Georgia Republicans are working on passing a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” aka RFRA that would be one of the worst in the country.
The bill, the “Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” is one of a raft of similar bills (RFRAs, for short) wending their way through state legislatures across the country. The bills are part of the backlash against same-sex marriage, but they go much farther than that. Like the Hobby Lobby decision, which allows closely-held corporations to opt out of part of Obamacare, these laws carve out exemptions to all kinds of laws if a person (or corporation) offers a religious reason for not obeying them.
You can offer a religious reason for not obeying all kinds of laws. The US is already packed with religious exemptions to laws governing parents (you don’t want to take your sick kid to a doctor? Knock yourselves out!) among other things, but hey, there’s always room for more.
For example? Restaurants could refuse to serve gay or interracial couples, city clerks could refuse to marry interfaith couples, hotels could keep out Jews, housing developments could keep out black people (Genesis 9:18-27), pharmacies could refuse to dispense birth control, banquet halls could turn away gay weddings, schools could specifically allow anti-gay bullying, and employers could fire anyone for any “religious” reason.
The national movement to pass these laws is well-funded and well-coordinated; most of the laws are written by the same handful of conservative legal hacks in Washington, working for organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom and Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, both of which have had a hand in the Georgia bill.
God said white people are best. God said women are whores. God hates fags. God said straight white men have Dominion Over the Earth.
Some legal commentators have said that the law would give a pass to spousal and child abusers, as long as the husband (or father) has a religious pretext. Which is easy to provide; the Christian Domestic Discipline Network, for example, offers a host of rationales for “wife spanking.” And let’s not forget Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares his rod hates his son. But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”
The Christian Domestic Discipline Network? Uh…
So far the bill hasn’t been getting much attention. Let’s hope that changes. The vote is April 2.
H/t Kausik
I guess that means a person could own slaves, as long as they are not Hebrew. And stone our disobedient children (and wives, of course).
Maybe this could turn another way? Red Lobster could refuse to sell shell fish to Bible believers. J. C. Penney could refuse to sell them blended fabrics.
I’d want to add an amendment though – Religious person must call down God to validate that God indeed wants this.
Can I say that my religious beliefs command me to kill right-wing Christians, and get a free pass?
Didn’t think so. Yeah, this is why we need to keep religion separate from the legal system.