Georgia House Bill 757 is sitting on Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk to either be signed or vetoed. The bill provides that “religious officials shall not be required to perform marriage ceremonies, perform rites, or administer sacraments in violation of their legal right to free exercise of religion.”

According to an Associated Press article Wednesday in The Times, the bill is opposed by “Apple, Porsche, Atlanta’s professional sports teams, and the NFL — which has warned the bill could doom Atlanta’s bid to host a Super Bowl.”

Let me remind you that in 2014 the St. Louis Rams announced that Michael Sam, who made history as the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL, was waived and did not make the team’s 53-man roster. Rams coach Jeff Fisher said, “It was a football decision.”

So the NFL allows its teams to make football decisions in regard to gay players but is trying to rob religious officials from making religious decisions in regard to gay marriage.

Wake up America. This is wrong. Apple, Porsche, Atlanta’s professional sports teams and the NFL are saying Georgia will suffer consequences if religious officials are allowed to have the right to practice freedom of religion. We should not be afraid of Apple, Porsche, Atlanta’s professional sports teams and the NFL.

The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil” (Proverbs 19:23). So, let us fear the Lord. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” (Psalm 119:1).

Gov. Deal, sign the bill. Do not let political correctness take away our freedom of religion. Do what is right in the sight of God. The Bible says, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Romans 1:26-27).

We can love those who practice indecent acts, but we must not be forced to put the church’s stamp of approval on same-sex marriage. If the government wants to legalize same-sex marriage, then let the government perform the marriage ceremony.

David Russell Johnson
Flowery Branch

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