President Biden’s administration is just over one month old, but there are many developments since Inauguration Day of interest and relevance to the family and the issues we as believers at Focus on the Family care deeply about.
Congress is expected to begin debate this week on H.R. 5 – otherwise known as, “The Equality Act.” The legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”
Don’t be fooled by the title of the bill. It’s not what it sounds like. I’m reminded of what the English writer C.S. Lewis wrote in 1944:
“The demand for equality has two sources; one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest of human emotions. The noble source is the desire for fair play. But the other source is the hatred of superiority.”
People of faith are not superior to anyone – but God’s truth and love guide and direct our opposition to this awful legislation. If enacted, the bill would seriously undermine religious freedom and our rights of conscience.
How so? If passed it would:
- Sanction abortions and remove pro-life protections
- Introduce sexually explicit content in school curriculum across the nation
- Pressure struggling children toward experimental cross-sex hormones and surgery
- Allow males to overpower girls in athletics
- Allow males to enter girls’ locker rooms and women’s shelters
- Close the doors of faith-based foster and adoption agencies
- Deny parental rights in the name of a sexualized political ideology
- Silence people of faith
My friend and former Focus on the Family board member Dr. Al Mohler recently noted, “This bill would represent the greatest threat to religious liberty in decades. This would be the single greatest threat.”
Please contact your representatives and urge them to oppose H.R. 5.
Another troubling piece of legislation in the offing is H.R. 1, or “The Democracy Reform Bill.” In short, the proposed legislation would federalize state elections and consolidate power in the hands of a select few.
Analysts have reviewed the sweeping proposal and determined that if passed, H.R. 1 would:
- Force states to implement early voting, automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, online voter registration and no-fault absentee voting.
- Automatically register all individuals as voters when they become eligible.
- Require states to count ballots cast by voters outside of their voting precinct.
- Prevent election officials from verifying the eligibility of voters.
- Stop states from removing voters from voter rolls due to repeated failures to vote.
- Allow individuals to vote by signing a statement verifying their identity rather than requiring proof of identification (Voter ID).
- Require states to restore the ability of felons to vote as soon as they are released from prison.
- Use taxpayer funds to create a six-to-one match on political contributions up to $200, thereby requiring Americans to fund political candidates they disagree with.
- Allow candidates to take a salary from their campaigns on top of their Congressional salary.
- Require political nonprofits to disclose their donors.
Since the Senate filibuster remains in place and 60 votes will be needed in a body that’s split 50/50, passage of H.R. 1 seems unlikely – at least at this point. But as the old saying goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.”
Lastly, I’ve written before about my opposition to Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s selection for Secretary of Health and Human Services. His confirmation hearing is expected to begin this week.
Mr. Becerra is a lawyer with no medical training nor professional health credentials who is zealous in his support of taxpayer-funded abortion and dogged in his animosity toward pro-life stalwarts. He’s been on the record in his support of partial-birth abortion.
While California’s attorney general, Mr. Becerra has specifically targeted investigative journalist David Daleiden, charging him with 15 felonies for his undercover work exposing the alleged criminality of California’s abortion providers.
Our hearts ache over all three of these developments, because they impact families and individuals made in the image of God. They impact innocent pre-born life. They jeopardize the religious freedom our forefathers established and which our ancestors and relatives have fought and died for over the centuries.
Please join me in praying that these two legislative efforts (H.R. 1 & H.R. 5) and the confirmation of Mr. Becerra will not materialize or be successful.
Our Heavenly Father remains sovereign amidst all the swirling chaos, confusion and discord. We work as “unto the Lord” yet can remain confident in the ultimate outcome.
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