Five to Watch That Will Affect Religious Liberty, Family, & Life

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November 18, 2008
Whatever else lies in store for the United States in the months and years ahead, statements and promises made on the campaign trail give clear indication that the new president and many congressional leaders plan sweeping changes that could soon seriously impact our First Liberty – particularly religious freedom – for all Americans and will create many legal challenges.

Among the policies that pose the greatest threat:

1. Enactment of the Freedom of Choice Act, which could remove nearly every existing restriction to abortion on demand across the country – and compel health professionals and hospital workers to assist in abortion procedures, even if doing so violated the deepest beliefs of their conscience.
2. Repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and nationalization of such pseudo-marriage arrangements as "domestic partnerships" and "civil unions." In short order, some same-sex "marriages" could be recognized by the federal government for many things – including Social Security and tax purposes – and openly homosexual behavior could be permitted in the military.
3. Enactment of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which could force employers – including religious and non-profit organizations – to accept openly homosexual behavior when hiring for available positions. In other words, if an individual practicing homosexual behavior applies for a job as a counselor for a non-profit ministry to small children, the ministry cannot take that behavior into consideration when reviewing the application.
4. Enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act and other laws that would effectively empower government officials to act as "thought police," punishing anyone who – in their estimation – communicated "hate speech" or committed "hate crimes." This would almost certainly include any pastor or Bible teacher who presented a biblical view of homosexual behavior.
5. Enactment of the "Fairness Doctrine" – which could, for all practical purposes, eliminate Christian and conservative free speech on the nation's airwaves. (One congressional leader has already likened such speech to "pornography.")

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) will, of course, be prepared for a legal response to such violations of our First Freedoms and the U.S. Constitution.

"All of these issues have significant implications for religious liberty and rights of conscience," says Benjamin Bull, chief counsel for ADF. "ADF is a legal alliance uniquely equipped to fight these battles, and we are prepared to do so regardless of whether the threats come from the government or from radical special interest groups."

Please pray for God's intervention in these aggressive efforts to enforce a Leftist political agenda on our nation, and pray for the wisdom of our ADF lawyers as they seek the most effective ways to defend religious freedom in America, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.