The 3 - December 11, 2022

In this week's edition of The 3, offering three stories of relevance to the Christian community, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act returned to the U.S. House after being amended and passed in the Senate, where it was approved again, amidst concerns of a lack of religious liberty protections.  Also, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments in a case involving a graphic artist and web designer who did not wish to be forced by her home state to communicate messages about same-sex marriage that violate her religious beliefs.  Plus, a flight attendant will be getting her old job back after being dismissed for expressing her pro-life views. 

U.S. House passes Senate-amended version of so-called Respect for Marriage Act

This bill called the "Respect for Marriage Act," which actually does not show respect for marriage that consists of one man and one woman but reaffirms the concept of same-sex marriage, has now completed its journey through Congress, passing the U.S. House a few days ago - the chamber had passed the bill originally; after being amended in the Senate, it returned for another vote.

The Daily Citizen reported on the bill, which passed the House 258-169. It stated that it "embeds a false definition of marriage into the American legal fabric" and "repeals the Defense of Marriage Act," the 1996 bill that "defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman." The Respect for Marriage Act, the article says, "also codifies 'same-sex marriage' into federal law."

The article included a quote from Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, who said that: "Enshrining into law a destructive definition of marriage that undermines and expresses hostility towards God’s sacred design of a multi-millennia old institution invites the inevitability of unintended consequences. It also threatens to criminalize people of faith and jeopardize organizations that have done so much good for so long."

Kelly Shackelford, President and Chief Counsel of First Liberty said, "As our legal experts have made clear, this bill is a threat to religious liberty. It punishes the free exercise of religion by letting radical activists harass faith-based institutions in court because of their religious beliefs about marriage."

U.S. Supreme Court holds arguments in free speech case

Early last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of a Colorado graphic artist and web designer who does not wish to be forced to communicate messages on same-sex marriage to which she objects, based on her Christian beliefs.  The case is 303 Creative v. Elenis, and Alliance Defending Freedom is representing the designer, Lorie Smith. Matt Sharp, Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, discussed those oral arguments in a recent Meeting House conversation on Faith Radio. 

SCOTUS Blog reported:

Smith is challenging a Colorado law that prohibits most businesses from discriminating against LGBTQ customers. Requiring her to create websites for same-sex weddings, she argues, would violate her right to freedom of speech.

At the oral argument, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asserted that a ruling for Smith would be the first time that the Supreme Court had ruled that “commercial businesses could refuse to serve a customer based on race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.” But Chief Justice John Roberts countered that the Supreme Court has never approved efforts to compel speech that is contrary to the speaker’s belief, and his five conservative colleagues signaled that they were likely to join him in a ruling for Smith.

The article notes that ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel "Kristen Waggoner emphasized that Smith 'decides what to create based on the message, not who requests it.'"

Actor rejected in numerous attempts to schedule the reading of a Christian story in public libraries

While the concept of the Drag Queen Story Hour has continue to spread, apparently, among taxpayer-funded public libraries, some libraries that allow these events have not been open to allowing a reading of a Christian story, according to a FoxNews.com report, which said that, regarding actor Kirk Cameron's request to read his book, As You Grow...

...over 50 public libraries have either outright rejected him or not responded to requests on his behalf.

A story-hour program for kids and parents connected to new book releases is an activity that many libraries typically present to their patrons and communities.

Many of the same libraries that won't give Cameron a slot, however, are actively offering "drag queen" story hours or similar programs for kids and young people, according to Cameron's book publisher and according to a review of the libraries' websites and current program listings.

The Fox article, published on December 7, noted that:

Reacting to the news that he has yet to be booked into a single children's story hour at a public library in America for his new book — and commenting on the rejections and comments he's received — Cameron told Fox News Digital, "This is proof that more than ever, we are getting destroyed in the battle for the hearts and minds of our children."