What Did You Say?

Evidence of my contention that Christians in America are losing their  religious liberty is everywhere.  The Ten Commandments have been forcibly  removed from courthouses, public prayer has been eliminated before athletic  events, students are harassed or even disciplined for uttering Christian prayers  during graduation ceremonies, military chaplains are being pressured to guard  against offending atheists, secular humanists, and believers in other religions,  public schools have long since disposed of Bible reading and  prayer, and Christianity—the religion of Christ’s love—has even been labeled by  some humanists as a hate group.  Christians in America find themselves  forced to adjust to being treated like lepers in a country that was founded by  Christians and according to Christian principles.  But the latest evidence  that the religious liberty of Christians is on the wane comes from an unexpected  quarter.

Craig James, a former NFL Offensive Player of the Year, was recently fired  from his position as a football analyst for Fox Sports for expressing  Bible-based reservations about same-sex marriage.  What makes this case  especially significant is that James made his offending comment not while  broadcasting football for Fox Sports, but months before he was hired by  Fox.  He made the comment in question while running for the U.S. Senate  from Texas.  In other words, James was fired ex post facto for something he  said in a completely different setting and well before he was an employee of Fox  Sports.

In an interview with WORLD, James recounted what he actually said during his  Senate campaign as follows: “I said marriage is between a man and a woman.   I talked a little bit more about the moral fiber of our country, that we’re on a  slide and we need people who will stand boldly for their beliefs.”  According to James, a Fox Sports spokesperson told the Dallas Morning News that his Biblical beliefs concerning the definition of marriage would not  fly at Fox Sports.  Interestingly, 76 percent of Texans share Craig James  beliefs concerning what constitutes a marriage, and he was running for the  Senate from Texas when he made the now controversial comment.

In an interesting twist, even selected gay activists have spoken out on  James’ behalf.  In his interview with WORLD, James related that he had  received an email from a self-described gay activist who said: “It’s dead wrong  what has happened to you.  The gay community has got to stop bullying  people who have a different opinion.  We’ve got to respect their ability to  hold what’s dear to their hearts.  We want the same tolerance coming our  way.”  This gay activist hit the nail squarely on the head.  When  advocates for the homosexual agenda resort to  bullying those who disagree with them in an attempt to silence opposition, they  put their own rights to free speech at risk.  The First Amendment creates a  two-way street.  If I cannot say things that you disagree with then you  cannot say things that I disagree with. If homosexual advocates continue to try  to silence people like Craig James with bullying tactics, they run the risk of  losing their most important weapon in the battle for the conscience of America:  free speech. With the Constitution, there can be no double standard.  It  either applies to all of us equally or it applies to none of us.

Craig James plans to file a wrongful discharge lawsuit that will be based on  the First Amendment.  He was not fired for anything he said on the  air.  He was not fired for violating any written policies of Fox  Sports.  He was not fired for incompetence.  He was fired ex post  facto for simply responding to a question from a constituent who wanted to know  his views on same-sex marriage. If you would like to let Fox Sports know how you  feel about their questionable termination of Craig James, send an email to: dan.bell@fox.com.  It  is hard to believe that the same network that carries Bill O’Reilly, Sean  Hannity, and other standard bearers for conservative values would take such a  politically correct action at all, much less on an ex post facto  basis.