The Religious Liberty Task Force established by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions comes at a pivotal moment in history. That’s because American Christians are being persecuted on U.S. soil.
We live in a time when secular and left-wing forces are emulating those of brutal anti-Christian regimes abroad. In Turkey, North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson is being held captive for speaking out against the Erdogan government’s atrocities that include genocide. In India, police officials take Christians hostage and ransom them for money.
While the Trump Administration fights tooth and nail for the release and fair treatment of Christian Americans abroad, people of faith continue to be wronged for their devotion to God at home.
Christian Farmers Held Hostage for Permit Money
The U.S. Constitution may specifically grant everyday Americans the right to freedom of religion, speech and assembly, but secular forces in Pennsylvania don’t agree.
Scott and Terri Fetterolf, who own and operate a 32-acre family farm in Borough of Sewickley Heights, were slapped with a cease and desist order for holding gatherings of fellowship. The Borough claims their private property “was being used improperly as a place of worship, a place of assembly and as a commercial venue and ‘special studio or school.’”
The local government has been holding the Fetterolf’s religious liberty hostage in the courts. Officials expect them to go through a public hearing process and then pay $500 for a permit to conduct Bible study and Christian gatherings. The couple has filed an appeal and enlisted the help of a pro-religious rights attorney.
“What they’re doing here is they are requiring them to make a request with the zoning board and get permission to hold a Bible study… require them to go through a public hearing to receive permission… and that kind of prior restraining is unconstitutional and infringing on their right to freely exercise their religion,” Independence Law Center senior counsel Jeremy Samek reportedly said.
“I don’t seek to sue my borough and cause taxes to go up. I’m just trying to live my life,” Terri Fetterolf reportedly said.
Currently, the local government has banned religious gatherings at the couple’s privately-owned farm until it gets money.
Army Chaplain Faces Jail Time for Christian Beliefs
A U.S. Army chaplain has been hit with allegations of a dereliction of duty charge for not taking a same-sex couple on a religious retreat.
U.S. Army Chaplain Maj. Scott Squires could face up to six months behind bars in a military prison despite the fact he told the lesbian couple they could participate in the following retreat with a different chaplain. The Southern Baptist Major Squires is being brought up on charges based on what legal experts say amounts to a technicality.
The female soldier who requested entrance into the Strong Bonds marriage retreat filed a sexual orientation discrimination claim against the chaplain. The claim has only technical merits because she was not denied service. The charge says Squires simply did not follow proper Army policy and protocol. Chaplain Squires disagrees and reportedly says Army policy was followed.
Chaplains endorsed by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention are prohibited from providing such services to same-sex marriages. In such instances, religious and secular rights often clash and the Squire’s assistant, SSG Kacie Griffin, also faces charges. The pair are being represented by First Liberty Institute attorneys.
“The United States Army, acting under the command of Major General Sonntag, is threatening to punish one of its chaplains because he followed the rules,” Mike Berry of First Liberty reportedly said. “The Army, or Congress, must hold Major General Sonntag accountable for allowing this aggressive anti-religious hostility against its military chaplains to occur under his command.”
First Liberty attorneys point to the fact that Squires complied with Army regulations and Southern Baptist Convention guidance by promptly rescheduling “the marriage retreat with a new chaplain within three business days for the sole purpose of ensuring the same-sex couple could attend.”
Georgia Rep. Doug Collins was quick to support Squires’ skillful handling of the conflict.
“The case of Chaplain Scott Squires highlights how imperative it is that we protect freedom of conscience for every individual in the U.S. military — including the chaplains who minister to them as they carry out the military’s mission together,” Rep. Collins reportedly said.
“The process surrounding this investigation remains extremely concerning, and Army officials now have the opportunity to deliver a swift, fair resolution after months of prolonging the case.”
The country has been rocked by secular and atheist individuals and groups seeking to impose anti-Christian values through unconstitutional laws and technicalities. The federal Religious Liberty Task Force will have its hands full protecting Christian values from persecution on American soil.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
