Saturday, September 28, 2013

Marriage bill would guard religious liberty


New legislation designed to protect freedom of conscience regarding the definition of marriage should receive support even from legislators who favor same-sex unions, says Southern Baptist ethicist Russell D. Moore.

The Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, H.R. 3133, would bar the federal government from denying tax exemption to, or withdrawing it from, individuals and institutions that define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), called for "all members of Congress, whatever their views on marriage, to vote for religious liberty" by supporting the bill.

"Skirmishes all over the country demonstrate that this bill is needed," Moore told Baptist Press. "As Americans, we may disagree about sexual morality or even about the definition of marriage, but we have a First Amendment that guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion to everyone. We cannot allow the culture war to extinguish the natural right of religious liberty, a right for which our forebears fought so hard."

While the proposal affects only federal tax law, recent events in various states have demonstrated religious freedom rights are under threat in the face of the expanding legalization of same-sex marriage. For instance.... Keep reading

Also see
Bill Seeks to Protect Religious Freedom for Those That Affirm Traditional Marriage

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