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Franklin Graham Just Released a Scathing Statement on What Gay Marriage, Transgenders Are Doing to America [+video]

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Rev. Franklin Graham urged evangelical Christians to get involved in the electioral process and “make their vote count,” adding that the 2016 race is vitally important because homosexual marriage, abortion, and now transgender laws are on the table, marking “just the beginning of a moral onslaught on the nation.”

“[T]his is ridiculous,” said Rev. Graham,” for a person to be able to wake up in the morning and say, ‘You know, I feel like I’m a woman today,’ For a man to say, ‘I feel like a woman, I’m going to go into a woman’s bathroom.’ … This is ridiculous.”

Reverend Graham also said he has faith neither in the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party, but has faith in God and is urging people to live their faith, to pray, and to vote.

“What’s happened is the evangelical vote has not been heard, and I want them to get out and at least make their vote count,” said Rev. Graham in a Feb. 7 interview with Scott Slade on WSB Radio in Atlanta, Ga. “Now, I don’t have any faith in the Republican Party, and I don’t have any faith in the Democratic Party. I believe the only hope, really, is God.”

“And if we turn out as evangelical Christians — both for men and women who have godly principles and who are willing to follow what I would say is God’s leading in their lives — those are the men and women we need to vote for,” he said. (Read more from “Franklin Graham Just Released a Scathing Statement on What Gay Marriage, Transgenders Are Doing to America” HERE)

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Pastor Protection Act Deserves Support

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Identical Pastor Protection Acts introduced this legislative session by Soldotna Sen. Peter Micciche (SB120) and Healy Rep. Dave Talerico (HB236) would do the following three things generally covered by the First Amendment but not spelled out in statute:

Affirm the rights of clergy, rabbis and religious congregations to decline participation in same-sex marriages

Ensure that neither clergy nor religious congregations must provide services or accommodation for same-sex marriages

Protect clergy and religious congregations from any criminal or civil liability for refusing to perform or offer services or accommodations for same-sex marriages

A similar bill was signed into law last June in Texas, has passed the House in Florida and is moving toward Governor desks in Georgia, Tennessee and other states.

Why this bill? It specifies religious freedom rights implied, but not spelled out, in current statute. Today’s legal and cultural environment is absolutely different than in times past. Additional protections are justified and should be welcomed. Even Texas Equality, an LGBT advocacy group, supported the Pastor Protection Act in that state.

Is this bill necessary? Definitely. First Amendment Freedoms are under attack. LGBT advocates have been successful in framing their argument as discrimination. Religious freedom and sexual freedom are pitted against each other on many levels in today’s culture. This law levels the playing field to a certain degree.

Examples abound as to why this bill is justified:

Anchorage Assembly members recently forced a sexual orientation, gender identity, non-discrimination ordinance upon residents that prevents faith-based schools, churches and other religious organizations from making their own hiring decisions.

Officials in Idaho threatened to punish a senior citizen couple – both ordained pastors – if they declined to officiate same-sex ceremonies.

A proposed national Equality Act seeks to “authoritatively set the morals of a community.” This makes the state the arbitrator of morality, not a person’s conscience.

The ACLU recently decided to withdraw its support from religious freedom laws to support ‘same-sex’ marriage.

The Cincinnati City Council recently passed an ordinance banning mental health professionals (including pastors who are licensed) from counseling people experiencing unwanted, same-sex attraction. A pastor reports threats of fines of up to $73,000 per year for using Scripture to counsel youth.

In other countries, LGBT pressures reveal a disturbing erosion of freedom of speech, association, and religion.

A gay couple in the UK sued the Church of England to force the church to perform a same-sex wedding less than two weeks after England passed its gay ‘marriage’ bill.

Canadian Dawn Stefanowicz is one of six adult children of gay parents who filed an amicus brief with US Supreme Court prior to the Obergefell decision. She warns of the sharp decline in freedoms since same-sex marriage was federally mandated in Canada in 2005. Human Rights Commissions and Tribunals can prosecute against discriminatory “hate speech”- written or spoken. The government pays all the plaintiff’s legal fees, but does not reimburse the defendant even if found innocent.

SB120 and HB236 are both sensible measures needed now to keep Alaska pluralistic. Allowing everyone to live their lives consistent with their deeply held convictions is something we should all get behind.

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NY Court: Farmers to Be Re-Educated, Pay Fines for Not Hosting Homosexual Wedding

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A couple who hosts occasional wedding ceremonies on their New York farm have lost an appeal to overturn the $13,000 in fines levied against them by the state’s human rights agency, which ruled that their refusal to host a wedding for two women was discriminatory.

On Jan. 14, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, upheld the agency’s order and the fines, a decision the Alliance Defending Freedom – which represented Robert and Cynthia Gifford – said amounted to confirming, “that the government can punish the Giffords for declining to coordinate a ceremony that conflicts with their conscience.”

