Resolution 80:04: Is Living by a Biblical Worldview Becoming Illegal

With the recent Supreme Court of the United States announcement on June 27, 2016, that it left standing a lower court decision that Washington state pharmacists who are Christian must violate their faith in order to practice their profession. “The Supreme Court’s move alarmed Justice Samuel Alito, who warned there was evidence that the ‘impetus for the adoption of the regulations was hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the state.’ ” (Bob Unruh, 6/28/16, in Faith Front Page)

In a Mississippi ruling from Judge Carton Reeves, he said clerks in the state cannot cite their religious beliefs to excuse themselves from issuing “marriage” licenses to homosexual couples.

There are previously documented cases that show a pattern of making it illegal for Christians to live according to their faith, e.g., a county clerk, who was ordered to violate her Christian faith by issuing licenses for same-sex “marriages.” Other examples are rulings against Christian florists, bakers, and wedding planners.

The 80th General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church, meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 5-9, 2016, goes on record as calling for the recognition of our 1st Amendment freedoms given to us by God. When the apostle Paul’s civil rights were violated in Philippi he demanded that those accountable be held responsible for that violation.  It is in keeping with sound scriptural teaching that we insist on those God given rights recognized by our constitution and encourage believers to stand together in the defense of our right to the free exercise of our faith.