Written by Don Byrd
A proposed constitutional amendment in Missouri would have allowed voters add provisions shielding businesses and individuals from penalty for refusing to provide services for same-sex wedding ceremonies. SJR 39 passed the State Senate in March, but in committee in the House, the bill failed to get a majority. The 6-6 vote effectively kills the legislation this year.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that an “unexpected” no vote was Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Frankford), who happens to be a Baptist. Hansen explained his vote this way:
“You’ve got to look in your heart on how you view this bill,” he said in a shaky voice. “They call it religious freedom. … I feel that I’m free in this country to worship the way I want, and I don’t need a law to tell me how to worship.”
Pausing to gather his emotions, Hansen said, “I put my faith in God. ‘Judge not lest ye be judged.’ I hope that we as a state can deal with this issue in a humane, Christian way. I have family in this situation. But I love ’em. As a Christian, not as their judge, not as his judge.”
Meanwhile, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law legislation that allows counselors and therapists to refuse to treat clients based on “sincerely held principles,” including religious beliefs. The proposal was met with opposition by counseling associations, including groups of Christian counselors who argued this right of refusal violates both their professional and religious standards.
