The Criminalization of Christianity: U.S. Government Warning Believers “Conform OR ELSE”

The judge ruled there was “substantial evidence” of discrimination based on “sexual orientation”. Thus Walden was ordered to pay $15,000 each to the homosexuals and $50,000 for their lawyers, and he was also ordered to “cease all discrimination”. Walden stood firm in the Faith though, and said, “We will never host same-sex civil unions. We will never host same-sex weddings even if they become legal in Illinois.” As to the the 3 man panel of the IHRC who refused to hear his appeal, Walder believes that this commission was biased against him from the start, and he has every reason to believe so. “The fix was in from the get-go. The public probably assumes that these 3 commissioners were nonpartisan, fair and neutral when the exact opposite was the case.” Duke Alden and Terry Cosgrove, two of the three commissioners involved in the ruling, have been involved in LGBT activism for years.

Alden is co-chair of the LGBT Working Group for the Governor of Illinois, and chairman of the Howard Brown Health Center, focused on providing healthcare to LGBT patients. Cosgrove, himself gay, was admitted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Walder said, “Assigning 2 out of 3 commissioners who are either LGBT activists or openly gay to review our case is corrupt and indefensible.” Still, regardless of the unjust rulings against Timbercreek, Walden refuses to violate his Faith. He issued the statement, “We cannot host a same-sex wedding even though fines and penalties have been imposed by the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Our policy will not be changing. In our opinion, neither the state of Illinois nor the U.S. Supreme Court has the authority to tamper with the definition of marriage. God alone created marriage and declared thousands of years ago that it was to be between a man and a woman. Not two men. Not two women.” AMEN!

Meanwhile, in Connecticut, an openly gay Comptroller has targeted the well-known and highly respected Christian Ministry, the American Family Association. The grossly biased Comptroller, Kevin Lembo, is working hard to have AFA removed from the Connecticut State Employees’ Campaign for Charitable Giving (CSEC), because it is a Holy Bible based charity and thus “discriminatory” against the LGBT community. It would be a shame if he is successful, because there are pro-LGBT charities in the CSEC which obviously discriminate against Christians. Which once again proves my long-held opinion, that in America today you cannot discriminate against anyone, EXCEPT Holy Bible believers. The mainstream liberal opinion in this nation is that if you believe God as to what’s morally right and wrong, then you “deserve” to be discriminated against. What a disgrace.

Lembo sent a letter to AFA accusing them of violating the regulations governing the Connecticut State Employee Campaign for Charitable Giving that broadly “prohibit discrimination”. He mentioned AFA’s petition to boycott Target over the retail giant’s transgender bathroom policies, and AFA’s stance on marriage. He said, “These actions and statements are extremely troubling to me, not only as an openly gay father and spouse, but as administrator of CSEC. The AFA’s statements and mission not only appear to discriminate against the LGBTQ communities, as well as Muslims, but it remains unclear what actual charitable services the AFA provides that qualifies it to participate in the CSEC. I am, therefore, initiating an investigation to determine whether AFA is in compliance with the requirements of the CSEC.”

If Lembo succeeds, State employees would no longer be able to contribute to AFA through the program. AFA issued the statement, “This is a State Government official coming directly after AFA, and the letter is nothing more than an attack on AFA for standing strong for biblical principles. Moreover, it is an unconstitutional attack on the First Amendment rights of all religious organizations. The government is not allowed to dictate to religious charities what they can believe in order to participate in the public square.” AFA’s General Counsel, Abraham Hamilton III, powerfully said, “What’s being foisted upon the American Family Association is the latest iteration of ‘If you don’t adhere to the nouveaux orthodoxy of the day, which is the sexual deviancy agenda, then you must be castigated and EXPELLED from public life’.” He definitely hit the nail on the head.

Sadly, there’s more. The Washington Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case involving a Christian grandmother, Baronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers. Her flower shop has been accused of “discrimination” against a gay couple by refusing to make flower arrangements for their 2013 wedding. Stutzman actually served the couple, Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, for years, but declined to do flower arrangements for their wedding because it violated the beliefs of her Biblical Faith. The State Supreme Court is hearing Stutzman’s appeal, because a lower court ruled in 2015 that Stutzman had violated the anti-discrimination law and Consumer Protection Act.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that the freedom to believe and freedom to act were “different”. Stutzman’s attorney Kerri Kupec, said, “By suing Barronelle in her personal capacity, the government is threatening her home, her life savings, her retirement, because she doesn’t agree with its ideology. That’s pretty alarming.” Stutzman herself gave a statement, saying, “The Government is coming in and telling me what to say, what to create, what to believe. That’s not America to me.”

Among the many LGBT “discrimination” cases against cake decorators, photographers, flower shops, bed and breakfasts and restaurants, there has been one which has really stood out over the past few years. The owners of “Sweet Cakes By Melissa” bakery in Oregon were ordered to pay a $135,000 fine after they refused to bake ONE wedding cake for a gay marriage ceremony. The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner who heard their case, Brad Avakian, said that the Christian owners needed to be “rehabilitated”. Rehabilitated???  So believing the Holy Bible is a “disease” now?!

The Obama Administration and many of the Government officials mentioned in this article obviously believe Christianity is a disease which must be fought, or else quarantined. This was the unfortunate case with Kim Davis, the County Clerk from Kentucky, who was actually thrown into PRISON because she refused to violate her beliefs and sign her name to Gay Marriage licenses. Thank God she garnered enough media attention, and thus a huge uproar in the Christian community, otherwise she might be still be behind bars today. Simply for believing the Word of God! The uncomfortable and scary question is, how many Kim Davis’ are out there right now? How many Christians that have not gotten media attention are sitting inside jail cells, as we speak, because they refused to violate their Faith?? It is a hard thought to ponder.

