Dear Indiana Gov. Mike Pence,

You’ve made a mistake. You’ve signed a very dangerous bill into law.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows discrimination against LGBT people. FACT. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows businesses to refuse service to LGBT people. FACT. Not only that, but the law allows discrimination against a multitude of people.

You are aware of how many sins are in the Bible, right? Businesses can claim “religious freedom” and refuse to serve anyone who might be seen as a “sinner.” This isn’t limited to LGBT people.

This law opens up possible discrimination against:

• interracial couples (Deuteronomy 7:3-4, Ezra 9:1-2, Daniel 2:43, Matthew 25:32, Deuteronomy 22:9-11)
• people who are divorced (Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:2-12, Luke 16:18, Matthew 19:89-9)
• known adulterers (Proverbs 6:32, Matthew 5:28, Hebrews 13:4, Exodus 20:14, John 8:4-11)
• unwed parents and single mothers (Ephesians 5:5, Galatians 5:19)
• people who have tattoos, piercings, or jewelry (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Leviticus 19:28, 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Peter 2:3)

That’s a lot of discrimination to go around!

When you go out to eat, do you openly pray before every meal? When you attend church, do you openly pray in front of everyone? Are you aware that “the Bible is quite clear on the issue” of praying in public? Matthew 6:5-7, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, and Luke 6:12 all condemn praying in public. And all of those verses are from the New Testament!

Do you eat bacon? Leviticus 11:7-8, Isaiah 66:17, and Deuteronomy 14:8 all state that eating bacon is a sin.

Do you eat shrimp or shellfish? Leviticus 11:9-12 is quite clear on the issue. If you’d like to see what the world would look like if people viewed eating shrimp as a sin, view my article on that here.

Under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, you have made it legal to discriminate against a multitude of people. Christians can refuse service to Atheists, Buddhists, and Muslims. Atheists can refuse service to any religious people. People who have a religion other than Christianity can refuse services to Christians.

You have opened up a huge can of worms.

You claim that you abhor discrimination, but your record shows otherwise. You claim that the law doesn’t discriminate against gay people, yet you refuse to support laws that would help protect gay people from discrimination. It’s ironic that you keep using the word “abhor” in your interviews. You know who also used that word? David. Psalms 119:163.

“I hate and abhor lying…”

The Bible is VERY clear about lying (Leviticus 19:11, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 13:5, Proverbs 14:5, Proverbs 17:7, Hosea 11:12, Acts 5:3, Colossians 3:9, James 3:1). By openly lying about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, people now know that you’re a liar. You’ve been open about it. When you walk into your favorite restaurant, it’s possible that the business may refuse you service due to their “religious convictions about lying.”

I’m going to be blunt. You’re not fooling anyone anymore. You’ve been caught. Instead of making things right, you continue to dig your hole deeper by lying over and over.

You were warned numerous times that this law was discriminatory. Unlike the “Good Samaritan,” you looked the other way.

Your willful ignorance has cost you and the state of Indiana dearly. Instead of apologizing and showing that you don’t want LGBT people to be discriminated against, you’ve built a house of lies and retreated into the corner.

It’s not good enough for you that the First Amendment already protects the freedom of religion. You and many other conservatives have to go one step further and force your religion on others. But don’t you see? You DO have the right to any religion (or lack thereof) and to worship freely!You DON’T have the right to use your religion as a tool of hate and discrimination.

And quite frankly, why would any “god” support discrimination? That raises questions as to what kind of “god” you believe in. If you honestly believe that your “god” wants you to treat LGBT people differently, then you should re-evaluate your religion.

Jesus Christ taught love, compassion, friendship, and hope. He didn’t teach fear, discrimination, and prejudice. If you’re not using the Bible to learn more about understanding, compassion, acceptance, and love, then you’re reading the Bible completely wrong. Period.

So, I beg you, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — show compassion, acceptance, and love to LGBT people. Sign a non-discrimination law for LGBT people. Show that you truly abhor discrimination just as much as David abhorred lying.

As Governor, show that you support ALL of your people in Indiana.

Sincerely,

Caleb Woods

Caleb Woods is a Communications and English major. He is a reader, a writer, and an activist for LGBT rights, women’s rights, and the rights of the American people. He has lived in Alabama for his entire life and has experienced first-hand discrimination and bigotry. He hopes to change hearts and minds across the world so that people may show more compassion and empathy for their fellow man and woman. Click here if you’d like to donate money to Caleb’s coffee fund.