The Trump DOJ writes letter supporting firing of gay faculty from schools

[Behind the Aegis]

Yesterday, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a “Statement of Interest” letter to a court supporting the Archdiocese of Indiana’s firing of a gay teacher from a Catholic school in July 2019.

While the letter isn’t surprising considering the administration’s support of anti-LGBTQ discrimination under the banner of so-called “religious freedom,” many U.S. Catholic schools are taxpayer-funded, essentially meaning that the U.S. government supports using our money to fund schools and other religious entities that oppress us.

When Cathedral High School discovered that guidance counselor Joshua Payne-Elliott was married to his husband, Layton Payne-Elliott, the local Archdiocese directed the school to fire him, and Payne-Elliott subsequently sued the Archdiocese “alleging it illegally interfered with his contractual and employment relationship,” according to the IndyStar.

However, in the DOJ’s letter to the court, Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, writes, “The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of religious institutions and people to decide what their beliefs are, to teach their faith, and to associate with others who share their faith. The First Amendment rightly protects the free exercise of religion.”

more...

[samnsara]

2. maybe no more tax exemptions for church schools..

[Girard442]

3. Seems the First Amendment is getting the Second Amendment treatment.

In a wastebasket somewhere the scissored-out clause "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" rests next to "a well-regulated militia."

[paleotn]

5. Exactly.

[safeinOhio]

4. Have they ever fired someone that was divorced

and remarried. I can't find anything Jesus said about gay people, but he sure said a lot about divorce. That was always the big deal for the Christian Right, until Reagan. He divorced and remarried then introduced no-fault divorce in California. Seems he changed Christianity.

Strange.

[rainin]

6. They simply have no answer for that.

It's amazing how selective they are. Divorce okay. Wealth okay. Even extreme wealth. Deny someone healthcare okay. Christian leaders are the most unprincipled people I now. I'd trust an atheist over a Christian any day.

[safeinOhio]

7. I don't trust those Atheist that worship

the Gospel according to John Galt. I like many Christians that are loving, kind and fair to everyone.

that's just me.

[rainin]

8. I don't know any of those kind loving Christians.

I'm sure they're out there, but I live in a community of hateful church goers. I spent years when my children were young searching for a church home that taught the gospel of Jesus: love, charity, etc. I found the wealth gospel. I found tribalism. I found political centers. I live in a very red community - full of churches, but largely absent of decency IMO. We visited church after church until I quit trying. The situation may be worse than you think. Or maybe, it's glaringly obvious how bad things are by how many self described Christians support trump.

[safeinOhio]

9. I have always found that the Christians I respect most

are the ones that never claim to be Christians. I find that out much later and not by them saying a word about it.

[Trueblue Texan]

10. I've often felt that under the 1st Amendment...

...I should have the right to withhold my tax dollars used to cage mothers, fathers, and children at the border. Everything about that violates my religious sensibilities.

[dickthegrouch]

11. We hold these truths to be self-evident

Morality is for others
Righteousness is our own domain
Planks in our own eyes blind us to our own stupidity
Deflection of our own faults by pointing out those of others is far easier than addressing those we know about
Religions based on the concepts of sin, guilt, and punishment are toxic to human existence.

(Sorry for the mixed metaphors, I'm having trouble putting my fury into words).