Thoughts On Indiana Senate Bill 101

By John Wong on March 31, 2015

There’s something really disturbing going on in America right now. If you’ve been around a TV, newspaper, radio or the internet lately, you probably know why the state of Indiana is in the news.

Last week, Indiana governor, Mike Pence signed Indiana Senate Bill 101 – informally titled the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” –  into law that would allow businesses in his state to, basically, refuse services to select persons based on religious grounds. It never goes into detail about who will be denied these services, but one really doesn’t have to look too far into it to understand what “persons” this bill is referring to.

Governor Pence has been on somewhat of a media tour lately to defend the law, claiming that it is non-discriminatory in any way. He claims that it is merely “to ensure religious liberty is protected under Indiana law.” What’s scary is that bills similar to Indiana’s have passed in 19 other states in the past as well.

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What’s incredible to me is that in this day and age, some lawmakers and leaders in these great United States are still champions of keeping one group of people below another at all costs. By now, you probably know that I’m talking about the LGBT community.

It’s incredible seeing the United States grow each day into a place that promotes love and acceptance for each and every human being, no matter how they were born and whom they choose to love. The feeling that comes when I see more and more walls being struck down and bridges being built in their place is indescribable. So when I see things like the Indiana Senate Bill 101 passing through the state senate and actually landing the governor’s signature, I consider it a huge blow to all the progress we as a country are making, and a huge step backwards for equality for all American citizens.

I can understand where these Indiana lawmakers who passed the bill are coming from, though. The Holy Scriptures did make its stance on homosexuality clear enough (although it’s a heavily debated topic today), and regular, Church-going Christian Americans are going to subscribe to that theory in practice. I have always believed and loved the Good Lord, but unlike the majority of Christians who are quick to condemn homosexuality based on the teachings of the Bible, I believe that He would’ve taken each and every person – gay, straight, whatever – under his arm, and loved and cared for him or her unconditionally. And to make someone suffer because they were born a certain way that is different from what you are used to? I know the Lord would never have even thought of it.

I’m so grateful that I’m not alone in this. So many businesses, from Angie’s List to Apple, have voiced their disappointment with the passing of the bill, and so many more people have called for a boycott of Indiana as a response. The governors of Connecticut and Washington both announced that they would be cutting state-funded travel to Indiana. I hope that the disagreement between these two groups can continue to be fought and resolved in the most peaceful manner possible.

I also hope Indiana reverses the decision they’ve made when they passed Indiana Senate Bill 101. This article isn’t to sway anyone’s opinion on the issue of marriage equality, religious freedom, etc. If you’ve already made up your mind on the topic, then there’s little I can do to change it, especially not by writing one opinion piece for an online college publication. But I hold so much faith in the world, and I believe that in the end, whatever is good will prevail, whatever that good may be.

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