Anne Hendershott has written an article for Crisis online magazine delineating some of the possible consequences for people of faith if the Equality Act, passed last month in the U. S. House of Representatives by a vote of 224-206, passes the Senate and is signed into law by President Biden. It will require 60 votes to pass the Senate.

Hendershott offers examples of what the Equality Act will do:

The Equality Act will remove “all protections from people of faith and rights from faith-based organizations to hire and fire employees based on their religious mission.”

The Equality Act “will mandate what can be taught at faith-based schools” about human dignity, gender and marriage.

The Equality Act will force religious schools “to hire those who do not share the teachings and beliefs of the sponsoring religious school.”

As a consequence of the Equality Act, teachers and professors at Catholic schools “will be on our own, subject to fines and lawsuits if someone is offended by hearing about Catholic teachings on the dignity of the individual – including the pre-born – and the sacredness of God’s creation of a man and a woman.”

“The Equality Act will provide the foundation for the revival of the mandate that forced doctors to perform gender transition procedures on adults and children against their medical judgment.” This Obama-era mandate from 2016 was struck down by a North Dakota court only last January. The Equality Act will give Biden the justification to revive it.

These concerns about the impact of the Equality Act are rooted in the bill’s specifying that rights protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed in 1993 and signed by President Bill Clinton would not apply to the Equality Act. So, protecting members of the LGBTQ community against supposed discrimination would trump religious liberty, a fundamental First Amendment right.

“The Equality Act will expand abortion access – under the guise of healthcare equality – and will likely be paid for by taxpayers.”

Of course, Hendershott also points out that the Equality Act will enshrine into law the right of biological males who identify as female to participate in girl’s and women’s sport, eviscerating any meaningful competition.

Other concerns of the Equality Act are that it states that, “(with respect to gender identity) an individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.” This means that an 18 year-old high school male could be sharing a high school gym locker room or rest room with a 15 year-old high school female. As well, since the Equality Act significantly expands the definition of a “public accommodation,” to include many private organizations that allow their facilities to be used by the public, such as church fellowship halls for wedding receptions, these regulations would apply. Women’s shelters that provide shelter for women abused by men would be obliged to open their doors to men who identify as women.

We have entered a brave new world, one of a tyranny of the minority, where a very small percentage of the population is being empowered to rule the lives and livelihoods of the great majority out of a demand to be perceived as mainstream and normal. Our culture is intent on normalizing the pathology of gender dysphoria for political and social reasons. The consequences will go far beyond the abrogated rights of people of faith and the systemic discrimination and exploitation of women and children. It will usher in a dystopia beyond the magnitude foreseen by any of us.

This is not a time to be subtle, much less acquiescent. This is a time to sharpen our sword, the sword of God’s word and the wits of our social philosophy, against an anti-social wave focused on drowning out any act or word or even thought of opposition to the secular and the demonic. A culture of death baptized in the blood of the unborn now desires to be confirmed with a unholy spirit of hate and repulsion of all things sacred.

God is not mocked. Easter is upon us. The victory is won. But, our faith in God’s promises is not to inspire neglect when those dedicated to destroying the foundations of truth and righteousness seek to pull down to hell as many as possible. Moloch is hungry. It is for us to save as many as we can from his mangled jaws.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.