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  • 2017-06-13 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Bernie Sanders Propose a Bill Forcing Christian Office Holders to Wear a Scarlet Cross? (en)
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  • On 10 June 2017, an article appeared on the web site Babylon Bee appearing to report that Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) had proposed a bill requiring Christian public servants to sport a scarlet cross identifying their religion: In case it isn't obvious, no such legislation was actually proposed. The Babylon Bee is a satirical web site whose slogan reads: The Babylon Bee is Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire. In the past, they have published tongue-in-cheek stories informing readers that California passed a law requiring Christians to register their Bibles as assault weapons and that a North Carolina church instituted baptisms via water slide. The Sanders spoof was prompted by a real-life event, namely the senator's heated questioning of Russell Vought, President Trump’s nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, during a confirmation hearing on 8 June. Sanders took issue with statements Vought made about Muslims in January 2016: In turn, Sanders's declaration that he would vote against Vought's confirmation was condemned by some as the application of a religious litmus test for public office, something the U.S. Constitution specifically forbids (hence the Bee's metaphorical imagery of Christians marked for discrimination with a scarlet cross). It’s one thing to take issue with bigotry, Emma Green objected in The Atlantic: But Sanders's opinion echoed that of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which, although it stopped short of calling for Vought's nomination to be rejected, issued a 7 June statement decrying Vought's views as in conflict with the principle of religious liberty: The controversy presents a constitutional conundrum for both sides. Sanders seems to be saying that Vought's statements to the effect that Muslims are condemned for not believing in Christ are tantamount to religious discrimination. Sanders's critics say his rejection of Vought's nomination is religious discrimination. Yet both rest their argument on the same principle, that of religious freedom. We reached out to Sen. Sanders for clarification of his remarks but have thus far not received a reply. (en)
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