen our will over God’s will, breaking spiritual laws, and thus have separated ourselves from God.” (from Firming Up Your Flabby Spirit, by Nancy Dobson)
When Jesus said that those who teach others to break even a small law will be considered least in the kingdom of heaven, it was not in the past tense but for all time in the future. The Law is like an exercise weight that we use to build spiritual strengths. Following God’s rules demonstrates our respect for God and helps us open our spiritual senses to His presence and personal daily guidance to us. Though some denominations teach that heaven is a free gift no matter what sins you commit, Jesus taught accountability.
God said He would test us to see if we really love Him and that the test would be a wonder worker who would teach against His Law. (DT 13:1-4) Keeping the Law is a signal to own soul as well as to God that we desire to be obedient to God. This is a necessary first step in order to perceive, interpret and learn how to submit to God’s daily guidance – the essence of Jesus’ message to us. Jesus said many will praise him and say they did great things in his name, but he will send them away and call them evil because they didn’t do the will of God. (MT 7:21-23) We can only discern God’s will, His personal guidance to us, if we have prepared ourselves spiritually by obedience to God’s rules as Jesus taught them.
LGBTs like to compare themselves with black Americans and claim that, like them, they have a “compelling interest” that is being discriminated against. But there is nothing immoral about skin color. If the courts rule that same gender sexual unions are normal and therefore moral, that is the point where those who seek and respect God understand that the government and the courts no longer represent the people.
Concerning scientific evidence for a homosexual gene — there just isn’t any. No scientific test to prove genetic predisposition to homosexuality has ever proved accurate when repeated by unbiased scientists. Genome studies searching for a “gay gene” didn’t find one. The scientists concluded that, “The use of scientific inquiry is inadequate at identifying homosexual people.” Homosexuality is a choice — even if the causative factors are not consciously remembered. As such there is the possibility of changing the choice, and about 25% of homosexuals do eventually change to heterosexuality. (This would not take place if the condition was genetic.) That the popular media does not adequately report these unbiased studies reveals the prejudice and social engineering agenda of those who own the media. Constantly drumming this bias into society by way of newspapers, magazines, radio and television does change the views of some. Polls that show changed public attitudes reflect this – though their conclusions may also be the result of cleverly worded questions and demographically tailored areas that are polled by those who have a bias.
There are some who say that criminal activity is genetically based and point to interpretations of studies that seem to support that conclusion. Should we therefore have no laws against murder and theft because we might hurt the feelings of those genetically predisposed to criminal activity? Should we not rather protect society from those who act out that socially disruptive behavior?
If you go to a foreign country you need to learn the laws of that country. Otherwise you could be — at a minimum — kicked out of the country if you break their laws. The structure of the legal system of the United States is based on the Bible. (Several books have been written about this.) Other countries have their own legal systems based on their own scriptures. We have a right to ours. Over 87% of Americans are Christian. We should not let loud and aggressive atheists and Christ-deniers destroy our culture.
In His kingdom God rules. If we want to live in His kingdom with God in the spiritual realm we need to prepare ourselves by learning how to follow the rules of the King while we are on earth. Then, when we die and are evaluated, or judged, we are spiritually ready to live there. This is what, “May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – what Jesus told us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer – says. We bring God’s kingdom on earth as we follow the rules of the King while we are on earth.
It seems a small thing that a business owner merely refuses to serve someone who is immoral. They may refuse service to those who don’t wear shirts and shoes, to those who use profanity, and to those who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as well as for other reasons. Many businesses close on Sunday and thereby deny service to those who don’t keep the Sabbath on that day. To deny business service to those who advertise that they are LGB or T gives the message that the business owner has values they are willing to give up some business to defend. Does the person seeking service respect the business owner? If they respect them, then they should support the business owner’s right to live by his or her own values.
Refusing service can be a good silent witness to law breakers that may cause them to reflect and get back on track. Personally, I would not want to do business with someone who doesn’t want my business. A reluctant baker might use poor quality ingredients. A doctor knows many ways to undermine your health. I have been prejudiced against for being female, for being a Christian, for being opposed to wars-for-profit and for being opposed to planned obsolescence. I would much prefer if those who do not want to do business honestly with me post a sign that says, ““We don’t do business with females, Christians, peace makers or environmentalists.” Then I can take my business elsewhere and avoid the stress of receiving poor quality products and services. Honesty is so much simpler and healthier all around.
