FL Sen. Joe Gruters – Pull this immoral bill now!

On March 1, my wife and I received an email from the Christian Family Coalition informing us of a recent bill filed by Florida Republican Senator Joe Gruters that would legally discriminate and persecute Christians. I shared the information on social media along with a meme, “Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Senator Joe Gruters, filed a bill to legalize persecution against Christians!!!”  The Senator from Florida responded, “My bill says you can’t be fired for being gay. Pretty simple.” His response – or lack of – prompted me to right this letter below.

Attorneys at Liberty Counsel did an in depth analysis and found the following:

1. This LGBT bill would allow MEN to use WOMEN’S restrooms. Under the “gender identity” category, biological men can “identify” as a women and use any facility they’d like.
2. The church would be directly targeted. Some churches rent out their facilities for outside weddings. If the church decides not to rent out their facility for homosexual weddings, they would be breaking a law.
3. It’s unconstitutional on its face. Any law prohibiting the exercise of religious liberty goes against the 1st amendment.

The bill (SB 438) https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2019/438/BillText/Filed/PDF

Contact Senator Gruters and tell him to pull this bill now!

https://www.votervoice.net/CFCOALITION/campaigns/63237/respond

March 4, 2019

Senator Joe Gruters
381 Interstate Boulevard
Sarasota, FL 34240

Senator Gruters,

Recently, you filed a bill (SB 438) legalizing discrimination and persecution of Christians who don’t affirm homosexuality and trans-sexuality in the work place. As a supposed conservative and newly elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, I’m shocked at this proposed bill.

First, this legislation is entirely unnecessary as the FL statutes already clearly spell out that discrimination is illegal in all forms to any person. Your legislation, by drawing attention to and emphasizing certain groups, is just infringing on/discriminating against Christian’s religious conscience. The right of conscience was one of the first rights protected in America. The right to believe differently on issues of religious faith is a Christian concept. As John Quincy Adams explained, “Jesus Christ. . . . came to teach and not to compel. His law was a Law of Liberty. He left the human mind and human action free.” William Livingston, signer of the U. S. Constitution further explains , “Consciences of men are not the objects of human legislation . . . The state [does not] have any concern in the matter. For in what manner doth it affect society . . . in what outward form we think it best to pay our adoration to God?”

Second, your bill is unconstitutional, the Preamble of the Florida Constitution reads, “We, the people of the State of Florida, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty” Section 2.  “Basic rights.—All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights.” In God’s eyes,  homosexuality and trans-genderism is not natural. In Genesis 5:2 God’s Word says, “He created them male and female.” However, since they are created in God’s image they do have rights, but not special rights. When you legislate sin, it does not become moral and in a nation under God, He will not be mocked. We must pray and trust in Jesus Christ to produce a new ‘natural’ in the hearts of the LBGTQ community. Hearts are not transformed by legislation of mankind.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5.17)

Senator, I’m praying you will pull this bill now!

“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” -Thomas Jefferson

In the year of our Lord 2019 –
Sincerely, Tom Hughes
President, Alliance for Religious Freedom
www.allianceforreligiousfreedom.com
P.O. Box 571 Marco Island, FL 34146-0571