Religious Liberty Watch: Senate Bill On Same-Sex Marriage Advances

by Heidelblog on November 17, 2022 | 5 Comments

The Senate on Wednesday narrowly advanced legislation to protect same-sex marriage, sending it on to near-certain passage.

In a 62-37 vote, 12 Republicans voted with all Democrats to move forward on the bill, after negotiators reached a bipartisan deal to include protections for religious liberty. The vote on final passage could occur as soon as this week.

…The GOP senators who supported advancing the bill included Sens. Joni Ernst (Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Todd Young (Ind.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) and Richard Burr (N.C.), who is retiring.

The Senate bill would ensure that the federal government recognize a same-sex marriage if it was valid in the state it took place and couple moved to a state that does not recognize it. That would also apply to interracial marriage. It also would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act signed in 1996, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman under federal laws.

The bipartisan amendment clarifies that the bill would leave intact protections from a 1993 religious freedom law, which outlaws placing a substantial burden on people’s ability to exercise their religion. In addition, it states that nonprofit religious groups would not have to perform marriage services and that the bill would not impact their tax treatment.

Among the groups that announced support for the bill are the National Association of Manufacturers and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which said it “includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.” Read more»

Marianne Levine | November 16, 2022

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5 comments

  2. The moral objections to this bill are obvious.

    But from just a plain civics perspective, is this the most important issue facing Congress right now? Is this really what they should be spending time, energy, and money on? Are there no more pressing issues for Congress to consider?

    We have just finished electing the entire House and 1/3 of the Senate, and I don’t recall anyone campaigning on this issue or even mentioning it. If this is so important, why didn’t it figure at all in the recently concluded campaign?

  3. Another blow to states’ rights. Seeing the LDS support this is a real eye-opener as to how effective the LGBTQ activism has been. Their doctrine claims that their deity is a male that reproduces with females. The last few decades have seen much debunking of their source texts and claimed history of their leaders, leaving Mormons increasingly confused and disillusioned. May God use these times to bring many in the LDS to faith in the true Christ. Let’s invite our Mormon neighbors to church to hear the gospel.

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