"OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin has signed into law a bill that allows ministers to refuse to perform same-sex marriages if such marriages conflict with their religious beliefs.
Fallin said Friday that the law will protect the constitutional and religious rights of Oklahomans.
The law says no licensed, ordained or authorized official of a religious organization can be required to solemnize or recognize a marriage that violates that official's conscience or religious belief.
Fallin said the bill makes it clear that religious leaders and houses of worship can't be forced by the government to violate their faith where marriage is concerned.
Troy Stevenson of Freedom Oklahoma, which advocates for gay and transgender rights in Oklahoma, has said he believes the bill is unnecessary but that he supports the spirit of the law."
Oklahoma gets it rolling
Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by revmwc, Jun 28, 2015.
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Sent from my Z830 using Tapatalk -
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What this bill doesn't protect against is the re-definition of "religion," or the potential of government to re-classify what religions are recognized. For example, identifying a percentage or even firm number of members for the government to recognize a denomonation as a religious entity before being able to grant tax-exempt or other privileges, would obliterate the recognition of independent fundamental baptists as religious organizations, since by their very nature they're independent and therefore couldn't obtain the membership numbers. Muslims and Catholics, on the other hand, are world-wide and would easily meet the classification. Most "organized" denominations (Presbyterian, Lutheran, even Mormon) would be able to meet the threshold.
It would force any church that would want to be recognized as a church to join with a larger group, and possibly be required to abide by the larger group's rules and requirements to sustain recognition as a "church."
Or, it could be something as simple as a "minor" rule change, that would disqualify many organizations as religious entities. After which, the protections afforded by such legislation as what Oklahoma has done, simply don't apply.
All just hypotheticals, of course.... -
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Does it really matter what an individual state does at this point?
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States can unite and pass these types of laws. We can go to it with the same claim the group used it infringes on our right to "dignity." -