I saw the national news about the Georgia governor vetoing the religious rights protection bill or whatever it was called. Depending on what news source you read, it was either a triumph of goodwill towards persecuted minorities and the gay/lesbian community or the beginning of open season on churches and pastors.
I'm not freaking out, even though the bill apparently would have provided legal protection for pastors if someone attempted to force them to perform gay weddings or force a church to host one. This is why:
When I worked at Little Caesar's pizza when I was in college, there were some rather interesting guys that made the pizzas. We, like most businesses, had repeat customers, some of whom were very rude and condescending. Well, those folks received "special" treatment.
If a customer was abusive or angry or anything like that, it was no stretch to say that certain things happened to their pizza before it was delivered. I would leave that to your imagination as to the details, but one thing I learned- when you are wanting the services of someone, you'd better be kind to them.
That's why I shook my head when I heard about gay couples suing a wedding cake company. There is no way on EARTH I would have ever eaten a piece of that cake. I saw what the pizza guys did to rude customers' orders. There is no telling what kind of cake you would be getting if you sued the person making it. All I know is that if you were at that wedding and ate a piece of the cake, you need to see your doctor immediately.
In WWII, the German high command forced concentration camp victims to make ammunition for the Wehrmacht (German army). When guards weren't looking, the slave laborers would fill the bullets with sand instead of gunpowder. American GI's can all tell you that the number of duds- unexploded artillery shells, potato mashers (grenades), etc was MUCH higher than normal. The "workers" resisted by sabotaging what they were being forced to do. They didn't just lay down. They resisted. They found a way to fight even under the threat of punishment and death.
The gay/lesbian community would be incredibly foolish to sue a pastor or a church and force them to perform a wedding. Why? Same reason the German army shouldn't have forced slave laborers to make ammunition for them- you don't threaten people you need. They'll find a way to fight back.
The pastor would show up an hour late, dressed in shorts and a wife-beater t-shirt with Billy Bob teeth instead of a suit.
The pastor would do the service in Spanish, or German, or Pig-Latin.
The flowers would mistakenly be watered with bleach instead of water the night before.
The pastor would lose the marriage license.
The pastor would preach a two-hour sermon, reading from the book of Leviticus about everyone who begat someone else, eventually getting around to something having to do with weddings.
The A/C units would mysteriously stop working, especially if it were a summer wedding. Same with the heating unit for a winter wedding.
The toilets would mysteriously stop up.
The reception tables would all of a sudden be missing screws and brackets.
I could go on.
See, pastors, you don't need to freak out. You're holding all the cards. If they need your services, or intend to force you against your beliefs and against your will to participate, you are still in control. A few "weddings" like I described above would be all it would take to stop the lawsuits and agenda. Get creative. I'm sure you can think of better things than I was able to come up with. Just sabotage it. Make it miserable for the couple. Let them encounter resistance at every turn. Be late. Be sloppy. Be unprofessional. Forget details. Turn off the water to the building. Make significant mistakes on the wedding license, so it will have to be returned and done over again. Postpone the wedding several times. Get the flu the day of the wedding. If, like me, you require marriage counseling sessions before marriage, miss those appointments. Have someone hold a lighter to the smoke detector during the ceremony so the service will have to be interrupted by fire fighters. Send the marriage license to the wrong county in the wrong state so it gets lost.
In other words, make it NOT WORTH THEIR EFFORT TO FORCE YOU TO VIOLATE YOUR CONSCIENCE. Make their experience so miserable, so taxing, so time-consuming, so terrible, that they decide it isn't worth the effort. Make their wedding so awful, so miserable, so cluster-you-know-what that all of their courtroom time, all their plans, all their forcing of agenda will simply not be worth it.
This is the way all people who try to force pastors to violate their conscience and convictions should be treated. There is nothing in the Bible that commands pastors or Christians to roll over and play dead in the face of tyranny, in the face of violating your conscience, in the face of being forced to do something you believe runs contrary to your beliefs.
Some people will say that's not very loving, that pastors should just be loving and kind and treat all people with respect and dignity. That's true. We should be loving and kind and treat all people with respect and dignity. However, that doesn't mean you participate willingly in something you believe to be wrong. There is a time for peace and a time for war, the Bible says. There is a time to compromise and a time to hold fast to your beliefs. If someone declares war on you- on your name, your reputation, on your livelihood, your freedom, your church- it's time to go to war. It's time to fight. It's time to stand up and not be a doormat. The weapons I've described above- nonviolent weapons of sabotage and civil disobedience- are the ones to fight with. War has been declared. So go to war.
