Christian Action League
April 23, 2015
Dear Friends,
It was disappointing to hear today the announcement from House Speaker Tim Moore that the NC House will not take up the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The legislation has apparently divided the House GOP caucus and there were not enough votes among members to move the measure forward.
The Speaker told the press this afternoon, “For this session the bill is not going to move…This bill in its current format, at the current time, is not the proper path to go.”
For a short explanation on RFRA, see the end note at the bottom of this alert.
In my entire career of observing legislation and politics, I have never seen a subject about which there has been more misinformation, and even purposeful deception than RFRA. It’s astounding! Gay activists have perpetrated the deception. The media has facilitated the mischaracterizations. In steep ignorance of what RFRA actually does, corporate interests have fostered fear by flexing their political muscle and threatening to retaliate against passage of a RFRA bill.
A bill to protect religious freedom in North Carolina appears to be dead, at least for now. But let me tell you what lawmakers in the House are expected to take up next week – HB 640 Outdoor Heritage Act – legislation to legalize Sunday hunting.
Many of you have contacted your Representative and urged him or her not to pass a bill that allows for Sunday hunting with a firearm. It’s made a difference. I expected the legislation to have already been voted on, but it hasn’t. I would suggest it hasn’t been voted on because its sponsors are struggling to find the necessary votes.
Take Christian Action NOW:
I am urging you to contact your Representative again and tell him or her:
“Don’t add insult to injury. No RFRA – No Sunday hunting! If you choose, for whatever reason, not to pass legislation that we believe will protect our religious liberties; you most assuredly shouldn’t pass legislation that would further diminish the influence of our sacred institutions like ‘the Lord’s Day’ and the ‘Christian Sabbath.’ Sunday is prime time for the indispensable work of our churches and their influence on the culture for good. Certainly lawmakers understand the necessity of legislation that creates a friendly business environment; they should also consider whether their actions create an unfriendly environment that frustrates and compounds the obstructions to the church’s ministries. There are already enough hurdles. To pass Sunday hunting with a firearm under any circumstances just creates one more thing for churches to have to contend with.”
In your contact, you may also want to express your disappointment that RFRA legislation will not be run this year.
STILL, LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!!!!!!
Send your Representative an email or leave a voicemail on their office phone.
Be sure to also tell them your name and address so that they will know that you are one of their constituents.
If you don’t know who your State Representative is, go to WRAL’s Find Your Lawmakers and type in your address.
Once you discover who Represents you in the NC House, if you didn’t already know, you might want to consider contacting them at home. Contacting your Representative while they are at home over the weekend is an excellent time to speak with them about this matter.
Thank you for responding.
God Bless,
Dr. Mark H. Creech
Executive Director
Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
P.S. The Christian Action League will have more information on RFRA as its top story for this week in The CAL Insider. Be sure to watch for it coming in your email’s inbox.
End Note: In recent days, considerable controversy surrounded a RFRA bill that passed in Indiana and was later amended because critics argued it fostered discrimination against gays and lesbians. Gay activists and the media engaged in a major disinformation campaign that was bolstered by corporate interests who spoke against RFRA in error.
Religious freedom laws like RFRA simply restrict the government’s infringement on individual freedoms and work to ensure liberty. Across the country, real people are facing serious threats to their freedoms and even their livelihoods. Both the North Carolina and the federal constitutions identify the right to religious liberty, but RFRA law provides a guideline for the courts and ensures a fair hearing. It doesn’t choose winners or losers. It only requires that if the government interferes with a person’s religious freedom it must show a compelling state interest to do so, and, if it does interfere, it must do so with the least restrictive means possible.
RFRA laws currently exist in 19 states. The hypothetical horrors its opponents have listed against it have not happened in the two decades they’ve been in place. RFRA laws have never fostered discrimination against any demographic or been an impediment to any state’s economy.