Announcement

Collapse

Prayer Requests and Praise Reports Guidelines

Post your prayers, your words of encouragement, edification and help to another in this thread.

This area is strictly non-debate, all faiths or non-faiths are allowed.

Please keep in mind the rules: here
See more
See less

HB 3567 - Clergy Protection Bill

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • HB 3567 - Clergy Protection Bill

    I'm on a conference call right now with the Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas, some Texas political leaders, and a number of Pastors - most notably those who were involved in the Houston Religious Freedom battle.

    This is NOT for debate, but for prayer. HB 3567 (the "Clergy Protection Bill") is a bill that would protect Pastors and Churches from government pressure or requirement to perform weddings for gays/lesbians or to have our Church Buildings be used for purposes that violate our deeply held religious beliefs, etc.

    I will be in Austin all day Wednesday with these other Pastors and politicians - and there should be a public hearing on this bill later in the day. There will be a meeting of Pastors on the South steps of the Capitol at Noon on Wednesday, and a Press Conference at noon-thirty (or so).

    Much of this is in response to Mayor Parker's threat to subpoena Pastors' notes, sermons, sermon preparation, discussions of meetings, etc....

    Please pray about this.

    Thanks
    Last edited by Cow Poke; 04-20-2015, 03:58 PM.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

  • #2
    Here is the text of the Bill....

    A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

    AN ACT
    relating to the rights of certain religious organizations and
    individuals relating to a marriage that violates a sincerely held
    religious belief.
    BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    SECTION 1. Chapter 2, Family Code, is amended by adding
    Subchapter G to read as follows:
    SUBCHAPTER G. FREEDOM OF RELIGION WITH RESPECT TO RECOGNIZING OR
    PERFORMING CERTAIN MARRIAGES
    Sec. 2.601. RIGHTS OF CERTAIN RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. A
    religious organization, an organization supervised or controlled
    by or in connection with a religious organization, an individual
    employed by a religious organization while acting in the scope of
    that employment, or a clergy or minister may not be required to
    solemnize any marriage, provide services, accommodations,
    facilities, goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the
    solemnization, formation, or celebration of any marriage, or treat
    any marriage as valid for any purpose if the action would cause the
    organization or individual to violate a sincerely held religious
    belief.
    Sec. 2.602. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION
    PROHIBITED. A refusal to provide services, accommodations,
    facilities, goods, or privileges under Section 2.601 is not the
    basis for a civil or criminal cause of action or any other action by
    this state or a political subdivision of this state to penalize or
    withhold benefits or privileges, including tax exemptions or
    governmental contracts, grants, or licenses, from any protected
    organization or individual.
    SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
    a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
    provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
    Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
    Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #3

      Comment


      • #4
        The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

        [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

        Comment


        • #5
          Prayers
          A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
          George Bernard Shaw

          Comment


          • #6

            Comment


            • #7
              3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures --1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (borrowed with gratitude from 37818's sig)

              Comment


              • #8

                Comment


                • #9
                  That's what
                  - She

                  Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
                  - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

                  I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
                  - Stephen R. Donaldson

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                    I'm on a conference call right now with the Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas, some Texas political leaders, and a number of Pastors - most notably those who were involved in the Houston Religious Freedom battle.

                    This is NOT for debate, but for prayer. HB 3567 (the "Clergy Protection Bill") is a bill that would protect Pastors and Churches from government pressure or requirement to perform weddings for gays/lesbians or to have our Church Buildings be used for purposes that violate our deeply held religious beliefs, etc.

                    I will be in Austin all day Wednesday with these other Pastors and politicians - and there should be a public hearing on this bill later in the day. There will be a meeting of Pastors on the South steps of the Capitol at Noon on Wednesday, and a Press Conference at noon-thirty (or so).

                    Much of this is in response to Mayor Parker's threat to subpoena Pastors' notes, sermons, sermon preparation, discussions of meetings, etc....

                    Please pray about this.

                    Thanks


                    Here in Georgia a minister/pastor/priest can refuse to perform a wedding for virtually any reason. Several years ago a friend of mine was refused by two ministers because he and his fiance had only known each other for three months and they didn't think that they were ready to get married yet.

                    Btw, that was sixteen years, and two children ago. They remain happily married.

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment


                    • #11


                      At my church they won't perform a wedding unless the couple are both members of the church and have undergone a biblical marriage counseling course. And you can't become a member of our church if you are openly practicing sin, like adultery or homosexual behavior.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Sparko View Post


                        At my church they won't perform a wedding unless the couple are both members of the church and have undergone a biblical marriage counseling course. And you can't become a member of our church if you are openly practicing sin, like adultery or homosexual behavior.
                        Yes, we are rewriting our constitution and bylaws to make this clear.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          *reads the bill carefully*

                          Hmm. Hmmm.


                          Middle-of-the-road swing voter. Feel free to sway my opinion.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Update:

                            The Texas Senate system is really strange, but that should be no surprise. We met with the proper committee - about 10 of them and about 250 in the audience. They had about 24 bills to process, and each one of them requires the sponsor to present the bill, then "witnesses" to speak for 3 minutes maximum either for or against.

                            Our bill was about 8th on the list, so we sat there for FIVE HOURS hearing other bills and associated "for" and "against" testimony. Then our bill.

                            OVERWHELMINGLY, the testimony was "for".

                            Here's the strange thing about the "against" testimony - one lady in particular very ANGRILY 'testified' that this was a hate bill, and was just an excuse for a bunch of bigoted pastors to discriminate against gay people. Several times, she accused us of hate, and it was almost comical that SHE was the only one expressing any kind of hatred.

                            Others, oddly enough, who were against the bill were Presbyterian Pastors who claimed that their denomination had approved of doing gay weddings, so they were against the bill. That was really odd, since the bill in NO WAY forces them NOT to do gay weddings - it would simply have no impact on them whatsoever, except they would get to do the weddings that the rest of us declined to do.

                            Testimony went on for over 2 hours - as I said, mostly "for" the bill. I won't know immediately if the bill passes or not, but it appears it will.
                            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                            Comment


                            • #15


                              I bet the Presbyterian Pastors were from PCUSA my old denomination. our congregation voted to disassociate ourselves from PCUSA.

                              Comment

                              Related Threads

                              Collapse

                              Topics Statistics Last Post
                              Started by whag, 03-21-2024, 11:19 AM
                              2 responses
                              27 views
                              4 likes
                              Last Post Littlejoe  
                              Started by Thoughtful Monk, 02-11-2024, 02:47 PM
                              5 responses
                              53 views
                              2 likes
                              Last Post Thoughtful Monk  
                              Started by mossrose, 11-24-2023, 02:46 PM
                              32 responses
                              215 views
                              1 like
                              Last Post rogue06
                              by rogue06
                               
                              Working...
                              X