Dobson rips 'thinly veiled death sentence to 1st Amendment'

There was the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision in 1857, which endorsed slavery.

Then there was the abortion-right-creating Roe v. Wade high court ruling which had a foundation so shaky that even the justice who authored the majority opinion expressed doubts.

Now it's the U.S. Congress, where the House last week adopted the Equality Act.

It is nothing less than "a thinly veiled death sentence to the First Amendment to the Constitution," James Dobson Family Institute founder James Dobson warned on Monday.

"In the history of our nation, there have been times when evil was so apparent – and so heinous – that they stand in infamy decades later. They include the Dred Scott Decision on slavery in 1857, and the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in 1973. Now, we are faced with another such tragic moment in American history," he said.

The Equality Act would embed the LGBT agenda in U.S. law. It specifically would make the Constitution's protections for religious freedom of no account when in conflict with LGBT rights.

"A few days ago, May 17th, Democrats in the House of Representatives passed what they call The Equality Act of 2019, which is breathtaking in its scope," Dobson explained. "If it survives a vote in the Senate, this legislation will represent one of the most egregious assaults on religious liberty ever foisted on the people of this great nation. It therein imposes a thinly veiled death sentence to the First Amendment of the Constitution, and takes away the protections against tyranny handed down to us by our founding fathers.

"It was this unyielding commitment to religious liberty that led to the American Revolution in 1776. The pastors and the patriots of that day died to free themselves from British imperialism. Thank God for the men who stood courageously against the most powerful military in the world, because freedom meant more to them than their own lives."

But Dobson warned: "Let me speak candidly and passionately to people of faith throughout these United States of America. We must not remain silent as our historic liberties are gutted by Democrats and their friends in the LGBT movement. They will enslave us if they prevail! We must let our voices be heard, first in the U.S. Senate, and then to the world.

"Viva liberty! Viva the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Viva biblical values and beliefs. And woe to those who would take them from us."

When the House by a vote of majority Democrats, adopted the proposal, sending it on to the Senate, WND reported the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., said it nullifies "woman and girls as a coherent legal category worth of civil rights protections."

"It could endanger millions of American women, undermine fundamental American rights to faith in both religion and science and actively put children at risk by medicalizing them in harmful, permanent ways – without parental involvement," he said.

Among other impacts: It would destroy women's athletics by allowing men who say they are women to participate at all levels. It would force the Catholic Church to allow a woman to become a priest, irrespective of church policy. It would force religious employers to pay for insurance for "gender transition" and other procedures that "violate biblical teaching." And it would nullify the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by preventing people from using religious freedom as a defense against LGBT demands that contradict their faith.

WND reported a letter from 21 Christian leaders to Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and Senate declared their "adamant" opposition to the "poorly named Equality Act."

"We the undersigned cannot remain silent concerning a dangerous bill pending in Congress known as the Equality Act (H.R. 5). Not only is it incompatible with God's Word (the Bible) and the historic teaching of the church, but the Equality Act is also riddled with threats to religious liberty and the sanctity of human life," they wrote.

Signatories included Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, former Rep. Michele Bachmann, Paul Blair of Reclaiming America for Christ, Stephen Broden of Fair Park Bible Fellowship, Times Square Church Pastor Carter Conlon, James Dobson of the James Dobson Family Institute, Jim Garlow of Well Versed, Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse, Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist in Texas, Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, Harry Jackson Jr. of International Communion of Evangelical Churches and Robert Jeffress of First Baptist in Dallas.