One reason there is a greater incidence of sexual identity confusion in developed countries today is because of the practice of some parents reassigning their baby’s sex at birth. Because of the excess hormone estrogen that lodges in a woman’s body when she uses birth control chemicals, she may give birth to a male child with deformed genitalia. Rather than leave him male, the parents may opt for surgery to make him appear female. However they cannot change the baby’s chromosomes. Gender is determined by chromosomes, and males think and feel differently than females. So, when the child grows up it has gender confusion — thinking and feeling male but being in a female body. In coming years it may be possible for these children to reverse back to their chromosomal gender.
Studies have been done and the government knows that birth control chemicals cause this effect, but apparently they consider it a form of population control because they let it go on without warning women of the side effects. In addition, men like the convenience that birth control chemicals allow, so they are reluctant to give up that advantage. If men took more responsibility for birth control instead of putting the whole burden on women, it would be easier for couples to avoid having deformed male babies.
If one looks at this from a reincarnation point of view, those being born in this condition at this time may be those who in centuries past had their sons castrated so the sons would be hired by the rich and send money back to their parents. This is the eternal validity of the Golden Rule — as you treat others you WILL BE treated in this life or another. (Reincarnation was taught by the early Christian Church, prior to the 4th century.)
Another reason for people choosing homosexuality is that older siblings (or others) consistently frightened them as infants. Those children grow up not understanding why they are attracted to same gender others, or to no others, because they don’t consciously remember what was done to them when they were infants that caused them to develop fear and insecurity in their relationships rather than developing love and trust.
In any event, these causative factors do not change the moral issue involved here. God’s law is clear and firm against homosexuality. Everyone on earth has a cross of some sort to bear. One of the reasons we come to the material realm is to learn how to seek God while we are pressured with fear, sadness, temptations, confusions and other forces. We have all chosen our will over God’s will, and we are all here to learn how to reverse that initial error and re-learn how to choose God’s will first in our lives. Those who have been pressured into sexual confusion should seek God’s guidance for how to deal with that in the most spiritually constructive way and not succumb to law breaking. They should strive to work to endure their particular challenge as others work to endure their own unique challenges. Life’s challenges are meant to prune us to bear more spiritual fruit, but some reject them and do further damage to their spirit instead.
We can honestly disagree with one another and debate our views, but in a life threatening emergency we should help one another indiscriminately. God says He holds us accountable for our own lives and for the lives of our neighbors.
The “judge not that ye be not judged” rule concerns gossip, rumors and misunderstandings. Jesus also said to “judge righteously.” So those who blatantly break and encourage others to break God’s Law should be identified and responded to appropriately. The Golden Rule says to love all others as you love yourself and, again, to not treat others in ways you don’t want them to treat you. If I am in blatant violation of God’s Law and, further, damaging my spirit by trying to force law breaking on society I would appreciate it if someone would give me a reminder of my error and in that way encourage me to reflect and change.
Jesus said to talk with those with whom you have a dispute, then talk with them with counselors, then take it to the community and, if there is no resolution, to shun them. No scorning and no bullying, just don’t socialize with them. No one should scorn LGBTs, but it is appropriate for society by its laws to remind them that their choice is against the will of the Creator of the universe and, by those who respect God’s presence and will, against what society will endorse.
Some who favor aiding these sexual deviants point out that other people do not keep all of the Biblical Law. People break the Sabbath, eat pork, commit adultery, steal and show disrespect for God in many other ways. But when we are evaluated at the end of our lives God will not ask, “What did your neighbors do?” but only, “What did you do?” Each of us is accountable for our own decisions, words and behavior. Jesus pointed out that God knows what is in your heart, and promised that we will be judged by our words and by our behavior. (MT 12:36-37, 16:27) The government shouldn’t require anyone to be an accomplice with someone who behaves and encourages others to behave in an immoral way.
The purpose of social discrimination is to encourage those who show contempt for God by breaking His Law to see that they are making an error that will cost them dearly on the spiritual side of life – and to give them strong encouragement to change course and choose a lifestyle that will be more beneficial to them for eternity. Making their behavior “legal” by the civil law is an act of cruelty, not love. It encourages those who break moral laws to continue their immoral activity and influences others to join their lifestyle. It is cruelty to encourage someone to break God’s laws. Some people do that just for their own entertainment — they like to advise others to do unwise things and then watch them get hurt. It is tougher for those who care about their fellow citizens to speak out in favor of self-discipline and law keeping in the face of those who are belligerent about forcing immorality on society.
God loves each soul faithfully. All that is needed to return to communication with our Creator is to confess that we have made errors and take actions to make restitution and change our habits. When we become one in purpose with God, showing respect for God by following the rules God has given us, we are ready to submit to God’s daily guidance and fulfill Jesus’ prayer that, “God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
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