Attorneys representing an Iowa church filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, arguing that the government cannot stop the church from teaching biblical sexuality.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, according to a news release from their office, filed the lawsuit.
The agency’s interpretation of a state law in Iowa could ban churches from expressing their views on human sexuality if they “directly or indirectly” make persons feel “unwelcome” in regards to church events. That could include comments made from the pulpit, ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb writes in the news release.
The law would apply to churches during any activity the commission says does not have a “bona fide religious purpose.”
“Churches should be free to teach their religious beliefs and operate their houses of worship according to their faith without being threatened by the government. That is a foundational First Amendment principle,” said Holcomb. “Churches have always been protected from government intrusion, and they still are.
“They have a firmly established freedom to teach their beliefs and set internal policies that reflect their biblical teachings about marriage and human sexuality. One can hardly imagine a more obvious unconstitutional invasion of the state into the internal affairs of the church.”
Publication date: July 8, 2016