The worst part of Michigan’s recently passed anti-bullying law said it was okay to bully kids as long as a person had “a religious or moral reason for doing it.” But thanks to media coverage and a great campaign by State Senator Gretchen Whitmer, a Republican lawmaker has agreed to remove the religious exemptions language from the final bill—praise Jesus, Yaweh, Allah, Buddha, Cthulu, vodka or whichever deity you normally thank.
Mike in Asheville
Celebrate when it is official; in the meantime keep the pressure up. Been fooled before.
Cam
The trouble is, the left for so long has shut up as soon as anybody says “But my religion says so!”
It’s time that that excuse becomes extinct. The U.S. doesn’t allow that excuse when people want to circumcise girls, to take drugs, to beat their kids, etc…
And it is a B.S. excuse for bigotry as well.
Unless somebody is living by EVERY SINGLE DICTATE of their religion I don’t want to hear the lie that their religion is the reason they are bigots.
the crustybastard
The First Amendment guarantees that the government may not restrict your right to believe, say and publish whatever you like, as well as guaranteeing the people’s unconditional right to peaceful political protest, and it also forbids the government from making laws that acknowledge religion, or laws favoring one religion over any other.
The First Amendment doesn’t create or guarantee any right for one person or group to provoke or harass others, nor does it carve out a special right for religious people to behave in ways that are a nuisance to others; including public proselytizing, legislating religious dogma, or otherwise imposing one’s beliefs on nonbelievers.
The language isn’t really that complicated. I’m not sure why it so confuses people.
Blue Montana
I wonder how Fred Phelps and Westboro church will feel about that…..hopefully it will keep them out of michigan so one state is safe from his hate spewing bullshit!
Crysta
The first amendment is VERY clear, your “rights” end, right where someone elses rights begin…
Feel free to say anything you damn well please, as long as you dont step on someone elses rights in the process