American extremists eroding freedom in the name of freedom
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Erik Eckholm
When the federal government adopted a religious protection act in 1993, same-sex marriage was not on the horizon. An informal coalition of liberals and conservatives endorsed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it seemed to protect members of vulnerable religious minorities from punishment for the exercise of their beliefs. The federal legislation was set off by a case involving Native Americans who were fired and denied unemployment benefits because they took part in ceremonies with peyote, an illegal drug. Twenty states, including Indiana last week, have since passed their own versions of religious freedom laws. [link]
By Erik Eckholm
When the federal government adopted a religious protection act in 1993, same-sex marriage was not on the horizon. An informal coalition of liberals and conservatives endorsed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it seemed to protect members of vulnerable religious minorities from punishment for the exercise of their beliefs. The federal legislation was set off by a case involving Native Americans who were fired and denied unemployment benefits because they took part in ceremonies with peyote, an illegal drug. Twenty states, including Indiana last week, have since passed their own versions of religious freedom laws. [link]
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| Thousands gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse on Saturday to protest a law that opponents say allows for bias against gays. |
