The state of Washington recently adopted one of the most extreme anti-religious liberated laws in America. If it can be fully in force, this can have a far -reaching impact on the protection for clergymen throughout the country.
Senate Bill 5375 effectively requires clergymen to serve as agents of the state of Washington, force them to report child abuse and abuse to the government to the government. At first glance, that may sound a good change. But in reality, this means that priests, pastors, rabbis and other religious leaders can soon be forced to report parents who refuse to confirm the chosen sex identity of a child, to oppose abortion or to keep traditional beliefs about sexuality.
Even the confessional is not safe. According to this law, if a child admits during a holy religious rite that their parents will not recognize their favorite gender or support an abortion, the priest who belongs to criminal prosecution could be confronted for not informing the state.
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New rules for clergymen
Washington Gov. signed in May. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, SB 5375 by law. Prior to the approval of Ferguson, the legislation had received overwhelming support from Democrats in the legislative power of the state.
SB 5375, which came into force on July 27, was sold by its supporters as an important attempt to protect children against abuse, especially sexual crimes. According to legislation, clergymen are now being merged with teachers, nurses, social workers, psychologists and a long list of others who have to warn the authorities when they have a “reasonable reason to assume,” a child is abused or neglected.
It is important that the law requires that spiritual potential abuse reports, regardless of how it came to their attention. That means that clergymen must report what they hear, even when the source of the information comes from a religious confession.
Confession is a ritual that is practiced by several theological traditions, including Roman Catholics and some Anglicans and Lutherans.
In many churches that practice confession, clergymen are obliged to love what they learn to love. It is an essential practice, because without confidentiality many people would not want to confess. Catholic clergy can even be removed from the ministry if they break their oath to keep confessions secret.
The legislation is a clear violation of religious freedom, because it requires that clergymen violate their Eden. But supporters of the law say that protecting children against sexual and physical abuse is more important than religious rights.
After the approval of the law, three Catholic bishops suggested the state, claiming that the legislation violates the first amendment.
In July, an American court granted a temporary order that blocks Washington’s officials to demand clergy to report what they hear during a confession. However, the order does not apply to situations in which clergymen hear about potential abuse through other means.
It’s worse than you think
Until now, the media attention for the law has focused on its requirement for clergymen to report physical and sexual abuse, as well as questions about the protection of the first amendment to clergy. But the legislation goes much further than forcing religious leaders to report physical and sexual abuse, a requirement that many in the public stand sympathetic.
The law also includes vague mandates about reporting “abuse” and “negligent treatment”, including everything that has a negative influence on the “well -being” of a child and “health”. These obscure requirements will almost certainly be used to force clergymen to tell government officials when parents have conflicts about issues related to abortion, gender identity and even sex, so that the attack of this law on religious freedom is even more extensive than most have recognized.
For illustration, among other things, existing regulations and laws in Washington are treated access to abortion as a health care for minors, regardless of what the parents of that child believe.
Furthermore, the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families has issued guidance that requires foster parents and caregivers to confirm the sexual orientation and gender identity of a child.
As these examples demonstrate, the state of Washington is denying the gender identity of a child or trying to stop an abortion as bad for the health and well -being of a child.
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In practice, this may mean that under SB 5375, if parents look for pastoral counselor about trying to prevent their teenage daughter to have an abortion, or if they discuss strategies to prevent a child from switching to another gender, the pastor or priest could be forced to report those parents to the state. It all depends on how Washington’s state officials and courts choose to interpret the vague language of SB 5375 about ‘abuse’, ‘health’ and ‘well -being’.
Proponents of SB 5375 insist that this is all about protecting children against abuse, but for many progressive government officials “abuse” includes countless frequently brought religious views.
If this law is allowed, it will not stop with Washington. Other progressive states will take similar measures, with the help of vague definitions of “abuse” and “well -being” to spy on parents or even criminalize those traditional moral beliefs.
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Americans must now decide whether they will tolerate a government that spies on holy rites and punishes families for the life of their faith, or whether they will demand that their leaders defend freedom.
If the courts do not maintain the first amendment, the acting congress and federal funds must dismiss states that trample religious freedom. With another election just over a year away, the time to act is now.
