From: David Fowler [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 9:15 AM Subject: Todays Vote on Religious Liberty in TN Your prayers can be the difference if you act now! Religious liberty in Tennessee is calling on you to call on God on its behalf! Today, noon Central Time, the vote of the members of the House Education Committee could be the difference between a Christian psychology or counseling student graduating from the University of Tennessee or a Board of Regents school like the University of Memphis or being kicked out! I have spoken with most of the Representatives on that committee numerous times since last Spring about the overt hostility against religion that is often directed by some of the liberal professors in our public colleges against religious students (particularly Christians) who are trying to earn a degree in psychology, social work, and counseling. Today, a key vote will take place that could determine whether the religious liberty of those students is protected! Watch this short video (59 seconds) by a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor, specializing in psychology and religion, and you will know why there is hostility toward religion and why this vote is so important. Please join me in praying for those members as today they will have a chance to vote for an amendment by Representative John DeBerry (D-Memphis) to a bill (House Bill 2115) that will protect the religious liberty of students in not only these fields of study, but all students on our public college campuses. I know an Alert to pray is not the typical tactic used today to influence a legislators vote, but I strongly believe that this is what we need to do in this situation. By not inundating them with emails and calls, we can then better see how the Education Committee members think about issues like this when their decision is simply based on the information they have been given. I believe you will find the background information very interesting. Background: House Bill 2115 is essentially a bill intended to negate the need for House Bill 1185, a bill we helped pass through the state Senate last year, 22 to 4. That bill would allow a student in a counseling, social work, or psychology internship to have a client referred to another counselor if the student would have to counsel that client toward goals or objectives that violate the students sincerely held religious beliefs. However, that bill has not even been scheduled for a hearing yet in the House Education Subcommittee. Instead, that alternate bill (HB 2115) filed by the Chairman of the House Education Committee was scheduled and approved last week by the Education Subcommittee. Now HB 2115 is before the full House Education Committee. In speaking on behalf of his bill (HB 2115), the chairman of the House Education Committee said he wanted to pass a bill that addressed more types of faculty-student relationships than just those involving the study of psychology, social work, and counseling. That is great! BUT, the chairmans proposed bill, House Bill 2115, as drafted, does not accomplish his stated goal. It only protects students from policies adopted by UTs Board of Trustees and the Tennessee Board of Regents. The type of high-level policies those boards adopt would most likely never threaten religious liberty at the far-down-the-chain level of the classroom. However, Representative John DeBerry is going to offer an amendment in the House Education Committee this coming Tuesday (March 11th) that would include and cover violations of the First Amendment of students by all employees of UT and the Board of Regents schools like the University of Memphis, ETSU, and community colleges. Opposition to HB 1185 Opponents of HB 1185 have asserted that the schools of psychology may lose their accreditation. However, no documentation has been provided to the effect that accrediting agencies have any such concerns. And if those concerns are really real, then the psychology programs in all our Christian colleges are in trouble! Information countering the opponents assertion about accreditation has been provided, prepared by a national public interest law firm (Alliance Defending Freedom) that has handled cases on behalf of counseling students whose religious liberty has been violated. Rep. DeBerrys amendment to House Bill 2115 should solve any concerns with the original House Bill 1185, but the amendment must be adopted. Members Names: Harry Brooks (Chairman) John Forgety (Vice-Chair) Mark White (Subcommittee Chairman) Raumesh Akbari Kevin Brooks Jim Coley John DeBerry Bill Dunn Roger Kane Ron Lollar Harold Love, Jr. Debra Moody Joe Pitts Dawn White Ryan Williams Thank you in advance for being a difference-maker and upholding religious liberty in Tennessee! ________________________________________ Please forward this message in its entirety to your family and friends.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 17:05:18 +0000
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