You mean the Democrats don’t hold the best interests of Christians in their hearts?

Senator Mike Lee of Utah has announced he will vote against the Respect for Marriage Act because the religious liberty protections are “inadequate.”

I think he should’ve said “purposefully inadequate.”

Fox News: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, on Wednesday criticized the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would codify same-sex marriage into federal law, arguing the bill has inadequate protections for religious liberty.

Lee shared a statement from Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation, who asserted the bipartisan bill would be “used as a cudgel against those who believe in the reality of marriage as between a man and a woman.”

“Roger Severino is right: No American should face legal threats for holding sincere religious beliefs or convictions,” Lee wrote on Twitter. “The bill before the Senate presents such a threat, and offers protections for religious freedom that can only be described as severely anemic.”

Lee said he offered to support the bill if the sponsors would include an amendment to prohibit the government from removing tax-exempt status based on religious beliefs about same-sex marriage. The sponsors adamantly refused even to consider that.

Why?

Because they full intend to weaponize the new definition of marriage against Christians.

So, the bill passed the Senate Wednesday. And will certainly pass the House.

Matt Sharp, senior counsel at ADF, recently told CBN’s Faithwire. “What it does is requires the federal government to recognize any type of marriage that’s recognized by a state.”

Sharp warned the bill, which has already been passed by the House and is poised to be taken up on the Senate floor Wednesday, “threatens religious liberty” in the process.

“It empowers the federal government with these broad new powers to go after people, faith, faith-based organizations and others that hold traditional views about marriage, biblically based views about marriage, and gives the federal government broad powers to punish organizations and people that hold those,” he said.

Sharp also warned, if passed, the legislation could open Christians up to lawsuits at the federal level, noting these infractions could harm believers running businesses and charitable organizations. He even questioned whether some Christian nonprofits could find their tax-exempt status in peril.

“This explosion of what marriage means is going to have these severe consequences for so many people across the country,” he said.

I know I say it all the time. They’re coming for you. We’re entering dark times. With bills like this the left is just dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s. Pray for the courage to stand up for marriage. Pray for the courage to remain a Christian in a militantly secular world.

The left wants this. The Democrats want to continue fighting for gay marriage. They want bakers and photographers and churches to resist. Why? Because gay marriage polls well. They want to keep this “struggle” in the headlines so that every time someone dares to affirm a Christian view of marriage they can publicize them, demonize them, and run on this issue.

Oh, and they also hate us so there’s that too.