Heritage Fellow Applauds Church That Closes Charity Because they Can’t continue to Discriminate against Gays
kansascity.com
Heritage Foundation is one of the leading dominionist think tanks in the US, so it’s no surprise that they would support a Church’s right to discriminate against gays even when doing so under state auspices and in some cases, grants and funds. Heritage is also the place that gave us other fine bigots like Robert Spencer. It’s also no surprise that the church is in Rockford, Illinois, home to the notorious Rockford institute and “Chronicles” white supremacist magazine. ( They will tell you that they aren’t racists in a long winded diatribe if you ask, but they practice VDARE style racialism)
The argument that laws like those of Massachusetts and Illinois are really about non-discrimination and tolerance rings hollow. In both jurisdictions, Catholic Charities was willing to refer unmarried couples, including homosexuals, to other agencies that had no moral objection to placements outside the traditional family.
“Diversity” in such matters implies a variety of agencies and policies, not state-imposed uniformity. Would our nation have more diverse grocers if the state mandated that every establishment offer the same product line? Tolerance on matters of religious and moral conviction is meaningless if individuals and institutions are shorn of their liberty to act in keeping with their core values.
In his famous “Memorial and Remonstrance” on religious liberty, James Madison pleaded with his fellow citizens that “the full and equal rights of conscience (not) be in any manner, or on any pretext infringed.” Slowly and with little fanfare, that infringement is spreading across the landscape.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Charles A. Donovan is senior research fellow in the DeVos Center on Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation.