The House approved on Wednesday a bill that requires all employers, including Christian organizations, to not make hiring or firing decisions based on “sexual orientation.”
Representatives voted 235-184 to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) or H.R. 3685, which adds “sexual orientation” to a list of federally protected classes under a 1964 act that prohibits job discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Backed mostly by Democrats, the legislation was approved without the inclusion of an amendment that extends the same privileges to transgender people. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) decided to withdraw the amendment at the 11th hour in hopes of garnering more support for the bill.
Republicans sought to send the bill back to committee — a move that would have killed the legislation since this session of Congress is scheduled to adjourn in five calendar days — but lacked the votes.
In passing the bill, the House approved two amendments. One amendment exempts certain religious positions that would also be exempt under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and stipulates that ENDA "does not alter the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in any way.” The second amendment removes prohibition against employers requiring an employee to be married or being eligible to be married.
The White House has made it clear that President Bush will veto the legislation even if the proposal does pass the Senate during the 2007-08 session of Congress. The administration cited constitutional concerns and called the bill “inconsistent” with the right to free exercise of religion.
A veto override would require 270 votes or two-thirds of the House.
Many gay right activist groups and Democrats were upset that the bill did not include transgender workers.
But other supporters of gay rights, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), were pleased with the bill’s passage. Pelosi said on the floor that while she shared in the disappointment that transgender workers were not mentioned in the bill, she was supporting the bill’s passage now "to build momentum for it" in the near future.
Meanwhile, Republicans said the bill would violate the constitutional rights of employers, such as those from Christian organizations, who oppose homosexuality for religious reasons.
Furthermore, many had argued that it would also endanger the institution of marriage and lead to endless discrimination lawsuits over such terms as "actual or perceived" sexual orientation.
The House bill would make it a federal crime for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment of the individual, because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”
Conservative groups say the bill criminalizes religious beliefs of employers.
Following the House’s decision, Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group based in Florida, issued an alert urging its supporters to ask President Bush to veto the bill.
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1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (New King James Version)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Corinthians 6:9 That is, catamites
Hey DannyPoo, Prophet ,....and EXPECIALLY RevWinslow,Thanks a million what more needs to be said? AMEN........
We must be like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:33-35 whereas after he had lived like a beast of the field, "at the end of the days" he lifted up his eyes to heaven (after his understanding was returned to him) and he "blessed the most High, and praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation:...that He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?" Praise be to God, He is in control of everything on earth, and we must trust only in Him! Folks, it's all a part of His Plan.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1-2
www.isaiahscry.blogspot.com
Thank you Lord Jesus that you said it would be like the days of Lot before you returned. I look forward to your appearance in the clouds to call your church up to yourself. I thank you heavenly Father that homosexuality is prevalent. It tells me that the return of Jesus Christ is right at our back door. I'm sorry Lord that homosexuals didn't want to retain you in their knowledge. Therefore you gave them up. You gave up them up in their minds, bodies, and hearts to do those things that are unseemingly. To dishonor their bodies among themselves. To go against nature. Be glorified in all You do! AMEN
Thanks for bringing these examples of the dangers of this type of legislation to life Dannypoo.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan City Council cut ties in August 2001 to the local United Way for their refusal to eject the Scouts from the United Way program.
In Portland, Maine, city officials canceled a $60,000 grant for a Salvation Army meals-on-wheels program for senior citizens. Why? As a Christian denomination, the Salvation Army won't provide marital benefits to homosexual employees, thus running afoul of the city's "sexual orientation" law.
When the Portland's "sexual orientation" ordinance was introduced, proponents argued, as they do often today, that it would merely ensure that "people won't be fired for being 'gay.'"
In 1997, the Salvation Army gave up $3.5 million in San Francisco city funding rather than submit to an order for them to offer "domestic partner" benefits to homosexual employees.
In Arlington Virginia. a video duplicator had been ordered by the Arlington County Human Rights Commission to produce video material for a lesbian activist or pay for someone else to duplicate the videos. The videos Vincenz wanted duplicated were two documentaries entitled: “Gay and Proud” and “Second Largest Minority”. Tim Bono, argued that he could not, in good conscience (him being a Christian), produce material that promoted homosexual activity.
More recently, the Philadelphia City Council voted to force the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council to pay $200,000 a year rent on a building located on city property, or leave. Since 1928, city officials have allowed the Scout Council to use its headquarters for 1$ a year.
City Council members claim the Scouts are not in compliance with Philadelphia's "Fair Practices Ordinance," which says organizations using city property must not discriminate against homosexuals, lesbians, or cross-dressers. The city says the Scouts violate the anti-discrimination policy because homosexuals are not allowed to join, or to become Scout leaders.
The action by city officials means that 30 new Cub Scout packs won't be organized, and that 800 needy kids will not be going to the Council's summer camp if the city charges them $200,000.
The Cradle of Liberty Council serves about 64,000 scouts in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
The dangers of bills like these is incredibly large:
A District of Columbia human rights commission ordered Georgetown University, a Catholic college, to violate church doctrine and sponsor a pro-homosexual group on campus. A court agreed, saying the District’s “sexual orientation” law overrode the school’s religious freedom. It didn’t matter that neither “sexual orientation” nor sodomy are protected in the Constitution or that religion is specifically protected. In the hands of the judges, “sexual orientation” takes on a life of its own.
The Supreme Court has already ruled that a non-profit, private institution can lose its tax-exempt status if it violates the spirit of the national policy against racial discrimination, considering that race is a protected class, could church's and other faith-based organizations loose their tax exempt status because of a newly created "sexual orientation" protected class?
In 2003 Atlanta Human Rights Commission ordered a local golf club to extend spousal rights to gay member partners, Thankfully officials intervened, and the Georgia legislature promptly passed a law exempting private clubs from local anti-discrimination obligations.
In September 2002 the Berkeley, California, City Council pulled the low-cost lease for city dock space for the Sea Scouts, saying that the group is associated with the Boy Scouts, and thereby violates the city’s “sexual orientation” law.
In June, 2001, The District of Columbia’s Commission on Human Rights fined the Scouts $100,000 and ordered them to reinstate two openly homosexual leaders. That decision was overturned in court, but the Scouts paid heavy legal fees.
Thank God for President Bush and the Veto. It frightens me to think what will happen in just over a year when we don't have Bush in office any more.
I agree that a lot of what is happening is fulfilling prophecy, and is a sign of the times, but scripture doesn't tell us to what degree morality will deteriorate or in which geographic areas. I plan to pray until the End that the Lord will uphold the US as a beacon of light in a darkening world.
These people need to be stopped. Remember this next year when election time comes up, before they turn this country into the United States of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is utterly amazing how a small minority of deviants are being pandered to.
Beloved, we should not be surprised at things like these. All things like this do is fulfill prophecy. See 2 Timothy 3:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
It talks about things like what we are seeing above, but I think the one that I think sticks out is the statement "For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Does this describe daytime TV or what? It definately comes into the home, and people learn from these shows, but never come to the truth.