Mississippi legislators learned a lesson from the national furor over Arizona earlier this year and successfully enacted a new law to protect citizens and their businesses from being silenced or from being forced to condone, or to participate in, deviant lifestyle choices advanced via the Gay Agenda under threat of lawsuit. The law is intended to ensure the free practice of religion without government interference.
For background, read Prayer Returns to Mississippi Schools Under New Law
And also read how Homosexualists & Liberal Media Defeat Religious Liberty in Arizona
UPDATE 3/26/15: Indiana's New Religious Freedom Law Fights Gay Agenda
In addition, click headlines below to read previous articles:
Tennessee Democrats & Republicans Pass Religious Liberty for Schools
Atheists Say Ohio Religious Liberty Bill is Dangerous
Fighting for Jesus: Prayer at Football in Mississippi
Mississippi Town Counters Atheists on Prayer in School
. . . and by the way, Mississippi May be the First Abortion-free State
In addition, read Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Tennessee and in Mississippi but admit they're Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians
In response there's a long list of states enacting laws to counter the atheists' lies about the Constitution.
-- From "Mississippi governor Phil Bryant signs anti-gay bill" by The Associated Press 4/4/14
An early version of the bill, considered weeks ago, was similar to one Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, vetoed after business groups said it could hurt that state's economy. Supporters say the final Mississippi bill bears little resemblance to the failed Arizona measure.
Outside the state Capitol on Thursday, more than 75 gay-rights supporters protested against the bill. Jeff White of Waveland, a founder of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lesbian and Gay Community Center, said as someone who is gay and Jewish, he worries such a new law could make him more vulnerable to unfair treatment.
Bryant signed the measure within hours of receiving it Thursday, during a private ceremony. The bill says government cannot put a substantial burden on the practice of religion. Though the bill is vaguely worded, supporters said an example of would be a zoning law to limit the location of a church, mosque or synagogue but not limiting the location of a secular business.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Measure overcomes changes, ire" by Geoff Pender, Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS) 4/2/14
There were several iterations of Mississippi Senate Bill 2681, the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” before the Legislature passed it Tuesday, and even the lawmakers voting on it have at times been unclear about what it would or wouldn’t do.
A history of the controversial measure:
• Authored by Sen. Philip Gandy, R-Waynesboro, SB2681 passed the Senate unanimously in January with little debate beyond an amendment to add “In God We Trust” to the state seal. Gov. Phil Bryant had wanted a separate bill by Sen. Michael Watson adding the words to to the state seal. Most senators appeared to think the bill was innocuous. The bill then sat for weeks unattended in a House judiciary committee.
. . .
• On Tuesday, , a final version of SB2681 was passed by both chambers. It was crafted to be a “mirror” of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which supporters note was passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by then-President Bill Clinton,.
To read the entire article above, outlining the bill history, CLICK HERE.
From "Religious Freedom Bill Passes in Mississippi" by Mel Fabrikant, The Paramus (NJ) Post 4/4/14
American Family Association (AFA) worked closely with friends and supporters in Mississippi, including the Christian Action Commission, to pass the bill.
“This measure in Mississippi is timely given the increasing assault on religious liberty in our nation,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Hopefully, after Gov. Bryant signs the bill into law, Mississippi residents will have the means to defend their religious freedoms in the marketplace without fear of repercussions from decisions that are in line with their religious and moral convictions.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "New Mississippi Religious Liberty Law Leaves Liberals On The Defensive" by B. Christopher Agee, Western Journalism 4/4/14
. . . the new law’s language was edited extensively over the past few weeks and bears very little resemblance to the Arizona proposal. It provides for modest changes . . .
According to reports, the crux of this law, which will go into effect this summer, is to limit the burden government may place on those practicing their faith – no matter the religion.
Nevertheless, leftists are apoplectic, envisioning a state overrun with homophobic bigots curtailing the rights of gays in Mississippi.
Despite the fact that 18 other states have religious protection laws already on the books [passed since 1996], activists apparently believe they can get some attention by targeting and mischaracterizing the context of this law.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant Signs Anti-Gay Religious Freedom Law" by Sarah Fruchtnicht, Opposing Views 4/4/14
“We remain hopeful that courts throughout the state will reject any attempts to use religion to justify discrimination,” Morgan Miller, communications director of the Mississippi ACLU, said in a statement. “Nobody should be refused service because of who they are.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mississippi Governor Has Now Signed Not One But Two Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Bills Into Law" by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement (Gay Agenda) 4/3/14
The highly-controversial law will allow anyone to discriminate against anyone else in the name of religious liberty, and places the rights and desires of the faithful over those with no religious beliefs. In short, it is a license to discriminate and likely will land the state in court.
Bryant has now signed two anti-gay “religious freedom” bills into law: SB 2633 and SB 2681.
Standing by Governor Bryant’s side as the bill was signed was none other than the head of the certified anti-gay hate group Family Research Council, Tony Perkins. Perkins then invited Bryant on his radio show this afternoon.
. . . as Think Progress’ Zack Ford notes, the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act is different from other states’ RFRAs “because Mississippi law defines the word ‘person’ to include businesses, and thus it applies to corporations instead of just private citizens exercising their religious beliefs.”
On March 14, 2013, Bryant signed SB 2633, the Mississippi Student Religious Liberties Act into law.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Miss. Baptist Convention Lauds Gov. Phil Bryant's Signing of SB2681, 'Religious Freedom' Bill" by Donna Ladd, Jackson (Miss.) Free Press 4/3/14
The following statement just came in, verbatim, from the The Christian Action Commission of the Mississippi Baptist Convention:
On Tuesday, SB 2681 was approved by the state House (79-43) and Senate (37-14). Mississippi is now one of 19 states that have passed a RFRA since 1996. This law is based on the federal law introduced by now U.S. Senator (then U.S. Representative) Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). The federal version passed 97-3 in the U.S. Senate, unanimously by voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Jimmy Porter released the following statement:
“The MS Religious Freedom Restoration Act is an affirmation of MS Baptist’s 1991 resolution that the free exercise clause of the First Amendment 'require government to demonstrate a compelling state interest before it is permitted to burden our religious freedom.' . . .”
To read the entire statement, in the article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Praise abounds for Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant after he signs religious freedom bill" by Dustin Siggins, LifeSiteNews.com 4/4/14
After attending the signing ceremony, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins thanked [Gov.] Bryant and other political leaders in the state "for their leadership in defending religious freedom and for refusing to cower to egregious misrepresentations of a fair and reasonable religious liberty measure." Perkins said the measure "prevents the government from discriminating against religion."
A number of media sources are calling Mississippi's law "anti-gay." While the law, like Arizona's vetoed bill, was created as a reaction to efforts against religious freedom by homosexual activists, it generally guarantees the First Amendment freedoms business owners and others possess. The law does not target homosexuals.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty
In addition, read American Decline: President Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians
