CREEDE HINSHAW: Religious liberty in Georgia and in Cuba

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN GEORGIA: Georgia lawmakers have begrudgingly accepted gay marriage is the law of the land. But they are continuing their fight on another front by touting “religious liberty” in House Bill 757 after untold hours of backroom negotiation. The bill was sprung on legislators without warning and passed with very little debate.

Two parts of the bill are laughable: First, pastors are “protected” from having to officiate at gay weddings, a protection already constitutionally mandated. Second, Georgia citizens are legally protected from being forced to attend a gay wedding. I’m sure this comes as a huge relief to those who were fearful of receiving a certified mail summons to attend such a ceremony and bring a gift.

Another section of the bill allows churches and religious agencies to refuse to serve or hire gay people. This right may already be protected by law, although I assume that any agency receiving any federal money would be obligated to follow federal non-discrimination laws. But other parts of the law seem to open ominous new fronts that would allow Georgians to freely discriminate against almost anybody by citing religious principles.

Some highly visible conservative religious groups oppose this bill because it is too watered down. They wanted a law giving ordinary citizens the right to turn their backs on gay and lesbian persons. Also decrying the bill are gay and lesbian advocacy groups, many churches and pastors and leading Georgia businesses who oppose all forms of discrimination. Both liberals and conservatives opposed what our inept lawmakers have written.

Georgians’ religious liberty is already protected. We don’t need extraneous laws with unforeseen consequences. Gov. Deal, who opposed an earlier version of the bill, wisely vetoed this effort earlier this week, frustrating ardent opponents in his own party. Deal – along with those lawmakers in his own party who had the courage to oppose the bill – deserve this state’s gratitude. Georgia maintains its religious liberty without the added hypocrisy of a bill that would have been a real step backward.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN CUBA: President Obama, accompanied by Republican and Democrat senators, recently made a trip to Cuba. Nobody would conclude that Cubans have the same freedom that we have in the United States. There is no telling how many Cubans are imprisoned for opposing the Castro regime.

But it’s not easy to understand how Cuba works. The Cuban Catholic Church is a vital institution that has been a major player in working on rapprochement. At the same time, a group of determined Cuban women known as The White Ladies have protested after church each Sunday for justice for imprisoned family members. They remain a visible symbol of how far Cuba has yet to go in giving basic human rights.

Whether the Cuban people are best served by the U.S. maintaining or ending an almost 60-year embargo is up for a conscientious debate. But all Americans can stand with Cubans who yearn for the freedoms we enjoy here.

Email columnist Creede Hinshaw, a retired Methodist minister, at [email protected].