Texas Legislature Considers a ‘God Doesn't Approve of You' Bill

When will the madness stop?During the last session of the Texas Legislature, it was the bathroom bill of 2017 - flushed, thankfully, in the waning days of the session.But this year's absurdity is 10 times worse than the bathroom bill. The featured act before the 2019 Legislature is much more personal.It's the "God doesn't approve of you!" bill.All Texans must work urgently together for the immediate defeat of Texas Senate Bill 17 and its House companion, HB 2827, which would enshrine into law state-sanctioned discrimination - for whatever religious reason you choose to cite against your neighbor.If this bill becomes law, if you go to see a doctor, or you call a plumber -- or if your teacher doesn't "approve" of your child -- all the state license holder has to say is, "God doesn't want me to provide you with service," and there would, effectively, be no recourse for you.SB 17 would bar state license-granting agencies from denying or stripping professional licenses for conduct "based on a sincerely held religious belief" of the applicant or license-holder. We should all be thankful that SB 17 sponsor Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, approved an amendment to his bill that would exempt first responders from claiming the religious freedom exemption while executing their tax-supported public duties.Good to know that if my house was burning down, the local fire department would have to extinguish the flames, or if my local bank was being robbed, the police would have to respond even though it's in the gayborhood.Perry and supporters of the bill say they have the right to have their personal interpretations of biblical scripture become law -- regardless of who might be harmed and, yes, separation of church and state be damned."It's not about the here and now," Perry said. "It's about where we're all going to spend our eternity."  Continue reading...