AN IDEA WHOSE TIME WILL NEVER COME

As I understand the purpose of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, when implemented federally and at the state level, was to protect the freedom of religious people to not be required by law to perform some actions that are against the tenets of his/her religion. Sounds simple enough.

I'm not too sure how it became so complicated and how it could cause such a kerfuffle, but kerfuffle it did.

To my understanding, the law simply means if a Muslim butcher didn't want to be in a position where he is required to sell a customer a pound of pork chops, he doesn't have to. A Jewish delicatessen doesn't have to provide non kosher corned beef if they don't feel right about it. The Amish do not have to provide an LED light on their carriages. Christians do not have to participate in a same sex marriage if they feel that violated their Christians religious beliefs.

The law seems to have worked for Muslims, Jews and Amish, but for the Christians, not so much. (Ask the photographer in New Mexico, the bakery in Colorado and the pizza restaurant in Indiana.) Why- O- Why did the Christians meet a different fate? Because the Christians went up against the most formidable opponent to what would be considered ordinary daily living for 96% of the population of the US. The Christians locked horns with a wee percent of the population with a humongous voice---the LGBT community.

The best intentions, and the inclusiveness of this law for all minorities, for media purposes became distilled into, "Christians discriminating against Gays and Lesbians."

As is becoming abundantly clear in the United States of America today, 73% of the US population describing themselves as Christians seem very willing to turn the other cheek and have who they are allowed or required to do business with dictated by 4% of the population describing themselves as LGB or T? The RFRA may be a perfectly good law, although like many other laws probably unnecessary, but it has been hijacked by the mini minority.

Let's look at it this way. The government is a business (I know that drives a certain element of our society nuts when you call government a business, but that's a topic for another Blog) The leader of the government "business" is the President. He makes a decree that there shall be no discrimination of any kind in his business. He is the head honcho, and that's his decision to make. The photographer running the shop in New Mexico says she doesn’t wish to participate in a SS marriage to the degree she would have to in order to fulfill her contract. She's the head honcho and that's her decision to make--wait, not so fast. The decision in the US today as to who the picture lady must take pictures of is made by the head of the government business. Doesn't really sound logical does it?

We know the SS couple in New Mexico who came to the Christian photographer to provide photos for their wedding could have gone across the street and found a photographer that would have gladly accommodated them. The SS couple didn't want the photos, they wanted an issue.

When discussing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on Facebook, a comment was,"Bigotry & hatefulness have no place in a civilized society. Anyone ever hear of "Live and Let Live." That is certainly a noble ideal, but the point is, who are we going to "Live and Let Live," the minority or the person with religious beliefs? Somebody is always going to feel, and actually be, discriminated against.

What do we do if we have a sign in our store that says, "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service," and in comes a person with none of the required apparel. I guess we can ask him to leave. What if our half- clothed brethren is gay and demands to be served? A "Gun Free Zone" and a pair of pistol-packing lesbians show up. Unless the store owner wishes to spend the next few months/years fighting a law suit and potentially losing the business, what can he do? Has the US now gotten to the point where we have different "rights" depending on whom we sleep with?

Most of the recent hoopla has been generated by the gay lobby, and maybe if they were the only perceived set upon group of people we could handle it, but we have to understand there are also discrimination laws on the books regarding these other "Protected Classes:" race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, citizenship, familial status, disability, veteran status, and genetic information. Every living being will or is currently, in some protected class!

How about this for an idea, rather than jump through hoops trying to decide who we should :"Live and Let Live," who

businesses can and can not discriminate against, given that everybody is some kind of minority, let's ELIMINATE ALL LAWS AGAINT DISCRIMINATION in a business and let the free market do it's thing. If a private sector business doesn't wish to serve a certain segment of society that will be to their business and personal detriment, but in a truly free society, it has to be the business owners decision.

I guess maybe the answer to why we get so tied up debating issues like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and why we will never eliminate discrimination laws is We are not a free society. We like to say we are, and our Founding Fathers tried to get us as close as human nature would allow to personal freedom, but with freedom comes work and self responsibility, two of the very elements our leaders, in their quest for power and control, are slowly but surely wresting away from us.

Anti-Discrimination laws, Unions and rabbit ear TV antennas at one time served a purpose and served us well. That was then, this is now.