Texas Seeks to Protect Pastors and Faith-Based Organizations

Anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court will declare homosexual “marriage” a constitutional right, the Texas legislature is doing what it can to preserve religious freedom for pastors and faith-based organizations.

Earlier this week, the state’s Senate passed the “Freedom of Religion with Respect to Recognizing or Performing Certain Marriages” by a vote of 21 to 10. An excerpt:

“A religious organization, an organization supervised or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization, an individual employed by a religious organization while acting in the scope of that employment, or a clergy or minister may not be required to solemnize any marriage, provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, formation, or celebration of any marriage, or treat any marriage as valid for any purpose if the action would cause the organization or individual to violate a sincerely held religious belief.”

The bill now goes to the state’s House for a vote. If Gov. Greg Abbott signs the bill into law — and there’s no reason to think he won’t — pastors and faith-based organizations in Texas will be protected.

The point of “religious liberty” is to be free from government coercion that impedes the practice of our faith. As marriage isn’t a civil right, redefining the word to include two people of the same sex isn’t a civil right. But homosexuality, erroneously equated with race and ethnicity, has gone mainstream. Lawmakers must protect our freedom not to recognize or participate in what God calls a sin. Any coercion toward that end is a violation of the Constitution.

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