‘IF IT COMES TO CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, SO BE IT’

Pat Buchanan calls for a stand on ‘God-given right and constitutional principle’

Pat Buchanan
WND.com

Conservative leader Pat Buchanan is urging Christians to fight the “LGBT fanatics” who are demanding they betray their faith, even if it means civil disobedience.

And the conservative grassroots is showing signs it is ready for a showdown, supporting a pizzeria targeted by left-wing activists with donations rapidly approaching $1 million.

In an exclusive interview with WND, Buchanan, the author of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?” and other bestsellers, spoke on the controversy over the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Buchanan forcefully condemned defeatism among social conservatives and rejected retreat or even compromise. Instead, the one-time presidential contender and Reagan White House aide urged Christians to put the laws of God above the laws of man.

“This battle can be won, but it cannot be won if we do not stand our ground and fight against this moral onslaught from the left,” he said. “The hill to stand on and fight on is the God-given natural right and the constitutional principle that people of faith may choose not to associate with those whose actions are abhorrent and whose lifestyle is insulting and offensive to that faith.”

Buchanan dismissed arguments that “gay”-rights activists are simply asking for political freedom or the same rights as any other citizen.

“The LGBT militants are not asking to be left alone,” he said. “They are demanding that we accept the morality of homosexuality and same-sex marriages, and manifest that acceptance, under pain of law and sanctions, in our daily lives.”

What’s America’s future going to be? Pat Buchanan offers his opinion in “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?”

Buchanan added, “As the Romans demanded of the Christians, the LGBT fanatics want us to burn incense to their gods. The answer is no. If it comes to civil disobedience, so be it.”

It’s not the first time “civil disobedience” has been mentioned in the context of looming mandates regarding same-sex marriage.

WND recently reported a team of prominent Christian leaders worked on a statement to inform the public – including justices on the U.S. Supreme Court who soon will hear arguments on the issue – that they will engage in civil disobedience rather than follow a ruling that establishes homosexual marriage in the United States.

Two justices, Elena Kagan and Ruth Ginsburg, already have made public statements in support of gay marriage by performing ceremonies.

Among those leading the charge are James Dobson of Family Talk Radio, Rick Scarborough of Vision America Action, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel and James Robison of Life Today, whose new publication called The Stream reported on a telephone conference call discussing the issue.

Stream Executive Editor Jay Richards told WND there were about 20 other Christian leaders on the call. He said members of Congress have expressed an interest in the plan.

“We’re taking a very adamant stand,” he said. “If the court declares same-sex marriage to be on the same par as a civil right, that’s a bridge too far. We won’t obey. We’ll go to jail.”

Dobson, who publicly warned Obama he would not submit to mandatory payments for abortion – said Christians must stand together against the clearly unbiblical same-sex marriage.

“We will be attacked from every direction,” Dobson said in the report in the the Stream, “and critics will do all they can to weaken and embarrass us, but so what?”

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“Are we going to sit on our reputations and go to our graves without having played a role? This is Roe v. Wade all over again. I am standing shoulder to shoulder with all who will stand up for God’s Word concerning marriage. We don’t know all of the steps that must be taken, but God will reveal His will. To the extent that I am able to influence anybody, I will do it with passion,” Dobson said.

Buchanan continued: “As Aquinas wrote, we do not have to obey immoral or unjust laws. We should defy them. And support the brave people who do.”

Grassroots conservatives around the country are already following this advice with their enthusiastic financial support of Memories Pizza. The small business has been targeted by death threats and hostile media coverage after the owners said they would decline to cater a same-sex wedding. As of this writing, a GoFundMe page created by the Blaze has raised almost $1 million from more than 30,000 donors.

However, even as grassroots conservatives rallied, Republican politicians such as Gov. Mike Pence were in full retreat. He signed a revised version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Thursday containing changes that pro-family activists say are actually worse than passing no law at all.

Republican presidential candidates such as Jeb Bush are also shifting their positions. According to audio tapes obtained by the New York Times, the former Florida governor told a meeting of donors “we shouldn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation” and suggested Indiana should have come up with a “better approach” to protecting religious freedom.

Michael Brown, an expert who holds a Ph.D. from New York University and has researched and written a number of books on homosexuality, says he is not surprised by the reaction of Republican politicians. And, like Buchanan, Brown warns Christians will have no choice but to resist or submit.

“This is what we’ve been saying for years. Those who came out of the closet now want to put us in the closet,” he said. “This is not a matter of tolerance and diversity. This is a matter of ‘My way or the highway.’ And the lesson is clear: If you throw enough of a fit, conservatives will capitulate.”

Brown, the author of a history of the homosexual rights movement, “A Queer Thing Happened to America: And What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been,” argues, “It’s time for people of conscience around the nation to wake up and say, ‘Enough is enough.’

“We will treat everyone with civility and respect, but the government or the media or popular pressure will not force us to violate our convictions and beliefs. You will not steal our religious freedoms.”

In response to the Indiana controversy, pro-family activists are pushing the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, which would bar government discrimination against individuals or groups that support traditional marriage.

But Brown said conservative statesmen need to go further by boldly defending religious freedom and the views of their constituents.

“This is the time for politicians to make clear that they will not bow down to the pressure of the misinformation mobs. They will stand up for what is right and propagate the truth until the bullies are exposed,” he said.

WND, reporting earlier on the issue of civil disobedience, noted Staver said: “Immediately, when elevated to that level of a constitutionally protected category, [same-sex marriage] is given the same status as race. What you cannot legally do with respect to race, you will not be able to do legally with respect to same-sex unions and sexual immorality.

“Think of race in the context of religious expression or conscience expression and replace it with sexual immorality, transsexualism or so-called gender identity. For example, churches and other religious organizations are exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of federal, state or local nondiscrimination laws. But they are not exempted from the race provisions. So Catholics can hire Catholics, and Baptists can hire Baptists, but they cannot hire only ‘white’ Catholics or only ‘white’ Baptists. They would face significant penalties. You can’t have separate restrooms or drinking fountains for people of a different color. If a church did that they would be liable for a significant amount of damages because of discrimination on the basis of race.

“Same-sex marriage or laws including sexual orientation or gender identity as a non-discrimination category directly impact religious organizations and churches. If a man wants to use the women’s restroom and a church official told him he could not, then that act would be like telling people of color they cannot use the ‘white only’ restroom. You will also have the same issues with tax exemption over sexual preference as you have now over race,” he said.