Any Day Now Blog

President Biden Has Promised to Pass the Equality Act—Here’s How That Threatens Your Freedoms

According to Alliance Defending Freedom, “. . . With a Democrat-controlled House and Senate, the passage of this legislation is more likely than ever before. And President Joe Biden campaigned on the promise that he would sign the Act into law within his first 100 days if passed.  . . .

It is a deliberate attempt to force people of faith—good people who serve everyone—to promote messages and celebrate events that conflict with their sincere beliefs. The “Equality Act” would also threaten the equal treatment of women and upend the bedrock understanding of male and female in our law and culture.  . . .

What is the “Equality Act”?

The essence of the “Equality Act” is its addition of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes to already existing federal nondiscrimination laws. This would prohibit employers, preschools, and even religious schools and organizations from making choices based on basic biology, bodily privacy, and their beliefs about the nature of marriage. It would apply to every single recipient of federal financial assistance (including every public school and almost all colleges and universities.) . . .

The good news is that God has equipped Alliance Defending Freedom for such a time as this.

With 11 Supreme Court victories since 2011, ADF will stand up to the Biden administration, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, to protect the First Amendment rights of Americans.

How would the “Equality Act” threaten religious freedom and free speech?

ADF has seen the impact that laws similar to the “Equality Act” have had across the country. And we stand ready to provide a strong defense for religious freedom and free speech.

• The “Equality Act” could forbid churches and religious nonprofits from requiring their employees to live out their religious beliefs about marriage, sexual morality, and the distinction between the sexes. They could be required to open their sex-specific facilities to members of the opposite sex. ADF successfully represented one Massachusetts church after the government threatened to force it to open its women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence to males.
• The “Equality Act” would threaten religious foster care and adoption agencies with closure if they operate according to their deeply held belief that the best place for a child is a home with a married mother and father. In New York, for example, the state is using a sexual orientation, gender identity regulation—similar to the “Equality Act”—to shutter the adoption services of New Hope Family Services, which has been placing children in loving homes for over 50 years. ADF is representing New Hope in court.
• It would threaten creative professionals and other business owners who simply want to live and work according to their beliefs. ADF successfully represented promotional printer Blaine Adamson after he respectfully declined an organization’s request to print shirts with a message promoting an LGBT pride festival because the message violated his religious beliefs. But Blaine offered to connect the organization to another printer who would create the requested shirts. Even so, the organization filed a discrimination complaint against Blaine, and a local human rights commission ordered him to undergo diversity training.
• The “Equality Act” would also force individuals to speak messages that violate their beliefs under the threat of punishment. ADF is representing Dr. Nicholas Meriwether, who was disciplined by Shawnee State University for declining to refer to a male student as a woman. He offered to refer to the student by first or last name only, in order to respect both the student and his own beliefs, but this did not satisfy the university, which still punished him.

How would the “Equality Act” threaten women?

• The “Equality Act” would force women to share private spaces with men.

This is a threat to women who need critical services, such as those provided by Downtown Hope Center in Anchorage, Alaska. ADF successfully defended Downtown Hope Center after the city government tried to force the shelter to allow biological men who identify as female to sleep mere feet from women, many of whom have suffered rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. For these women, having a biological man in the room where they sleep or undress triggers severe anxiety and trauma—so much so that one woman said she would have to leave the shelter and sleep in the woods in the Alaskan winter, because she could not sleep in the same room as a biological male.

• The “Equality Act” would also undermine the purpose of Title IX.

Title IX was created to ensure equal opportunities for women in education. The “Equality Act” could destroy many of those opportunities. Among other consequences, the “Equality Act” could allow male athletes who identify as female to compete in women’s sports. . . .

What about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)—doesn’t that provide some protection for these groups?

If you’re not already concerned about the scope and reach of the “Equality Act,” here’s another issue.

In the past, similar proposals have claimed to respect the concerns of the religious community, offering a few narrow protections for religious freedom. But the “Equality Act” offers no protections for religious freedom . In addition, the bill would forbid religious individuals and organizations even to invoke the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That would make it harder for the faithful to defend themselves against a bill designed to punish them for living out their beliefs. . . .

