Faith-Based Groups Sue To Be Excluded From Gay Civil Rights Law

[TechBear_Seattle]

Faith-Based Groups Sue To Be Excluded From Gay Civil Rights Law
by The Associated Press

(Madison, Wisconsin) Religious groups claim in a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin that they are being wrongly excluded from a program that allows state employees to make payroll deductions to charities.

The lawsuit challenges rules that require the charities receiving donations to pledge not to discriminate on the basis of religion or sexual orientation in hiring staff and accepting members.

The Association of Faith-based Organizations claims in the lawsuit filed in Dane County the rule discriminates against groups that require employees, board members and volunteers to share their religious beliefs. Some of them believe homosexuality is a sin.

Steven Aden, a lawyer for the Virginia-based group, said the Wisconsin lawsuit is the first of several across the country that will challenge similar state-run charity programs.

He said the rules allow environmental groups receiving donations to require that their leaders be environmentalists, "but if you're a religious group you cannot require your employees and your volunteers to share your faith? It cuts against religious groups directly."

The article continues at http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/04/040906wisSuit.htm

Wow. I wasn't aware that environmentalists were a persecuted minority in the United States. And suppose the World Church of the Creator ran a charity for whites only and with a requirement to hire only whites. Could they claim exemption from civil rights laws because they believe that being black is a sin?

[Dragonbreathp9d]

1. just abother right wing attempt to put their final solution into place

[BR_Parkway]

2. Can gays sue to be exempted from paying tax that goes to 'faith

based pharisees groups? If so, they're more than welcome not to include me

[sui generis]

3. Oh lovely - so a gay leather daddy bear club can claim exemption

because being a female is a sin?

Weirdly like southern babtism or some sects of islam.

_________________________

The state should have no input on "sin". That should solve it. The law comes FIRST. How hard is that? The order of precedence is 1. human rights 2. civil rights 3. freedom of speech 4. freedom of religion.


Nothing in #4 trumps anything higher in the list. Nothing.

[rodeodance]

4. sorry to se this coming out of Madison, WI-Tammy Baldwin district

[rodeodance]

5. so--this Christian group basically says it is OK to discriminate.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Not only that...

They are claiming it to be their religious duty to discriminate, and that laws prohibiting discrimination are a violation of their First Amendment rights regarding religion and assembly.

[DUHandle]

6. Some info to add

From what I’ve read of this, the excluded groups do not meet some Wisconsin criteria for inclusion.

For example: if a group were to exclude blacks, that group would not be allowed to be the recipient of a payroll deduction.

Some religious groups are already included.

By my read, this is an election thing, since the current governor, a Democrat, is up for reelection.

As of last week, the lawsuit was threatened, but not yet filed.







reason for edit: inclusion, not exclusion

[rodeodance]

8. kick and n.

[bluestateguy]

9. I'll make them a deal

I'll go along with their demands if I can arrange to have my tax dollars NOT be used for the Iraq War.

[BOSSHOG]

10. They want to live in a theocracy so I suggest they pack their bags

and move to Iran where they will live happily ever after with no constitution or liberties for all to contend with.

[kweerwolf]

11. Wait a sec! I thought WE were the ones ...

... demanding "special rights." :think: