More Southern Shenanigans

[schriznoeder]

Last time I checked, Mississippi had 17 of the 100 poorest counties in the entire USA based on median household income. Maybe their government should start working on improving people's lives rather than making them harder...

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/31/mississippis-senate-just-approved-a-sweeping-religious-liberty-bill-that-critics-say-is-the-worst-yet-for-lgbt-rights/

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Last time I checked, Mississippi had 17 of the 100 poorest counties in the entire USA based on median household income. Maybe their government should start working on improving people's lives rather than making them harder...

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/31/mississippis-senate-just-approved-a-sweeping-religious-liberty-bill-that-critics-say-is-the-worst-yet-for-lgbt-rights/

 

I couldn't get more than a few sentences into the article without stopping out of incredulity. In 2016, some people don't know the difference between sex and gender.

 

We're going to have to get to a point where sexual orientation is considered a protected class so that we can give the LGBT some legal recourse if they feel they discriminated against in employment decisions solely because of their membership in said protected class.

 

I didn't know that ministers, florists, and photographers represented the whole of all business in the state of Mississippi.

 

Anyways, that bill is setting a dangerous precedent, but I'm not surprised it's gaining traction in Mississippi of all states.

[cm husker]

We really should have let them secede. What a bunch of loons.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

 

Last time I checked, Mississippi had 17 of the 100 poorest counties in the entire USA based on median household income. Maybe their government should start working on improving people's lives rather than making them harder...

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/31/mississippis-senate-just-approved-a-sweeping-religious-liberty-bill-that-critics-say-is-the-worst-yet-for-lgbt-rights/

 

I couldn't get more than a few sentences into the article without stopping out of incredulity. In 2016, some people don't know the difference between sex and gender.

 

We're going to have to get to a point where sexual orientation is considered a protected class so that we can give the LGBT some legal recourse if they feel they discriminated against in employment decisions solely because of their membership in said protected class.

 

I didn't know that ministers, florists, and photographers represented the whole of all business in the state of Mississippi.

 

Anyways, that bill is setting a dangerous precedent, but I'm not surprised it's gaining traction in Mississippi of all states.

 

 

And it appears that sexual orientation is a protected class, so...

[zoogs]

The article describes this as one of "about 10" nationwide -- I'm familiar with the NC and GA efforts (the latter of which was repealed), any others?

 

This one seems an outgrowth of the blurring distinction between what is a 'person' and what is an organization. Creative.

[Danny Bateman]

 

adoption agencies from refusing to place a child with a couple who they believe may be having premarital sex.

 

Don't get me wrong. The other stuff ticks me off too, and people should fight tooth and nail to raise hell about this.

 

But THIS^^^? What the hell planet are these people living on? Is it the 1950's? Holy crap.

[cm husker]

It boggles the mind on how this stuff is passed... I rarely talk to anyone who will admit to harboring these backward, arcane views, even when I talk to southern friends.

[schriznoeder]

The article describes this as one of "about 10" nationwide -- I'm familiar with the NC and GA efforts (the latter of which was repealed), any others?

 

This one seems an outgrowth of the blurring distinction between what is a 'person' and what is an organization. Creative.

 

Here's the most recent list I could find (from 9/3/2015) - http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/2015-state-rfra-legislation.aspx

 

And you're right, very creative language in Mississippi's version.

[Moiraine]

 

 

adoption agencies from refusing to place a child with a couple who they believe may be having premarital sex.

Don't get me wrong. The other stuff ticks me off too, and people should fight tooth and nail to raise hell about this.

 

But THIS^^^? What the hell planet are these people living on? Is it the 1950's? Holy crap.

I guarantee they only added this as an after thought to try to make it look like it's not *only* gays they're discriminating against. Although in their messed up little brains it's the christians who are facing discrimination.

[JJ Husker]

Last time I checked, Mississippi had 17 of the 100 poorest counties in the entire USA based on median household income. Maybe their government should start working on improving people's lives rather than making them harder...

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/31/mississippis-senate-just-approved-a-sweeping-religious-liberty-bill-that-critics-say-is-the-worst-yet-for-lgbt-rights/

This ^^^

 

So tired of some people worrying about when and with who other people choose to have sex with. Wish these lawmakers would actually fix some real problems and worry about themselves as far as their religious beliefs are concerned. Jesus didn't roam around looking for people to condemn, he cured people and looked for any possible way to help them reach eternal life. And then we have idiots like these in Missisissippi and elsewhere proposing crap like this, supposedly in Jesus' name? I sure wouldn't want to be in their shoes on judgment day.

