I’m still trying to understand why Indiana just passed their so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”
Indiana Governor Mike Pence spent the weekend trying to justify the new law. I think it was an impossible task, for at least two reasons.
The first is that protecting religious freedom is not and never can be a basis for discrimination.
We can thank the civil rights movement for leading our country to understand that religious beliefs are no justification for businesses refusing to serve customers because of the color of their skin.
That now applies to any group being discriminated against, and we are a better nation because of it. What is more, most Americans agree.
Granted, the current Supreme Court Five who are driven more by ideology than law are chipping away at this fundamental principle of equal justice (their “Hobby Lobby” decision), but public reaction to what Indiana did demonstrates that the majority of Americans are still committed to it.
They also see right through efforts to disguise discrimination. Put a religious robe on it, declare you are simply protecting your religious liberty, insist you are the one being discriminated against, but at the end of the day what you are doing will be seen by most people as indefensible.
The second reason defending this new law is an impossible task is that its supporters are guilty of confusing beliefs with morality.
Discrimination is morally wrong. Whatever you may believe, when you act in an immoral way you can never convince most people you are doing what is right.
Some Indiana business owners and others may sincerely believe homosexuality is morally wrong, but acting in an immoral way themselves undermines respect for their belief.
Here’s why. The Golden Rule – treating someone else the way you want to be treated – is still the most universally recognized measure of goodness there is.
Consciously or unconsciously people everywhere believe in this code of conduct. Ignore or disregard it and no one will buy your reason for doing so. That’s what Indiana political leaders are now finding out. Other states considering similar laws, beware.
But the story has actually taken a turn for the worse. Apparently the only thing supporters of the law are responding to is the threat of losing money for the state of Indiana.
How sad is that.
Forget about moral commitments, a sense of justice, of doing what is right because it is right, or the Golden rule.
Money talks, and so it may have a lot to say in how this ill-advised action by the Indiana legislature and governor eventually plays out. Or it may not.
Either way, nothing can change the fact that what has been done casts a long shadow over what being religious means in the state of Indiana today.
linnposts.com 