By Rep. Ben Davis
For all the radical things Democrats have done with full control of the Capitol during the last year, what happened last Thursday might top it all.
That was the day House Democrats officially blew Minnesota’s separation of church and state out of the water. That was the day they openly declared war on religion, saying the state’s view trumps your religious beliefs.
As a proud American, this cuts to my core because religious freedom is the very foundation upon which our republic was built. As a pastor, this weighs on my heart because I am proud the word of God guides my conscience.
But what happened Thursday is almost incomprehensible in what has been known as the Land of the Free. Here’s a rundown of exactly how House Democrats made it crystal clear that, to them, the state’s views trump your religious beliefs:
Before last year, when gender identity was included (or subsumed) within the Minnesota Human Rights Act’s definition of sexual orientation, the still-existing religious exemption for sexual orientation covered gender identity claims as well. When a new, separate definition of gender identity was created last year, there was no corresponding religious exemption added.
When faith groups first expressed concern over this issue, many assumed this was an oversight, and the department and majority would support a fix to restore the status quo as it existed from 1993-2023. But that fix is missing from the department’s bill presented this year, which is why, at the request of Minnesota’s faith community, a fellow House Republican crafted an amendment to rectify this situation.
The amendment simply restores the religious exemption in the MHRA protecting religious organizations and faith-based schools against claims of gender identity discrimination. The exemption ensures that religious organizations and faith-based schools can, among other things, hire teachers and ministers consistent with their mission and values. Already, at least one faith-based school is facing an employment complaint at the department of human rights because of the removal of the exemption.
Unfortunately, the Democrat majority refused to fix the problem it created and voted down the amendment along party lines. Not only that, but House Democrats plainly stated, for the public record, that there was no mistake. They have purposely declared the state the head of the church in the MHRA.
Serious question: When do pastors have to be concerned about being sued for quoting Jesus from the pulpit on Sunday morning? What if I stand before the congregation and cite Matthew 19:4, which reads: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’”?
This is fundamentally a red alert regarding the direction our state is heading under full control of Democrats. They have called open season on our religious faith while projecting totalitarianism on us all, as if the American Revolution never happened. They have erased the separation of church and state after assuring us for years their anti-discrimination push would spare religious entities.
It’s bad enough that Democrats keep coming for our tax dollars and our guns while legalizing abortion up until the moment of birth, etc. But at least we expect that from them. Now, Democrats have revealed they are coming for our foundational, quintessential American religious freedoms, which is a whole new level of threat.
This is a sad indictment of the soulless, radical Democrat faction that has total control of our government and placed the state over the church.
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