These brothers and sisters in the Faith are all being sued, and punished by the U.S. judicial system, for “discrimination”. They find themselves in trouble with the Government because they do not want to engage in acts that make them uncomfortable and that violate their strong beliefs. These are the people which the Government should be protecting, NOT persecuting. Instead, the LGBT community which is really doing the discriminating, is being viewed as the victim as opposed to what they really are, which is the BULLY. What if a Christian Group wanted to hold Church services inside a Gay Night Club or Resort? Would they win a discrimination lawsuit for being denied entry? I bet not. What if a Christian went into an LGBT-themed print shop and asked to have Leviticus 18:22 printed on t-shirts? Would the LGBT establishment be forced to make the shirts that made them feel uncomfortable? Would they be forced by courts to pay a fine? Sadly, I think we all know the answer to these questions is a resounding NO.

If the shoe was on the other foot, Christians would not be winning lawsuits for being discriminated against. The number one reason why is because, as Christians, we wouldn’t be suing someone who refused us services. We would just take our business elsewhere. We definitely wouldn’t set out to intentionally ruin someone’s life or break them financially simply because they held different beliefs than we hold. We do our best to influence and inspire others to believe the Word of God, but we don’t “force” it on them like they always falsely accuse us of doing. On the contrary, like my friends the Benham Brothers say, the LGBT advocates FORCE us to “accept” their lifestyle, then they FORCE us to “celebrate” it, and now they are FORCING us to “PARTICIPATE” in it OR ELSE.

The homosexual community is never forced by courts to accept or participate in Holy Bible themed events, so then why has it become acceptable for Christians to be forced to participate in gay marriages? It’s a gross double standard and all freedom loving Americans, Christian or not, need to stand together against this wicked agenda of bullying into submission. If this discrimination against Holy Bible believers continues, then I say it’s time for Churches to start bringing their congregations into the LGBT businesses and start preaching the Gospel. It would be no different than what the gay community has been doing to Christians for years. If these attacks on Christians by the LGBT community continue, then it might be time that we give them a taste of their “forced participation” medicine!

Finally, with a Republican president coming in January, along with Republican majorities in the House, the Senate, and in two-thirds of State Governors’ mansions, you would think that this Governmental assault on Christians would end. I pray that it does. There is nothing to hinder the GOP from actually keeping the promises they made in their Party Platform. They can pass a National Religious Freedom Law, and do away with Gay Marriage. Nothing can stop them, except for THEMSELVES. I say that because, just recently (AFTER THE ELECTION mind you), Senate Republicans removed a Religious Liberty Amendment from a Bill after a campaign was waged against it by LGBT groups.

Sadly, Governor Mike Pence, the incoming Vice-President, also caved to LGBT pressure when attempting to pass a Religious Freedom Bill in Indiana. If someone who calls himself a “Christian FIRST, Republican second” can’t stand his ground on Christian Freedom in America, how can we trust the rest of the GOP to do so? God help us. We Christians should not count on the Republican Party to do what needs be to done. I pray that they have the backbone to do so, but if they don’t, it’s ON US to stand up and speak out against the ongoing attacks on Holy Bible believers. The LGBT movement has been winning many battles because they are loud and mobilized, while Christians have been the SILENT majority in America. It’s about time that we get LOUDER.

“JESUS said, Remember the word that I said unto you, The SERVANT is not greater than his LORD. If they have PERSECUTED ME, they will also persecute YOU..” ~ John 15:20

“JESUS said, BLESSED are they which are PERSECUTED for Righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Blessed are you, when men shall REVILE you, and PERSECUTE you, and shall say ALL manner of EVIL against you falsely, for MY Sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for GREAT is your REWARD in Heaven: for so they persecuted the PROPHETS which were before you.” ~ Matthew 5:10-12

“And be NOT CONFORMED to this world: but be you transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may prove what is that GOOD, and acceptable, and perfect, will of GOD.” ~ Romans 12:2

“Be strong and of a good COURAGE, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for The LORD your God, He it is that does go WITH you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be of good COURAGE, and let us behave ourselves valiantly as the men FOR our people, and FOR the cities of our God: and let The LORD do that which is good in His Sight.” ~ 1st Chronicles 19:13 & 2nd Samuel 10:12

“They CHANGED the Truth of God into a LIE, and worshipped and served the creature MORE THAN The Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen. For THIS cause God gave them up unto VILE affections: for even their women did CHANGE the natural use into that which is AGAINST nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the NATURAL use of the woman, burned in their LUST one toward another; MEN WITH MEN, working that which is UNSEEMLY, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their ERROR (S.T.D., Aids, etc.), which was fitting RETRIBUTION; And even as they did NOT LIKE to retain GOD in their knowledge, God gave them over to a REPROBATE mind, to do THOSE things which are NOT convenient.. Then there are those, Who knowing the JUDGMENT of God, that they which commit SUCH things are worthy of death, NOT ONLY do the same, but have PLEASURE in them that DO them.” ~ Romans 1:25-28,32

“You shalt NOT LAY with men, as (you lay) with women: it is ABOMINATION.” ~ Leviticus 18:22

“Know you NOT that the unrighteous shall NOT inherit the Kingdom of God? Be NOT DECEIVED: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor EFFEMINATE, nor abusers of themselves WITH MANKIND.” ~ 1st Corinthians 6:9

“Woe unto them that call EVIL good, and GOOD evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” ~ Isaiah 5:20

“They MOCKED the messengers OF GOD, and despised HIS Words, and misused HIS prophets, until the WRATH of The LORD arose against them, till there was NO REMEDY.” ~ 2nd CHRONICLES 36:16