The couple lives in a barn they built on their farm and have occasionally hosted weddings on the first floor and the surrounding backyard area, according to ADF.

“After the agency ruled that the Giffords were guilty of ‘sexual orientation discrimination,’ it fined them $10,000, plus $3,000 in damages and ordered them to implement re-education training classes designed to contradict the couple’s religious beliefs about marriage,” a press release issued following the court decision stated.

In order to comply with the order, the couple will have to attend those “re-training” classes or have a “trainer” come to them, according to ADF. (Read more from “NY Court: Farmers to Be Re-Educated, Pay Fines for Not Hosting Homosexual Wedding” HERE)

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Mormons Sharpen Stand Against Same-Sex Marriage

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Children of same-sex couples will not be able to join the Mormon Church until they turn 18 — and only if they move out of their parents’ homes, disavow all same-sex relationships and receive approval from the church’s top leadership as part of a new policy adopted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In addition, Mormons in same-sex marriages will be considered apostates and ordered to undergo church disciplinary hearings that could lead to excommunication, a more rigid approach than the church has taken in the past.

The new policies are an effort by the church, which has long opposed same-sex marriage, to reinforce and even harden its doctrinal boundaries for its members at a time when small but increasing numbers of Mormons are coming out as gay or supportive of same-sex marriage.

At the same time, the church has recently been taking a tolerant public stance supportive of laws that ban discrimination against gay people in employment and housing. Since the Supreme Court established a right to same-sex marriage nationwide in June, Mormon leaders have parted company with the leaders of evangelical and other conservative churches by affirming that despite their religious convictions, even people of faith opposed to gay marriage must follow the law.

“The church is walking a fine line between on the one hand recognizing the reality of changing mores in American society externally, but internally holding the line on its own doctrinal rigor — its own beliefs and teachings,” said David Campbell, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and a co-author of “Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics.” (Read more from “Mormons Sharpen Stand Against Same-Sex Marriage” HERE)

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Disgusting: Father Seeks Right to Marry Adopted Son

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Before states across the country began striking down bans on same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court ultimately decided the issue nationwide, some gay couples used adoption laws as a way to gain legal recognition as a family, and the related benefits such as inheritance and hospital visitation rights.

Nino Esposito, a retired teacher, adopted his partner Roland “Drew” Bosee, a former freelance and technical writer, in 2012, after more than 40 years of being a couple.

Now, they’re trying to undo the adoption to get married and a state trial court judge has rejected their request, saying his ability to annul adoptions is generally limited to instances of fraud . . .

The adoption “gave us the most legitimate thing available to us” at the time, said Bosee, 68.

The adoption process Bosee and Esposito went through was not uncommon. Although it is difficult to gather hard numbers, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, a group supporting the couple, says it learned that many couples in states across the country lawfully took advantage of adoption laws in order to protect their relationships. Now these couples seek to marry, but first they must confront state adoption laws that provide no easy path to annulment. (Read more from “Disgusting: Father Seeks Right to Marry Adopted Son” HERE)

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Kentucky County Clerk Continues to Defy Supreme Court on First Day Back at Work

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kimdavis090115By MICHELE RICHINICK. After being jailed for refusing to issue gay marriage licenses, Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis returned to work on Monday morning with the same message: She won’t authorize the legal documents to same-sex couples.

Speaking before 8 a.m. ET, Davis said she will continue to defy the U.S. Supreme Court by not issuing gay marriage licenses, because otherwise she would be going against her religious beliefs. “For me, this would be an act of disobedience to my god,” she told reporters.

She did, however, leave it open for her deputies to continue issuing the legal documents to same-sex couples, as long as her name and title don’t appear on the licenses. None of the licenses, Davis said, “will be authorized by me.” Instead, the documents will read, “pursuant to a federal court order,” she said. (Read more about Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis’s defiance HERE)
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Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis Goes Back to Work

By Tribune News Service. A Kentucky county clerk announced Monday that she would not interfere with her office granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples, ending, for now, a confrontation that put her behind bars for five days for defying a federal judge.

As she returning to her office Monday, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis read a statement saying she would not interfere with her deputies issuing the licenses, but would not personally authorize any marriage licenses to any same-sex couples.

“I don’t want to have this conflict. I don’t want to be in the spotlight. And I certainly don’t want to be a whipping post,” Davis said during televised remarks. “I am no hero. I’m just a person that’s been transformed by the grace of God, who wants to work, be with my family. I just want to serve my neighbors quietly without violating my conscience.”

District Judge David L. Bunning earlier this month surprised many by sending Davis to jail for contempt after she failed to follow his order to issue marriage licenses to all couples, including gays.

On Sept. 8, the judge found that her deputies had issued the licenses, so the contempt citation was cleared and Davis was let out of jail with a sharp warning that if she interfered in the issuance of the licenses, she would be returned to a cell. (Read more from “Kentucky County Clerk Goes Back to Work for the First Time Since Jail” HERE)

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Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Released From Jail

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gty_county_clerk_kentucky_02_jc_150902_16x9_992Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is to be released from jail in Grayson, Kentucky, a judge ordered today, nearly a week after Davis was jailed for refusing a judge’s order to issue marriage licenses, including to same-sex couples.

“After remanding Defendant Davis to the custody of the U.S. Marshal, five of her six deputy clerks stated under oath that they would comply with the Court’s Order and issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples,” an order issued by U.S. District Judge David Bunning said.

“On September 8, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Status Report at the Court’s behest. According to the Report, Plaintiffs have obtained marriage licenses from the Rowan County Clerk’s Office,” the order noted. “The Court is therefore satisfied that the clerk’s office is fulfilling its obligation to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples.”

Over the weekend, Liberty Counsel, which represents Davis, filed an appeal of Bunning’s contempt order with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Today, Liberty Counsel filed an emergency motion to have Davis released from jail.

“She can never recover the past six days of her life spent in an isolated jail cell, where she was incarcerated like a common criminal because of her conscience and religious convictions,” Davis’ attorney, Mat Staver, said in a statement today. “She is now free to return to her family, her coworkers and the office where she has faithfully served for the past 27 years. We will continue to assist Kim and pursue the multiple appeals she has filed.” (Read more from “Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Set to Be Released From Jail” HERE)

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Kentucky Clerk Remains Behind Bars After 6 Days, Appeals Judge’s Order

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150902_POL_KimDavis.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2As supporters of jailed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis prepared for a Tuesday rally featuring Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, Davis remained in jail, even as her attorneys spent the holiday weekend fighting a judge’s order that sent her there.

Davis is the Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A new appeal, filed Monday with the federal appeals court in Cincinnati, came four days after the Rowan County clerk was held in contempt of court for defying a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalizes gay marriage. Davis cited her religious beliefs in her refusal to issue the licenses.

Davis’ attorneys asked Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear to accommodate her “religious conviction” and have her freed from jail.

“Today is a holiday where most people are spending time with family and friends,” said attorney Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel. “But for Kim Davis this is day five of her incarceration. While she is content no matter her circumstances because of her deep faith and Jesus, she should be free.”

Staver’s motion asks for an exemption from the governor’s mandate that all county clerks issue marriage licenses, even to same-sex couples. “Coercing Mrs. Davis to authorize and personally approve same-sex marriage in violation of her religious convictions and conscience is wrong,” Staver said. (Read more from “Kentucky Clerk Remains Behind Bars After 6 Days, Appeals Judge’s Order” HERE)

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Oregon Judge Refuses to Perform Same-Sex Marriages, Cites First Amendment Right to Religious Freedom

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18683104-mmmainMarion County Circuit Judge Vance Day, a former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, took steps Thursday to create a legal defense fund in an apparent response to his decision not to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Day took action because of what he described as “deeply-held religious beliefs,” KGW reported.

“It’s an exercise of his religious freedom rights under the First Amendment,” Day spokesman Patrick Korten told the news station.

In recent months, Day has not performed any marriage ceremonies, KGW reported. His courtroom is in Salem . . .

Day noted in an affidavit signed Aug. 19 that he was seeking to establish the fund to defray legal expenses in connection with inquiries by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability involving allegations of violations of the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct and the Oregon Constitution. (Read more from “Oregon Judge Refuses to Perform Same-Sex Marriages, Cites First Amendment Right to Religious Freedom” HERE)

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After Kentucky Clerk Was Ordered to Jail, Her Son Stood up in an Incredible Way

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kimdavismugshot-913x512After a federal judge ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis to jail for failing to issue same-sex marriage licences, his efforts to create an alternative means for the county to comply with a court order to issue the licenses came up short.

U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning summoned Davis’ six deputy clerks to appear in his courtroom on Thursday, wanting them all to confirm their willingness to issue same-sex marriage licenses. While five of the six said they would be willing to do so, Nathan Davis, Kim’s 21 year old son, said he would not. The judge chose not to hold him in contempt.

Some of the clerks questioned whether they had the legal authority to issue licenses without the county clerk’s approval, which the judge conceded may be an issue.

Ms. Davis indicated that she will not grant her deputies the authority to issue licenses under her name, all but assuring she will be spending more time in jail.

As an elected official, Kim Davis cannot be fired. However, she can be impeached by the Kentucky legislature, which is not due to reconvene until after the new year. Democrat governor Steve Beshear has directed Davis to issue the licenses, but has resisted calling a special legislative session for the purpose of impeaching her or changing current law to grant authority to other county officials to issue licenses. Regardless, it is not clear if the legislature would vote to impeach Davis, whose stand is popular particularly in her part of the state. (Read more from “After Kentucky Clerk Was Ordered to Jail, Her Son Stood up in a Huge Way” HERE)

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