The Weekly Standard has just published an interesting piece on how governmental approval of same-sex marriage would probably be accompanied by a crackdown on organizations that oppose it if it became law. Religious liberty advocates are worried about this. Marc Stern, general counsel for the center-left American Jewish Congress, was on Albert Mohler’s show this week and said this:
I’m not necessarily opposed to same-sex marriage, I am opposed to using the change in the law to eliminate any religious opposition to that concept.
The article also discussed the expulsion of two girls from a Catholic school who came out as lesbian. Should these schools be allowed to do this? Not if some same-sex marriage advocates have their way. In fact, Catholic Charities of Boston has withdrawn from adoption services because the state does not allow them to refuse adoption services to gays.
To operate in Massachusetts, an adoption agency must be licensed by the state. And to get a license, an agency must pledge to obey state laws barring discrimination–including the decade-old ban on orientation discrimination. With the legalization of gay marriage in the state, discrimination against same-sex couples would be outlawed, too.
And what about tax exemption? Can a church or ministry that discriminates against gays maintain their exempt tax status? If racial and gender-based cases are any indication, (in religious schools and country clubs, resp.), these organizations will certainly have their tax status challenged.
That would be a huge change in the practice of religous liberties. But I have a question. Would ex-gays, who have their own particular gender orientation, by law need to included in the work of pro-gay tax-exempt organizations, or force them to lose THEIR tax exempt status? Just thinking out loud.
