Taking a Sledgehammer to the Pillar of Religious Freedom!
-- While You Were Sleeping MN Legislators Voted to Deny Your Religious Freedom!
We are on the brink of losing our Religious Freedom in Minnesota!
While you were sleeping in the wee hours of Tuesday, March 19th, legislators in the Minnesota Senate voted to deny your first amendment religious freedom in the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Watch this brief highlight video of the testimony and the resulting vote on the A1 amendment to SF 4292, which would have added language to protect religious liberties.
Last year the majority party passed a bill that added Gender Identity as a new protected class in the Minnesota Human Rights Act. However, they did not include that new protected class of gender identity in the religious exemption portion of the bill. Now in 2024, Republicans in the House and Senate initially assumed that this was an oversight, but in the House hearing on bill HF 4021, Democrat Chair Becker-Finn stated that the omission of language to protect religious freedom was not a mistake.
It was intentional…
WAKE UP Pastor! WAKE UP Christian!
WAKE UP Church of Minnesota!!
NOW is the time for bold action! NOW is the time to stand and declare that we will worship and fear our God, not man-made laws that defy His Truth!
The Democrat Party, which holds the majority in our state government, is INTENTIONALLY omitting religious freedom from our laws!
Every Pastor who is reading this, every Christian — when are you going to put your faith into action!?
Pastor Rob Ketterling of River Valley Church made a statement on Twitter (3/19): “Let me be clear, the Church is not getting political, politics has become religious! If we don’t stand up now, when will we stand up?”
PASTORS — please read Pastor Ketterling’s full statement, plus an exhortation from Reverend Dale Witherington of Restore Minnesota, then lead your congregation in taking action to defend our faith!
This is a fulfillment of Thomas Jefferson’s concerns when he coined the term "separation of church and state". In the revised version of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, the State of Minnesota is directly imposing itself on Church Affairs.
Who would have thought that in 2024 we may arrive at a place where living out our faith may become an act of civil disobedience?!
In a discussion on Tuesday morning with radio show host Jon Justice, Representative Walter Hudson challenged the listeners: “THEY are your God now! That’s what Democrats are telling you. It’s up to YOU! – I know you thought you would never be faced with this moment, but you are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You are Daniel!
“Are you going to pray three times a day with your window open on the top floor for all to see facing Jerusalem, or are you going to let your children be taken captive into Babylon?”
“That’s the Choice….”
“You need to know what is going on and you need to act as if your God is worthy of being served, or maybe you don’t believe that…” (Minutes 38:20-39:50. Consider signing up for Rep. Walter Hudson’s updates HERE.)
ACTION STEPS:
Call your Pastor — today! Tell them that our religious freedom is at stake. Share this post and/or other news about this with him. Urge him to take action. Additional sources on this issue:
Representative Walter Hudson’ Overview of House Hearing with clips
See the Call to Action by Reverend Dale Witherington of Restore Minnesota!
For a deeper dive into the MHRA as well as the ERA read the Child Protection’s excellent article: RED ALERT! Religious Freedom in Minnesota.
Call your State Representatives and State Senator regarding HF 4021 & SF 4292. Urge them to support Amendments which will add gender identity to the religious exemption and reinstate the religious exemption clause into the MHRA. Tell them that if they vote against your religious freedom, then you will vote them out of office.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Family Council emails and Restore Minnesota emails & prepare for swift action! Sign up to receive their critical, timely updates. Both of these bills have been laid over and may be added into an Omnibus bill or show up in the agenda for the House or Senate floor. There will likely be very short notification and placement of floor sessions at inconvenient times. Showing up in MASSIVE numbers to stand for religious freedom will have an impact!
Below is my speech that I prepared but never had the chance to deliver. I did submit it as Written Testimony to the Senate Committee which voted down the religious amendment at 1 a.m. this morning. Let my words inspire you to craft your own message and share it with your State Senator and State Representative.
Dear Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
I am writing with grave concern that due to legislative changes in 2023, the language of the Minnesota Human Rights Act fails to include protection for religious freedom, which is the bedrock that America was founded on.
Freedom of Religion is THE CORE RIGHT of every American, guaranteed by the First Amendment, that many of our other rights stem from.
In his farewell speech, George Washington said: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.”
Religion and morality…indispensable pillars…of human happiness and political prosperity…
Yet here we are in 2024, in a legislative hearing in Minnesota, where the elected representatives of the people are taking a sledgehammer to the greatest pillars of our nation. Surely our nation will not long endure.
Take away our freedom of religion and America will no longer be a free republic. We will become a totalitarian state where the Government dictates what the people can believe, what we can say, and what we can do.
THIS is what Thomas Jefferson feared when he wrote about the separation of Church and State. He was concerned that the State might overly impose its influence and control on the Church. His fears are being realized in Minnesota in 2024 in SF 4292, HF 4021, as well as in the proposed ERA Amendment.
As written, this bill violates both the establishment clause and the free expression clause of the First Amendment. It establishes a government dictated ideology to which all Minnesotans must subscribe or pay the penalty. By its silence, it fails to protect everyday Minnesotan citizens who seek to work in their businesses, teach in their schools, and serve in their faith institutions in accordance with their conscientiously held religious beliefs.
When you took office, you swore an oath to defend our Constitution, but the actions of the majority members are actually undermining and eroding it.
As Washington concluded, no “sincere friend” of America can “look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric” and remain silent.
I urge you to reinstate language protecting the pillar of religious freedom into SF4249 / HF 4021.
Sincerely,
Karin Miller
Praying mightily in the Spirit! Just remember ~ "God's not dead!" Nor will He ever be anymore since His death and Resurrection!
Daily action grounded in hope, faith, and the constitution. They want us divided... but this is bringing us together, stronger.