Additional Background on Religious Freedom

1. For background about the Hostility to Religion in America see Kelly Shackelford’s book:

https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Undeniable-2017.pdf

Kelly cites that in 2011 there were 600 attacks on religious liberty and in 2016 there were 1400 attacks on religious liberty, an increase of nearly 2 ½ times in 5 years!

2. A Marine Lance Corporal was court-martialed for refusal to remove Bible verses from her desk:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3735124/Monifa-Sterling-court-martialed-putting-Bible-verse-desk-loses-Amendment-appeal-federal-court.html

3. In A Pastor’s Pit, Pastor Preston is charged and indicted with the crime of religious hate speech. While the book is fiction, the author is concerned this scenario could actually become a reality in the United States. Direct attacks on pastors have also occurred in Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Biblical Speech opposing homosexual behavior, including in written form, is essentially a hate crime. The pastor was required to pay $7,500 to two homosexuals who took offense to flyers the pastor was distributing based upon the pastor’s beliefs as set out in the Bible, (plus the legal fees incurred by the Human Rights Commission).

https://christiannews.net/2013/02/28/canadian-supreme-court-rules-biblical-speech-opposing-homosexual-behavior-is-a-hate-crime/

In another Canadian attack, a pastor was arrested in 2019 for preaching the gospel about the Biblical position on homosexuality

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/76681-pastor-arrested-for-preaching-against-homosexuality

4. In 2014, The City of Houston Texas issued a subpoena demanding a group of pastors turn over their sermons dealing with homosexuality or gender identity.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/city-of-houston-demands-pastors-turn-over-sermons