Analysis: What went wrong in the “Religious Freedom” fight in Indiana and Arkansas?

1. Conceding to the LGBT movement’s ideological concepts, language, and demands.

The concepts of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (and the umbrella acronym “LGBT” – lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) are completely phony ideas invented by the sexual radicals to conjure an identity out of sexual and psychological dysfunction. Further, the phrase “sexual orientation” has never (to our knowledge) been defined in federal or state law, so it’s poised to be put to unimaginably horrible new uses in the future. Similarly, homophobia, civil unions, tolerance, and (supposed threats to) safety are all part of the propaganda. Sadly, most in the pro-family movement have shied away from challenging these concepts, so we continue to lose court cases and legislative battles that deal with them. 

2. Refusal to fight passage of LGBT anti-discrimination laws and local ordinances, or demand their repeal.

Starting in the 1990s, the homosexual movement worked tirelessly, spending enormous funds, to get state and local governments to amend their anti-discrimination laws covering public accommodations, employment, housing, public education, etc., to include “sexual orientation.” In recent years there’s been a push to include “gender identity” (cross-dressing, transgenderism, transsexuality) also.

There’s a big strategic reason for that. As Dr. Scott Lively has pointed out for years, these updated laws are the starting point for the whole, brutal legal jihad against Christians and others holding traditional values. Every outrage we’re now seeing -- including the LGBT activism in the schools, targeting of businesses, men using women’s restrooms, sado-masochist/”swinger” conventions in hotels, etc. -- emanates from these laws.

But pro-family people have only recently started to wake up on this. They instinctively realize that citizens should be able to discriminate and refuse to promote or celebrate perversion and “gay”  marriage. But these anti-discrimination laws now make it a crime to do so.

Moreover, because of the emotional force of such laws and the shrewd way they’re portrayed by the opposition as a continuation of the Civil Rights struggle, we now see Republican Governors and conservative commentators swearing they oppose discrimination on the basis of homosexuality or gender identity. Their acquiescence on these laws has set up the very conflict with religious freedom they’re now agonizing over.

Clearly, the targeting of conservative private businesses is part of a strategy to silence all opposition to the LGBT agenda, not because there is any shortage of businesses who will accommodate them. In fact, they publish glossy directories of such “welcoming” companies that are distributed all over the country.

At the same time that the homosexual movement is using the legal system to bludgeon Christian businesses that “discriminate,” they have meticulously published glossy booklets listing “welcoming” pro-homosexual businesses across the country-- especially weddings and flowers.This booklet was passed out at the Spokane, WA airport. See their online presence here.

Why are we not surprised? This "Pride Weddings" ad is bordered by two advertisements for HIV/AIDS programs. Only in the "LGBT" community.

3. Over-focusing on “religious freedom” protections as the solution to this culture clash.

The pro-family focus on “religious freedom” as a protection against the LGBT onslaught is basically a defensive strategy that will eventually be completely eroded.

Certainly, religious freedom is constitutionally guaranteed. But who is to define what is or is not a valid “religious objection”? Or whether a person’s religious objections are due to “sincerely held” beliefs? The RFRA’s leave that up to the court system, and government prosecutors can make strong cases for a “compelling interest” to overpower one’s religious argument.

Take the parents’ rights case of father David Parker and the Lexington, Mass. schools. The federal court dismissed Mr. Parker’s demand (on the basis of his deeply held religious beliefs) to opt his young son out of classroom activities dealing with homosexuality and transgenderism. Why? Because (the court said) since “gay marriage was legal” in Massachusetts, the state needed to instruct all young children to accept homosexuality and “gay marriage” as normal … a “compelling state interest.” This will continue to happen across the country.

More important, falling back on “religious freedom” becomes an excuse to avoid confronting the other side’s destructive concepts and propaganda.

4. “The Church of Nice” versus the Destruction of Society.

If we have to listen to “Love the sinner, hate the sin, ” etc., one more time while the LGBT movement marches through our elementary schools and private businesses, we’re going to jump out the window. If you truly “hate the sin,” you’ll fight against “gay” clubs in the schools, “sexual orientation” non-discrimination laws, and public accommodations protections for LGBT persons. We don’t see that happening.

The bloody Chinese dictator Mao Tse-tung once said that “A revolution is not a tea party.” Well, it’s not a Sunday School class, either.

5. Refusal to be aggressive.

Too many of our people are deathly afraid of being called names (e.g., “bigot”). So they won’t even talk about the well-documented medical, psychological, and emotional dangers of the LGBT lifestyles for fear of offending someone. They want to appear nice and polite, hoping this will win points. They fall back on intellectual arguments. (But few are listening to reason anymore.) They use a “feel-good” political strategy while the other side uses the real thing.

Liberals and LGBT activists are vicious, bullying, lying, hypocritical, angry, and fanatically dedicated. Such a large-scale denial of reality requires it. They have no interest in fairness – only force. Yes, one of their favorite tactics is to attack and brutally libel anyone who disagrees with them. Much of this also has to do with their own self-centeredness and need to feel superior.

We need to take the gloves off and stop being sissies.

6. Not confronting corporations or politicians supporting the LGBT agenda.

Anyone who has been around people in high levels of corporate America can appreciate how loathsome and amoral (and pro-Obama) most of them are these days. It wasn’t always that way. But it is now. So the next logical step for them is aggressively supporting the LGBT agenda against conservative Americans.

Unfortunately, our side has rarely reacted to that, except for an occasional boycott. So it’s an easy choice for corporate leaders. Politicians, even Republicans, have gotten the message that there’s no downside for siding with evil.

And wealthy conservative donors, seeing all this, are afraid to donate to groups fighting this battle. Our side has a lot of work to do.

And if all that is not bad enough …

7. Too much talk, not enough action.

We have often said that the Internet has been a crippling factor for the conservative movement. It allows thousands of individuals to sit back and write endless commentary, and regurgitate and re-send the latest bad news to other conservatives, under the delusion that they are doing something meaningful. Meanwhile, the Left is organized and actually going out and causing real change (for the worse, of course).