Much will be written about the utter thrashing GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump took at the hands of the far-more prepared knowledgeable qualified and otherwise principled Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio during Thursday nights Republican presidential debate on CNN. I will therefore focus instead on another Republican candidate whos absolutely got to go: Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Many thanks to Hugh Hewitt for asking the question. In a campaign where the noise of myriad and in many cases less critical issues has drowned out the single greatest threat to God-fearing Americans individual liberties the secular lefts tireless efforts to end our constitutional religious free exercise and freedom of conscience Hewitt exposed John Kasich as an avowed enemy to the First Amendment and a devoted ally of Democratic sexual change agents.
In one exchange Hewitt said Senator Cruz mentioned the issue that keeps me up at night which is religious liberty." He later added Governor Kasich back to religious liberty. Youve been a little bit less emphatic. Youve said same-sex couple approaches a cupcake maker sell them a cupcake. Can we trust you as much on religious liberty as the rest of these people?"
Kasich went off the rails. The New York Times summarized his response thusly: Mr. Kasich went further than any of his rivals in dismissing even belittling the idea that businesses should be able to claim religious freedom and allow them not to cater to gay and lesbian couples."
Religious institutions should be able to practice the religion that they believe in …" he said but look the court has ruled and Ive moved on. And what Ive said Hugh is that look where does it end? …
I mean if youre in the business of commerce conduct commerce. Thats my view. And if you dont agree with their lifestyle say a prayer for them when they leave and hope they change their behavior.
But when it comes to the religious institutions they are inviolate in my mind and I would fight for those religious institutions" he concluded.
What a cop out. What a straw man. What a maroon.
Kasich lacks even a rudimentary understanding of the First Amendment and freedom of conscience. Hes a threat to our first freedoms. No less so in fact than Oligarchy Obama High-handed Hillary or Bolshevik Bernie. His evasive twaddle about Religious institutions should be able to practice the religion that they believe in" betrays his utter ignorance of the U.S. Constitution and our nations founding. Not because its untrue but because its intentionally incomplete.
The First Amendment follows not only the religious institution but the individual American citizen be he a butcher a baker or a candlestick maker. The Constitution secures both religious free exercise and liberty of conscience. It protects individual rights first and institutional rights thereafter.
Americans are guaranteed the freedom to live and work consistent with their faith" notes Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorney Jeremy Tedesco. Government has a duty to protect peoples freedom to follow their beliefs personally and professionally rather than force them to adopt the governments views."
Indeed religious liberty is non-negotiable. Freedom of conscience is the bedrock of American society. Todays anti-Christian lynch mob which evidently includes John Kasich indignantly imagines that some newfangled gay right" to not be offended trumps the First Amendment. Those who believe so are not only on the wrong side of the U.S. Constitution and history theyre on the wrong side of public opinion.
Consider for instance a 2015 Marist poll which established that by a 2-to-1 margin Americans reject the very kind of anti-Christian penalties and fines Kasich supports. Christians in the business of commerce" as he flippantly calls them are even now being persecuted by left-wing human rights" Star Chambers with increasing frequency and intensity.
Christian clerks judges bakers florists innkeepers caterers photographers and a litany of other small-business owners from coast to coast are being summarily harassed sued and even jailed not because these Christian individuals wont serve gays" (they will and do without hesitation) but rather because they politely decline to spend their time and talent contributing to and thereby endorsing the message behind specific events that run counter to biblical principles and otherwise infringe their deeply held religious convictions.
Let us be direct. According to the unequivocal moral precepts of biblical Christianity explicit throughout both the Old and New Testaments homosexual behavior is sin. Sin is evil. Homosexual behavior is the central defining characteristic of counterfeit gay marriage." Therefore gay marriage" is evil. Christians are obligated to avoid sin to do no evil." Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality … will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Its really that simple. This is why dear homosexual as faithful Christians (apostate Christians" notwithstanding) we will never have anything whatsoever to do with your pagan sin-based same-sex wedding" rituals.
We will not bake your fake wedding cake.
We will not arrange your fake wedding flowers.
We will not take your fake wedding pictures.
We will not host your fake wedding reception.
(And we will most certainly not be voting for you Gov. Kasich.)
To be sure we will not do these things because to do these things is to disobey God. It is to aid you in your sin to cause you to stumble which in and of itself is to layer sin upon sin. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble" (Luke 17:2).
While we all fall short of His glory the history of Gods people has shown that no unjust law or arbitrary court ruling presuming to force us to do otherwise will ever make us disobey God in this or any other regard. I realize my LGBT" friends that forcing others to affirm that which offends God makes you feel better about your sin for a time. I also realize that it infuriates you when we refuse to join in as you attempt ineffectively to justify your wickedness by calling it marriage."
This is nothing new. We Christians have been infuriating pagans by refusing to bend on truth for over 2000 years.
And we will continue to do so until Christ returns.
So its time for John Kasich the sole remaining liberal RINO in this race (aside from Trump) to drop out. He was never going to be president of the United States anyway but on Thursday he found the one free spot in his political coffin to hammer home the last nail.
You blew it governor. Move aside.
