Religion
Related: About this forumTennessee Bill Would Give Anti-Bullying Laws A ‘Religious And Political Beliefs’ Loophole
A proposed bill in Tennessee would create a loophole in the states anti-bullying laws to protect those expressing religious, philosophical or political beliefs, which one proponent says would ensure that people can still express their views on homosexuality.
The proposed bill would amend the states current anti-bullying laws to specify that the anti-bully policy should not be construed or interpreted to infringe upon the First Amendment rights of students and shall not prohibit their expression of religious, philosophical, or political views as long as theres no physical threat or threat to another students property.
David Fowler, a former Republican state Senator and current Christian activist, is pushing for the legislature to take up the bill in the new year after it stalled before the end of the last session. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Fowler sent out a newsletter for his group the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT) in December that said he wants to make sure [the law] protects the religious liberty and free speech rights of students who want to express their views on homosexuality.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/tn_bill_would_give_anti-bullying_laws_a_religious.php
Lint Head
(15,064 posts)So if you are religious it's OK to bully people. What a load of shit.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)To say otherwise makes YOU the bigot.
<---- for those that need it.
Lint Head
(15,064 posts)Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)I guess...or something like that. I haven't quite figured that out yet.
Sal316
(3,373 posts)I went round and round with Gary Glenn of the Michigan chapter of the AFA] about this exact subject about a little over a year ago.
What these moral crusaders forget is how easy it is to go from their position of "love the sinner, hate the sin" to harassing/bullying someone because of who they are and what they represent in the minds of the bully.
Harassing kids about being gay, badgering a kid with scripture because (s)he's gay, or anything of the like is not, I repeat, NOT "religious liberty".
It's bullying.
Plain and simple.
Response to cleanhippie (Original post)
Post removed
Silent3
(15,265 posts)This, and similar harassment, is exactly what these good Christians want to protect after all.
LeftishBrit
(41,210 posts)can the anti-bullying laws have a loophole to allow me to bully right-wingers?
It makes just as much sense: 'If I don't like someone's views or actions, I should have the religious liberty to bully them!'