04/08/2024 / By Ethan Huff
Last year, the legislature and governor of Minnesota added a new category of human rights called “gender identity” to the Minnesota Human Rights Act. The result has been an unleashing of tyranny against Christian schools and churches throughout the state.
As of now, the state of Minnesota can tell churches and schools, at least those with 501(c)3 status, what they can and cannot say about “gender identity.” They can also, according to the law, force churches and schools of a religious nature what to say or do on other topics, too.
As it stands, the new law criminalizes the use of truthful pronouns as opposed to the ones constantly being made up by LGBTs. It also criminalizes others perceived as derogatory language that refuses to play along with LGBT delusions, i.e., transgender surgeries and puberty blockers for children.
“If pastors, teachers, or any other Minnesotans speak or write in opposition to the use of wrong-sex hormones, transgender surgery, or puberty blockers for minors, can they be charged with a crime under state law?” asks The Federalist‘s Allen Quist about the implications of the new law.
“If parents try to protect their minor children from such practices, can they be charged with a crime? Can their minor children be removed from their custody if parents refuse to follow such laws? And can a transgender-identifying person be denied employment by a Christian school, church, or other Christian organization, such as counseling centers, charities, or pro-life groups?”
(Related: Minnesota has a free [taxpayer-funded] tuition program, but the only people that qualify for it are illegal aliens.)
In the past, Minnesota has passed other similar types of laws that always, at least back then, carried with them exemptions for religious liberty following the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Those exemptions appear to be missing from this latest assault.
Rep. Harry Niska (R-Ramsey) and other right-leaning legislators in Minnesota are attempting to correct the new law, in Niska’s case by introducing an amendment to correct its missing exemption provisions.
“My amendment language simply restores the religious exemption in the MHRA protecting religious organizations and faith-based schools against claims of gender identity discrimination,” Niska said about his bill.
“The exemption ensures that religious organizations and faith-based schools can, among other things, hire teachers and ministers consistent with their mission and values.”
According to Niska, at least one faith-based school in Minnesota has already received an employment complaint under the new law, which is devoid of the normal exemption clauses for religious liberty.
Niska’s amendment, sadly, was voted down in both House and Senate committees. This means the nullification of religious liberty remains in effect in Minnesota, which as of now is no longer a safe place for Christians to live.
Since Christians are bound first by obedience to God, then mankind, those living in Minnesota are under no obligation to comply with the new law. They could face state persecution for defying it, but before God, they will be doing the right thing, according to Acts 5:29, which tells believers to “obey God rather than men.”
Another thing Christians in Minnesota can do is lobby their representatives and the governor to remove this religious persecution law from the books and follow the Constitution instead.
“That founding document, and specifically the First Amendment, protects our God-given right to practice our Christian faith as we wish,” Quist writes. “In addition, the Declaration of Independence states that the purpose of government is to secure this and other rights for all our citizens.”
“The Minnesota Legislature still has the opportunity to adopt a religious exemption amendment before it adjourns at the end of May.”
America is breaking apart at the seams in part due to the LGBT takeover. Learn more at Transhumanism.news.
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Tagged Under:
Christianity, churches, Gender identity, LGBT, minnesota, Minnesota Human Rights Act, religion, schools, trans, Tyranny
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