A threat to religious freedom

Recently the White House was set to circumvent Congress and issue an executive order that would make it illegal for any organization, business, school, etc. that does business with the federal government to dismiss or decline to hire or promote any employee due to that person's sexual orientation or gender identity. (The notorious Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that has failed to pass in Congress would require this of any business, school or even Christian organization.) At the last minute, President Obama announced to a group of homosexual activists convened at the White House that he would not sign the ENDA-like executive order for federal contractors, implying that this was an election-year decision.

President Obama declared in March of 2011 that he could not circumvent the nation's immigration laws by executive order with these words, "With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportation (of immigrants brought here illegally as children) through executive order, that's just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed -- that's not how our system works. That's not how our democracy functions. That's not how our Constitution is written." That was last year. This week President Obama did exactly what he said he couldn't do.

People of faith must be aware of the extreme likelihood that President Obama will issue an ENDA-style executive order restricting religious freedom in employment practices if he is re-elected.

JANINE PFANSTIEL, Cape Girardeau