Equality Act Expected to Advance in Congress This Week: 'It Treats People of Faith as Second-Class Citizens
WASHINGTON – The Equality Act is expected to advance in Congress this week. It's a controversial bill designed to overhaul the nation's civil rights laws to include LGBT Americans, but many worry it will trample on the rights of women and people of faith.
Under the Equality Act, disagreement is considered discrimination. It includes gay marriage, biological males competing in women's sports, and doctors performing procedures - like gender reassignments - that go against their conscience.
It's a bill President Joe Biden wants to sign during his first 100 days.
"The Equality Act provides long overdue federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, preventing discrimination in our housing, education, public services, and lending systems. I urge Congress to swiftly pass this historic legislation," Biden tweeted.
However, the bill does much more.
"We can see it would immediately be stripping religious Americans and stripping girls and women of our equal rights," Denise Harle, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, tells CBN News.
By redefining sex discrimination, the measure would provide for abortion on demand, likely end a longstanding prohibition on taxpayer funded abortions, and remove conscience protections for doctors and nurses.
Biological men would be allowed to compete in women's sports effectively obliterating Title IX while girls and women would be forced to share locker rooms and bathrooms in schools and public places.
Harle says we don't have to guess about the results, rather just look at cities and states that have already passed similar measures.
More: https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2021/fe ... LLBjtzxaOk
People of Faith being made 2nd class citizens
Equality Act calls Bible a bigoted document, says rabbinic group
It is outrageous that Congress would declare us bigoted for simply maintaining our time-honored traditions."
The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of public policy, called today for the rejection of the Equality Act as “a direct attack on Jewish religious values and practices.” The Equality Act, H.R. 5, is slated for votes on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
In a letter sent Friday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the CJV argued that according to the Equality Act, a person is deemed “bigoted” if he or she adheres to traditional Jewish doctrine.
For example, the text refers to “the sex stereotype that marriage should only be between heterosexual couples” as a discriminatory belief. Per the letter:
The Equality Act expressly declares that the Book of Genesis and all of the Jewish laws pertaining to marriage as a sanctified union between man and woman (called “kiddushin” in Hebrew, from the word “kadosh,” Holy) are nothing more than engagement in discriminatory stereotypes. This is a disgraceful attack upon Jewish Biblical beliefs, rendered no more excusable by the fact that other traditional religious groups have similar tenets.
The letter also lists numerous elements of normative observant Jewish practices which would be grounds for a discrimination complaint under the proposed legislation, including separate seating at weddings, single-gender dancing, and even separate hours for swimming. “A law which would require recognition of the gender a person prefers to be… would demand we cease to operate in accordance with our sincerely-held beliefs, moral values and religious education — expressly violating our religious liberty,” the rabbis said.
“It is outrageous that Congress would declare us bigoted for simply maintaining our time-honored traditions,” said Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, Chairman of the CJV Rabbinic Circle. “And it is no mere insult; the law even explicitly rejects religious freedom as a defense, meaning it provides Anti-Semites with a new way to persecute the religious Jewish community.”
Indeed, the Equality Act is the first time in history that legislation would deny protections found in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The CJV letter concludes: “The Equality Act has the potential to bring the United States’ centuries-long history of respecting and providing robust protection for our religious beliefs and liberties to an abrupt and ignominious end.“
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News ... spx/297447
(While this letter was written to congress by a Jewish group many of the same words holds true for Christians IMO they will use this law to persecute Christians ) Amos 8:11
It is outrageous that Congress would declare us bigoted for simply maintaining our time-honored traditions."
The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of public policy, called today for the rejection of the Equality Act as “a direct attack on Jewish religious values and practices.” The Equality Act, H.R. 5, is slated for votes on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
In a letter sent Friday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the CJV argued that according to the Equality Act, a person is deemed “bigoted” if he or she adheres to traditional Jewish doctrine.
For example, the text refers to “the sex stereotype that marriage should only be between heterosexual couples” as a discriminatory belief. Per the letter:
The Equality Act expressly declares that the Book of Genesis and all of the Jewish laws pertaining to marriage as a sanctified union between man and woman (called “kiddushin” in Hebrew, from the word “kadosh,” Holy) are nothing more than engagement in discriminatory stereotypes. This is a disgraceful attack upon Jewish Biblical beliefs, rendered no more excusable by the fact that other traditional religious groups have similar tenets.
The letter also lists numerous elements of normative observant Jewish practices which would be grounds for a discrimination complaint under the proposed legislation, including separate seating at weddings, single-gender dancing, and even separate hours for swimming. “A law which would require recognition of the gender a person prefers to be… would demand we cease to operate in accordance with our sincerely-held beliefs, moral values and religious education — expressly violating our religious liberty,” the rabbis said.
“It is outrageous that Congress would declare us bigoted for simply maintaining our time-honored traditions,” said Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, Chairman of the CJV Rabbinic Circle. “And it is no mere insult; the law even explicitly rejects religious freedom as a defense, meaning it provides Anti-Semites with a new way to persecute the religious Jewish community.”
Indeed, the Equality Act is the first time in history that legislation would deny protections found in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The CJV letter concludes: “The Equality Act has the potential to bring the United States’ centuries-long history of respecting and providing robust protection for our religious beliefs and liberties to an abrupt and ignominious end.“
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News ... spx/297447
(While this letter was written to congress by a Jewish group many of the same words holds true for Christians IMO they will use this law to persecute Christians ) Amos 8:11