The really chilling part of…[Frank Bruni’s] statement is the restriction of religious liberty to \u201creligious services or what happens in a church, temple, or mosque.\u201d\u009d This is becoming more and more common, as major political and legal figures speak more and more of \u201cfreedom of worship\u201d\u009d as a replacement for religious liberty. Religious liberty certainly includes freedom of worship, but it by no means stops there.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, when the proponents of same-sex marriage and the new sexual revolution promise even to respect what goes on in a church, temple, or mosque, they evidently cannot keep their arguments straight. In the very same column, Bruni complains that religious congregations are given too much liberty to define their own ministry. He laments that \u201cchurches have been allowed to adopt broad, questionable interpretations of a \u201d\u02dcministerial exception\u2019 to anti-discrimination laws that allow them to hire and fire clergy as they wish.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The front lines of the battle for religious liberty will be at the door of your congregation very soon, if this column is any indication \u201d\u201d and it is. While promising to respect \u201cfreedom of worship,\u201d\u009d Bruni openly implies that congregations should not have the right to hire and fire ministers or clergy on the basis of their sexual orientation or beliefs. What kind of liberty is that?<\/p>\n