Is the US Government persecuting Christians who don’t support gay marriage?

Is the US Government persecuting Christians who don’t support gay marriage?

By Nigel Boys

     At the inauguration ceremony of President Obama, Pastor Louie Giglio did not deliver the closing prayer because the administration found his religious beliefs about marriage were ‘not acceptable.

    There are many stories where religious groups or individuals have been discriminated against because of their beliefs in the sacred institution of marriage or because of their views on the homosexual community.

    Adoption agencies have been forced to close their doors in Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., because their religious beliefs about marriage were deemed not acceptable by their jurisdictions.

    Our nation celebrated Religious Freedom Day last January to commemorate the anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. “Be it enacted by the General Assembly, that no man shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion” wrote Thomas Jefferson.

    We Americans have freedom to express our faith in whatever way we wish. This is not the case around much of the world. We can worship whoever or whatever we want without the fear of our lives being in danger or being thrown into prison if our beliefs do not conform to the rest of our society.               

    Saying that, when businesses or individuals are restricted from operating under the principles which they believe in, we have come to a new era in American freedom, or lack thereof.

    In the First Amendment, we have a guarantee that we can exercise our faith without the interference of Government or any other. This liberty resulted in thousands of immigrants coming to our shores in search of religious freedom.

    Jefferson’s original intent was to stop the government interfering in any person’s religion and not to keep the church out of the state.

    The government now deems support for traditional marriage unacceptable. It discredits those who have high regard for human life from conception as radicals. It hides the Word of God from public view deeming it unnecessary for the public to be concerned about.   

    When the government says, “You can believe whatever you want, but you will be penalized if you exercise those beliefs,” we have entered dangerous territory. We must defend the Constitution not only in form, but also in effect.