The Bottom Line

Laws must respect freedom and promote justice for every citizen, no matter who they are. But that is not what the “Equality Act” does. Instead, it threatens Americans’ fundamental liberties. And that is something no American should stand for.

ifapray.org/blog/the-potential-impact-of-the-equality-act/

JOSEPH PARKERDIR. OUTREACH & INTERCESSION/ RADIO HOSTMORE

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life,and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1-5)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17). 

“For best results, follow the instructions of the manufacturer.”

These are words we often find in the instruction manual or manuscript that comes with an item purchased that needs to be assembled. This is very common. That’s true because usually, the one who made or “created” the appliance or item knows better than others how to put it together and/or how it should function or operate correctly.

God, our Heavenly Father, is the “manufacturer” – the Maker and Sustainer of life and of all people. He created the whole world and all the people in it. As both the Creator and Sustainer of life, He created things and He knows how they were created to work best – most fruitfully – and correctly.

At times, the statement is made “The problem with life is that it doesn’t come with an instruction manual.” Well, I beg to differ. O, yes it does! That instruction manual is called the Bible. It is the written Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God in print. The Word of God is God’s will, His counsel, and His wisdom. The Word of God is God’s heart and His truth – for all the world and for all of life.

God’s Word covers all of life in its wisdom and counsel. Every concern, every issue, and/or every topic is addressed in some way. In either direct statement or principle, God’s Word covers everything. God’s Word is the key to all of life. It’s the key to everything.

For us as believers, it should be our desire and our deliberate intention to live following and walking in the wisdom of God’s precious Word. We are called to live a lifestyle of consistently choosing to follow the guidance God’s Word gives us. That is how we live biblically. The Bible, God’s Word, is the guidebook for all of life for us. As we live by and follow the guidance found in God’s Word, we are living biblically.

In order to live biblically, believers would be wise to pursue doing at least two things faithfully with God’s Word in their lives. Believers should:

1) Read and meditate on the Word of God daily, and
2) obey the Word of God daily.

Living biblically simply means that a believer is consistently listening to the Word of God, and consistently doing what it says. He or she is guided by the direction, instructions, and counsel given in God’s holy Word. For the believer, the Bible is not simply a book that decorates our coffee tables and sits handsomely on our shelves as a symbol of the spirituality of one’s family. It’s our guidebook for all of life, our roadmap for the journey of life.

So when a believer reads in the Word of God “Be kind to one another…” then he or she needs to purposely choose to walk in kindness. When a believer is mean, impatient, grouchy, and hard to get along with, and that’s the way he or she carries themselves regularly, they are not living biblically in that area of their life. If a believer was to obey this command, he or she would be considerate of the life, feelings, and concerns of others, and act accordingly.

When an individual reads “You shall not steal” yet consistently steals items from the company where he or she works, that person is not living biblically. To obey that command would be to respect the possessions and ownership of others.

When a person reads in the Word of God, “You shall not commit adultery” yet he or she lives an immoral lifestyle, getting involved sexually with one or more persons to whom they are not married, that person is not living biblically. Or if a person gets involved in homosexual sin in any form, that individual is not living biblically.

When an individual reads “You shall not kill” yet willfully goes to an abortion clinic to have an abortion, or pays for someone to have an abortion, that person or those persons are not living biblically. Or if a person drives an individual to a clinic to assist them, that person is not living biblically in this situation.

It is very critical that we as Christians faithfully pursue living out the guidance and direction God’s Word gives us. That’s what it
is for. To give us guidance and direction in order to be successful in our lives.

Living biblically is its own reward. Obedience to the Word of God leads to a life of greater and greater blessing and freedom. Obedience is always followed by blessing. To disobey the Word Of God always leads to loss one hundred percent of the time. Disobedience will always cause you loss in some way. It simply does not pay to disobey God’s Word.

So, in a word, living biblically is its own reward. Obedience to God always leads to blessing. Every believer is called to live biblically. We are called to be diligent students who continually listen to the Word of God. And we are to be faithful to live out that which we read and learn. And know that the call to live a biblical lifestyle is a call that God gives to all of His children.

https://afa.net/the-stand/faith/2021/02/biblical-living/