2015-04-02 Montana: Religious Freedom or State-Sanctioned Bigotry

[Rev.Cambeul]

Kristen Inbody, kinbody@greatfallstribune.com | Great Falls Tribune | 2 April 2015

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/03/27/house-kills-religious-referendum-bill/70572322

HELENA – The Montana House killed with a 50-50 vote a bill that aimed to put before the voters a constitutional referendum supporters said protected religious freedom and opponents said paved the way for discrimination.

Extract: Sponsor Rep. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, said his House Bill 615 echoes the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, adopted in 1993. He called his bill an "exclamation point" on religious freedoms already in the national and state constitutions.

Rep. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula, asked his fellow legislators how many times they have ever had to consider how close they sat next to their significant other out of fear it would change the way people treated them — or even whether they would be served.

"I could be refused service because of who I love or fired from my job if I put a picture of my partner on my desk," he said. "I could be kicked out of my home because of someone's religious views."

"Read the White Man's Bible or I'll stomp your nigger loving ass!"

Rep. Margie MacDonald, D-Billings, holds a copy of the "White Man's Bible" by Ben Klassen, founder of the Church of the Creator and advocate for racial holy war. A proposed bill to put before the voters a constitutional amendment about religious freedom would have the unintended consequence of legitimizing even the most hateful of religious beliefs, such as those held by hate groups, MacDonald told the Montana House of Representatives during debate Friday.

The bill would allow public officials to ignore laws based on "sincerely held religious beliefs," which in the past has been used to refuse marriage licenses to mixed-race couples, Hill said. Glimm's bill could be used to refuse gay couples the same thing.

"This is state-sanctioned racism," Hill said. [more ...]