Category Archives: Religious Freedom

June 15, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Choose: Stand or Acquiesce

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, June 15, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

On May 11th Lambda Legal subpoenaed Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and National Day of Prayer Task Force President Dr. Ronnie Floyd in a lawsuit filed last August against the Trump administration’s transgender military ban. They were targeted for participating in the Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, that was established by President Trump to provide his administration with data and counsel on various Christian concerns and issues.

Liberty Counsel challenged the Perkins subpoena in a May 29th letter explaining that the documents they want include information protected under the First Amendment Freedom of Association, Freedom of Speech, and the right to Petition the Government, stipulating that such demands violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

The subpoenaed items include, “All Documents and Communications from the relevant period between You and President Trump, the Executive Office of the President, the Trump Campaign, Vice President Pence, the Office of the Vice President, or the Department of Defense, concerning military service by transgender people, public policy regarding transgender people, medical treatment for transgender people, and/or transgender people in general.” Continue reading →

June 8, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Cakes, Flowers, and Religious Freedom

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, June 8, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Life-changing decisions aren’t new to Jack Phillips in Colorado. He’s the man who lost 40 percent of his income because of his religious beliefs. Jack and his wife opened Masterpiece Cakeshop (sic) in 1993, but in 2012 the Colorado Civil Rights Commission decided Jack’s faith and his business were less important than the lifestyle of a couple of his customers.

After Jack refused to decorate a wedding cake for two male customers, his business was boycotted within hours, he was verbally harassed, and his life was threatened. Claiming Jack discriminated against them, the men filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which decided Jack was guilty of illegal discrimination because he would not decorate a cake for a same-sex wedding, although, clearly, his action was based on his faith.

Because of the Commission’s decision, Jack stopped making wedding cakes, lost 40 percent of his business, and let six of his ten employees go. Incidentally, he wouldn’t decorate cakes for Halloween, either. Continue reading →

May 11, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Crimes against Elderly Disabled Adults

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 11, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

H.B. 803 passed the Senate unanimously; in the House there was only one negative vote; Governor Deal signed it May 7th; it became Act 419 upon his signature; it takes effect July 1st. Unless the bill specifies an earlier effective date, legislation that passes and is not vetoed becomes law July 1st, with or without the governor’s signature. After the session ends the governor has 40 days to veto or sign bills. At midnight May 8th that 40-day period expired.

H.B. 803 prohibits certain crimes – coercion, misuse of controlled substances, deception, exploitation, or isolation – against disabled adults or the elderly or any resident. As defined in the bill, these offenses are felonies, punishable by one-to-20 years in prison and $100,000 fine. Each violation will be judged as a separate offense.

In 2017 the MetLife Mature Market Institute estimated money lost by victims of elder financial abuse and exploitation was over $2.9 billion per year. When another study added fraud, the estimated loss increased to $36.5 billion annually. Elders report financial exploitation crimes much more often than emotional, physical, sexual abuse or neglect. Also, of 39 states and the District of Columbia that addressed the issue in 2017, 24 passed laws or resolutions that protect the elderly and vulnerable adults. Continue reading →

March 2, 2018 Radio Commentary

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S.B. 375 “Keep Faith in Adoption”

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 2, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Since it’s a good day when a good bill makes progress in the General Assembly, I declare February 23rd to have been a great day for adoption in this state.  That was the day the Georgia Senate voted 45 to 19 to pass Senator Ligon’s S.B. 375.  But, I’m amazed that 19 senators voted against the right of adoption agencies to exercise freedom of religion when deciding which place is best for a child.

That vote made me wonder who voted against it.  So, I went online and printed the February 21st machine vote for S.B. 375.  By comparing the votes with a list of Senate Republicans and Democrats, I learned that it was a straight party-line vote.  The two Republicans who did not vote had been excused.

In last week’s commentary I used two quotes from S.B. 375, and they’re so important, I’m using them again.  The first quote was from a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision that stated: “Neither students nor teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”  The other quote reminded us that “[p]rivate religious speech is as fully protected under the Free Speech Clause as secular private expression.” Clearly, there’s no constitutional right for secular belief to supersede religious belief, in public or in private. Continue reading →