When I hear of bills like this being vetoed, I do little more than yawn. Pastors, you are still holding all the cards.
I'm not freaking out, even though the bill apparently would have provided legal protection for pastors if someone attempted to force them to perform gay weddings or force a church to host one. This is why:
When I worked at Little Caesar's pizza when I was in college, there were some rather interesting guys that made the pizzas. We, like most businesses, had repeat customers, some of whom were very rude and condescending. Well, those folks received "special" treatment.
If a customer was abusive or angry or anything like that, it was no stretch to say that certain things happened to their pizza before it was delivered. I would leave that to your imagination as to the details, but one thing I learned- when you are wanting the services of someone, you'd better be kind to them.
That's why I shook my head when I heard about gay couples suing a wedding cake company. There is no way on EARTH I would have ever eaten a piece of that cake. I saw what the pizza guys did to rude customers' orders. There is no telling what kind of cake you would be getting if you sued the person making it. All I know is that if you were at that wedding and ate a piece of the cake, you need to see your doctor immediately.
In WWII, the German high command forced concentration camp victims to make ammunition for the Wehrmacht (German army). When guards weren't looking, the slave laborers would fill the bullets with sand instead of gunpowder. American GI's can all tell you that the number of duds- unexploded artillery shells, potato mashers (grenades), etc was MUCH higher than normal. The "workers" resisted by sabotaging what they were being forced to do. They didn't just lay down. They resisted. They found a way to fight even under the threat of punishment and death.
The gay/lesbian community would be incredibly foolish to sue a pastor or a church and force them to perform a wedding. Why? Same reason the German army shouldn't have forced slave laborers to make ammunition for them- you don't threaten people you need. They'll find a way to fight back.
The pastor would show up an hour late, dressed in shorts and a wife-beater t-shirt with Billy Bob teeth instead of a suit.
The pastor would do the service in Spanish, or German, or Pig-Latin.
The flowers would mistakenly be watered with bleach instead of water the night before.
The pastor would lose the marriage license.
The pastor would preach a two-hour sermon, reading from the book of Leviticus about everyone who begat someone else, eventually getting around to something having to do with weddings.
The A/C units would mysteriously stop working, especially if it were a summer wedding. Same with the heating unit for a winter wedding.
The toilets would mysteriously stop up.
The reception tables would all of a sudden be missing screws and brackets.
I could go on.
See, pastors, you don't need to freak out. You're holding all the cards. If they need your services, or intend to force you against your beliefs and against your will to participate, you are still in control. A few "weddings" like I described above would be all it would take to stop the lawsuits and agenda. Get creative. I'm sure you can think of better things than I was able to come up with. Just sabotage it. Make it miserable for the couple. Let them encounter resistance at every turn. Be late. Be sloppy. Be unprofessional. Forget details. Turn off the water to the building. Make significant mistakes on the wedding license, so it will have to be returned and done over again. Postpone the wedding several times. Get the flu the day of the wedding. If, like me, you require marriage counseling sessions before marriage, miss those appointments. Have someone hold a lighter to the smoke detector during the ceremony so the service will have to be interrupted by fire fighters. Send the marriage license to the wrong county in the wrong state so it gets lost.
In other words, make it NOT WORTH THEIR EFFORT TO FORCE YOU TO VIOLATE YOUR CONSCIENCE. Make their experience so miserable, so taxing, so time-consuming, so terrible, that they decide it isn't worth the effort. Make their wedding so awful, so miserable, so cluster-you-know-what that all of their courtroom time, all their plans, all their forcing of agenda will simply not be worth it.
This is the way all people who try to force pastors to violate their conscience and convictions should be treated. There is nothing in the Bible that commands pastors or Christians to roll over and play dead in the face of tyranny, in the face of violating your conscience, in the face of being forced to do something you believe runs contrary to your beliefs.
Some people will say that's not very loving, that pastors should just be loving and kind and treat all people with respect and dignity. That's true. We should be loving and kind and treat all people with respect and dignity. However, that doesn't mean you participate willingly in something you believe to be wrong. There is a time for peace and a time for war, the Bible says. There is a time to compromise and a time to hold fast to your beliefs. If someone declares war on you- on your name, your reputation, on your livelihood, your freedom, your church- it's time to go to war. It's time to fight. It's time to stand up and not be a doormat. The weapons I've described above- nonviolent weapons of sabotage and civil disobedience- are the ones to fight with. War has been declared. So go to war.
When I hear of bills like this being vetoed, I do little more than yawn. Pastors, you are still holding all the cards.
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