Religion vs What's Right

Heavy topic today.

The LDS church, a few days ago, released a statement denouncing discrimination of individuals based on sexual orientation, etc, LGBT... for short.

In one statement, it is mentioned that "The Western democracies are based on religious principles, and people who've lost sight of that and who can't credit the importance of individual religious conscience or the free exercise of what our conscience leads us to believe, they are poorer in understanding our civilization and in understanding people of religious faith."

Which sounds great except I'd like to argue that point just a little.

I believe that freedom of religion is designed to allow you to practice your religion. It entitles you to go to church on Sunday and/or put a cross on your front door. It was created to give you the freedom to practice your religion in your home or your place of worship.

Not in Congress.

It does NOT entitle you to sanctify laws restricting the freedom of gays to marry or asking the Supreme Court to give you an exception to providing birth control.

While the LDS church is saying they supported passing laws that did not allow gays to marry because it goes against their beliefs and are now saying that does not excuse discrimination, they are creating a double standard.  Is it not discrimination to support laws that give you different rights than someone else?  On a base level, not supporting gay marriage IS discrimination!

I don't feel that a church should be required by law to perform a gay marriage, but I also don't think any religious figures have the right to tell their constituents how to vote - to make them think God somehow spoke to them and told them to take away rights of others  -  which, by action - gives those church members permission to condemn another's lifestyle.

You can't have it both ways.

As for the birth control issue, that made me angry because if you are a publicly traded company, you should not be treated with religious freedom.  Hobby Lobby is not a church.  You might go to church on Sunday, but you are not God's Employers when you hire people to work at your company.

Again, you can't have it both ways!  You want to be publicly traded?  You have to follow the laws of the land.  Frankly, it was completely ignorant.  I get the idea of not wanting to condone birth control, but do they have ANY CONCEPT of how often it is prescribed for health reasons?  I almost bled to death because od issues with my uterus.  The birth control helped, but did not solve it in my situation, but hundreds of thousands of women who don't have sex, let alone those who are married and don't want another kid right away, use it to control pain, bleeding that can lead to anemia and a plethora of other health problems, and all kind of other issues.