Religious Freedom: An Oxymoron In Florida

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical." ~ Thomas Jefferson 1779

At a hearing today in Leon Circuit Court in Tallahassee it will be decided whether Amendment 7 — dubiously titled "Religious Freedom" — should remain on the November 2012 ballot.

The position of the Oracle: It Shouldn't!

Amendment 7 will compel all Floridians, regardless of their religious beliefs, to contribute money - their tax dollars - to religious organizations. That includes all religious organizations - Christian, Islamic, right wing, left wing, that whacko in Gainesville who threatened to burn the Koran setting off an international incident.

What, exactly, does Amendment 7 do?

Here is what the existing text of Section 3: Religious Freedom will look like if Amendment 7 is approved:

"There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace, or safety. No individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution." (Strikethrough text will be removed)

Without that language in the Florida Constitution, Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center could grab some of our tax dollars to perpetuate his lunacy. That possibility apparently sat well with the Florida Legislature. In order to qualify for the November 2012 ballot the proposed amendment required approval by a minimum of 60% in the both the House and the Senate. On April 27, 2011 the House voted 81-35 on HJR 1471. The Senate gave final approval to refer the measure to the statewide ballot on May 6 following a 26-10 vote.

One of the biggest problems with Amendment 7 remaining on the ballot is the wording. The amendment is written in such a way that many Floridians might be misled into voting away their religious liberty. Truth be told, Florida voters are notorious for casting their votes without having a clue (see Scott - crook who bought Florida). Titling Amendment 7 as "Religious Freedom" almost guarantees approval by the 60% who have no idea they will be funding the Florida chapter of the Westboro Baptist Church or the Knights of the Holy See.

In a perfect world the Leon Circuit Court will remove Amendment 7 from the ballot. If they don't, we can only hope that Florida voters will acquaint themselves with the issues before casting their ballots. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, though.

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