Much will be written about the utter thrashing GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump took at the hands of the far-more prepared knowledgeable qualified and otherwise principled Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio during Thursday nights Republican presidential debate on CNN. I will therefore focus instead on another Republican candidate whos absolutely got to go: Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Many thanks to Hugh Hewitt for asking the question. In a campaign where the noise of myriad and in many cases less critical issues has drowned out the single greatest threat to God-fearing Americans individual liberties the secular lefts tireless efforts to end our constitutional religious free exercise and freedom of conscience Hewitt exposed John Kasich as an avowed enemy to the First Amendment and a devoted ally of Democratic sexual change agents.
In one exchange Hewitt said Senator Cruz mentioned the issue that keeps me up at night which is religious liberty." He later added Governor Kasich back to religious liberty. Youve been a little bit less emphatic. Youve said same-sex couple approaches a cupcake maker sell them a cupcake. Can we trust you as much on religious liberty as the rest of these people?"
Kasich went off the rails. The New York Times summarized his response thusly: Mr. Kasich went further than any of his rivals in dismissing even belittling the idea that businesses should be able to claim religious freedom and allow them not to cater to gay and lesbian couples."
Religious institutions should be able to practice the religion that they believe in …" he said but look the court has ruled and Ive moved on. And what Ive said Hugh is that look where does it end? …
I mean if youre in the business of commerce conduct commerce. Thats my view. And if you dont agree with their lifestyle say a prayer for them when they leave and hope they change their behavior.
But when it comes to the religious institutions they are inviolate in my mind and I would fight for those religious institutions" he concluded.
What a cop out. What a straw man. What a maroon.
Kasich lacks even a rudimentary understanding of the First Amendment and freedom of conscience. Hes a threat to our first freedoms. No less so in fact than Oligarchy Obama High-handed Hillary or Bolshevik Bernie. His evasive twaddle about Religious institutions should be able to practice the religion that they believe in" betrays his utter ignorance of the U.S. Constitution and our nations founding. Not because its untrue but because its intentionally incomplete.
The First Amendment follows not only the religious institution but the individual American citizen be he a butcher a baker or a candlestick maker. The Constitution secures both religious free exercise and liberty of conscience. It protects individual rights first and institutional rights thereafter.
Americans are guaranteed the freedom to live and work consistent with their faith" notes Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorney Jeremy Tedesco. Government has a duty to protect peoples freedom to follow their beliefs personally and professionally rather than force them to adopt the governments views."
Indeed religious liberty is non-negotiable. Freedom of conscience is the bedrock of American society. Todays anti-Christian lynch mob which evidently includes John Kasich indignantly imagines that some newfangled gay right" to not be offended trumps the First Amendment. Those who believe so are not only on the wrong side of the U.S. Constitution and history theyre on the wrong side of public opinion.
Consider for instance a 2015 Marist poll which established that by a 2-to-1 margin Americans reject the very kind of anti-Christian penalties and fines Kasich supports. Christians in the business of commerce" as he flippantly calls them are even now being persecuted by left-wing human rights" Star Chambers with increasing frequency and intensity.
Christian clerks judges bakers florists innkeepers caterers photographers and a litany of other small-business owners from coast to coast are being summarily harassed sued and even jailed not because these Christian individuals wont serve gays" (they will and do without hesitation) but rather because they politely decline to spend their time and talent contributing to and thereby endorsing the message behind specific events that run counter to biblical principles and otherwise infringe their deeply held religious convictions.
Let us be direct. According to the unequivocal moral precepts of biblical Christianity explicit throughout both the Old and New Testaments homosexual behavior is sin. Sin is evil. Homosexual behavior is the central defining characteristic of counterfeit gay marriage." Therefore gay marriage" is evil. Christians are obligated to avoid sin to do no evil." Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality … will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Its really that simple. This is why dear homosexual as faithful Christians (apostate Christians" notwithstanding) we will never have anything whatsoever to do with your pagan sin-based same-sex wedding" rituals.
We will not bake your fake wedding cake.
We will not arrange your fake wedding flowers.
We will not take your fake wedding pictures.
We will not host your fake wedding reception.
(And we will most certainly not be voting for you Gov. Kasich.)
To be sure we will not do these things because to do these things is to disobey God. It is to aid you in your sin to cause you to stumble which in and of itself is to layer sin upon sin. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble" (Luke 17:2).
While we all fall short of His glory the history of Gods people has shown that no unjust law or arbitrary court ruling presuming to force us to do otherwise will ever make us disobey God in this or any other regard. I realize my LGBT" friends that forcing others to affirm that which offends God makes you feel better about your sin for a time. I also realize that it infuriates you when we refuse to join in as you attempt ineffectively to justify your wickedness by calling it marriage."
This is nothing new. We Christians have been infuriating pagans by refusing to bend on truth for over 2000 years.
And we will continue to do so until Christ returns.
So its time for John Kasich the sole remaining liberal RINO in this race (aside from Trump) to drop out. He was never going to be president of the United States anyway but on Thursday he found the one free spot in his political coffin to hammer home the last nail.
You blew it governor. Move aside.