Today is Religious Freedom Day, marking the anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. Authored by Thomas Jefferson, the statute served as a model for other states. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also includes the principle of religious freedom protected by the Virginia statute. The statute reads, in part: “Be it enacted by […]
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Fear-Mongering in Plano
Religious-right activists have adopted a consistent strategy in trying to stop or repeal city ordinances barring discrimination against LGBT people: use faith to divide and cultivate fear, hate and contempt. The latest example is in Plano, where in December the City Council passed an ordinance barring discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations. In their […]
Parade of Gun Fanatics at the Texas Capitol
Post by Kory Watkins. This appalling and incredibly offensive video is from the office of Texas state Rep. Poncho Nevárez earlier today, the opening day of the 2015 legislative session in Austin. Issues involving the Second Amendment and gun safety laws aren’t in the Texas Freedom Network’s issue set. But we oppose right-wing fanaticism, including the petulant, […]
Greg Abbott’s Hypocrisy
Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is getting well-deserved criticism for his comments at a conservative forum about city ordinances that ban fracking and disposable plastic bags at stores. Claiming that such measures show that Texas is being “Californianized,” Abbott absurdly argued that they represent intolerable limits on freedom: “That is contrary to my vision for Texas. My vision is one […]
Phony Outrage over Alleged Religious Persecution
Here’s another item for the “we’re not surprised” category: a Texas religious-right group is deceitfully portraying a U.S. Army chaplain as a victim of religious persecution. Liberty Institute, a litigation group based in Plano north of Dallas, is representing Capt. Joseph Lawhorn, an Army chaplain who ran into trouble for essentially evangelizing at a mandatory training on suicide prevention […]