[Danny Bateman]

James 4:12

 

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

 

Romans 2:1-3

 

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

 

John 3:17 (Yeah, they all know the verse before it, but does anyone pay attention to this one?)

 

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

 

Luke 6:37

 

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

 

John 8:1-8

 

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

 

Just a dose of perspective for those of the Christian persuasion amongst us. I agree with JJ. These hypocrites would be better served ending this nonsense, deliberately casting stones, and you know, be a bit more like the Big Man himself.

[schriznoeder]

Great stuff, JJ and Dude.

[knapplc]

Tennessee's in the South, right? Read this story. It gets better and better all the way to the end.

 

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/apr/01/mother-charged-neglect-making-children-walk-s/358210/

 

I'm not all that bunched up about the girls walking to school, even for three miles, even if it's cold. Depending on HOW cold it was, of course. But walking three miles as punishment for missing the bus isn't all that terrible.

 

The rest of it, from the mom without a driver's license and the stuff with the dad... that's so SEC.

[TGHusker]

James 4:12

 

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

 

Romans 2:1-3

 

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

 

John 3:17 (Yeah, they all know the verse before it, but does anyone pay attention to this one?)

 

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

 

Luke 6:37

 

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

 

John 8:1-8

 

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

 

Just a dose of perspective for those of the Christian persuasion amongst us. I agree with JJ. These hypocrites would be better served ending this nonsense, deliberately casting stones, and you know, be a bit more like the Big Man himself. :)It

 

 

It seems to me that the better way to change society is one heart at a time and not by broad based legislation that cuts across the current of today's cultural values. Whether a person agrees or disagrees wt the cultural values, paddling against that current will cause you to go no where and most likely go back wards as the current pushes against those laws. As Dude has quoted here, Christ came into the world not to judge the world but that through Him all might be saved (John 3:17). If a person has a moral conviction that homosexuality is morally wrong, one has to remember that other 'sins' are also condemned equally in the Bible- lust, greed, lying, etc and yes judgment. In the moral world, all of us live in glass houses including those who try to legislate morality. With that said, we aren't forbidden from expressing ourselves in the marketplace, the courts and in governance but we must be aware that legislation like this can and often does have unintended consequences that can be damaging to one's cause and/or to the society. Most if not all laws have a moral component. Those moral components have biases, judgments, etc that come from some foundation - religious, historical, political, cultural. The negative biases & judgments need to be neutralize as much as possible for the law to best serve society.

 

Yet there is also a slippery slope the other way that we have to avoid. How do we adequately protect the religious freedoms of individuals and do those freedoms extend to their businesses?. If so - what size business - just sole proprietorships?? We obviously don't want to go back to the days when a café owner or cake maker can refuse serving someone because of the color of their skin or in this case their 'sexual orientation'. Or maybe just maybe the 'church' (believers at large) may need to recognize that they work and live in the midst of a contrary culture and that in their living and working they can be an even greater witness in serving even those who they may differ with on this subject. This may be more of the 'grace principle' - showing love and using our gifts to serve regardless of who is receiving the gift of our service. Somehow, I think this is the higher road, the higher calling, and more Christ like. I'm old enough to remember the hay days of the Moral Majority and the net result has been greater separation from people we are called to serve and no reversal of Roe v Wade which was the primary goal of the MM. I'm a traditionalist morally - pro-life, one man/one women marriage but in a multi cultural society, I'm called first to be a servant of Christ and therefore a servant of others - regardless of 'who those others are' - I don't get the option to choose. Love serves best those who are different than oneself. It is easy to love and serve those who are like us and with whom we agree. Real love is able to serve those who are 'different' with the same grace as serving those with whom we are alike.

[Danny Bateman]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, TG. I may get on your case in the political threads now and again, but I can tell from what you just wrote that you're a good guy and I respect you.

I, too, think that was should focus more on what we can do as individuals, be it due to our religion or just our own moral compass, to help people instead of trying to legislate it. There's lots of good we leave undone, and a lot of the time these legislative attempts are led by those who in their hearts believe themselves to be doing good by their faith, when many of us can see they're just setting people back if they overreach like this.

 

It's not hard to find how easy it is for the most "infallible" among us to lose their way. Look at the scandal going on with the governor of Alabama right now. Ran as a family values candidate, currently embroiled in extramarital affair and possibly being ousted here soon.

Lastly, as an interesting aside, the Bible says some very odd, archaic things are sins.