I now interrupt my usual question answering for a rant.
The so-called "Protect Religious Freedom" act in Indiana is getting a lot of press right now, but the fact of the matter is that similar bills are being proposed all over the country. The door for this was of course opened by the infamous Hobby Lobby ruling from last year, and it looks like, as marriage equality continues to win court cases around the country, the last gasp of this particular brand of social bigotry. Eventually, as the numbers continue to swing, it will no longer be politically viable to back such a thing.
That doesn't make this law, or the others like it, any less despicable.
Many major events and business, like Gen Con, have already announced their intent to cut ties with Indiana over the bill. Good for them. I was particular happy to hear the the Disciple of Christ church will be moving their convention, which is especially good... we NEED religious leaders to stand vocally against such legislation, because the supporters are couching their arguments in the language of religious freedom.
And that, my fellow Christians, is where we need to stand up and oppose them, not only with our voices, but with our wallets.
But I also think that there should be a requirement for the laws like this one, when they do pass. And that requirement should be that if a business truly wants to invoke these supposed rights, they must do so plainly, and publicly.
To wit, they need a large, easily viewed sticker or decal that is to be placed on their door, signage, and all advertising that states that they refuse to serve people based on their own religious freedom. No hiding in the back, no mentioning it in passing when you get the "gay vibe" from someone in your store. No take-backsies if it's a really big contract.
You either invoke this right, and so let everyone know, or you don't. This isn't completely out of left field, either. You can't just claim to be a religious conscientious objector to get out of a Draft in the US. You have to prove your convictions. This seems a perfectly reasonable way to prove them.
Barring that, we need an easily visible sticker or decal that can be placed in the advertising of any business or the like in places like that which cannot leave, to announce that they do NOT invoke that right, and serve everyone, and make it clear that if you do not have that sticker, it cannot be assumed that you welcome everyone to the store.
We need to make people wear it publicly. You gotta be out, on this one. No hiding, no wishiwashiness. If you truly are making this a religious claim, then you should be able to stand up proudly and chase away the growing number of customers who will not stand for such a thing. And if you don't have the courage to that, if you're worried that such a public gesture would negatively impact your business too far, THEN MAYBE OPPRESSING PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF YOUR RELIGION MAYBE ISN'T A DEEPLY HELD BELIEF, BUT RATHER AN ACT OF COWARDICE.
No more hiding. No more humiliating people by letting them walk in and then being able to send them away. We've been exposing people who don't fit the cis-het paradigm for too long. It's time to force the bigots to come out of the closet.
I'm Pastor Dan McCurdy, the Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Weyauwega, WI. I support the rights of the LGBTQ community, and believe that anyone who tries to oppress them under the banner of "religious freedom" should be severely censured, or at least, made to put their money where their mouth is.
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