The end goal for supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has never been about respecting religious beliefs. It has been about stomping out religious employers’ ability to take into consideration actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity when making employment decisions consistent with their faith.

[Last] week, 190 Democrats signed onto a discharge petition to force a House vote on a version of ENDA that removes any doubt that the proposed bill will afford any actual exemptions for religious organizations. The resolution to be discharged, introduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), strikes already inadequate exemption language. Instead, it states that religious schools, associations, and non-profits must also comply with ENDA, even though such compliance means they will no longer be able to ensure that employees share their faith commitments in full.

The Senate passed ENDA last November with a woefully narrow religious exemption and House Leadership has since refused to consider the bill. Discharge petitions require 218 signatures and rarely succeed, as they are often seen as an act of hostility towards leadership. Nevertheless, 190 members have gone on record not only in support of ENDA, but now in support of an unprecedented version of ENDA which contains no protections for religious communities.

This year, numerous activist groups pulled back on their support of the Senate passed ENDA, opening a rift in strategy between those wanting to pass ENDA now and remove the religious exemption later and those impatient with the pretense. [Last] week’s discharge petition reveals the true intentions of ENDA’s backers.

ENDA has never been about bipartisanship or fairness – it has been about using the levers of government and threat of lawsuits to strong-arm opponents of an agenda hostile to traditional Christian views of sexual morality. Future debates on ENDA will draw this further into focus.

Football Players Intercept Atheists Bluff

Arkansas State University football players practice regularly in Centennial Bank Stadium – but it’s the practice of their faith that has had atheists so upset. The football players had placed crosses on their helmets to memorialize a player and manager who died earlier this year. The anti-Christian group that calls itself the Freedom From Religion Foundation began harassing the University with complaints. The University quickly caved and told the players to remove the cross and replace it with what amounts to a meaningless plus sign (+).

Our friends at the Liberty Institute then intervened and advised the University that the atheists’ complaints were without a shred of legal basis. In fact, the University’s censorship order violated the students’ constitutional rights of free speech. “It is just shocking that anyone could do such a thing,” Kelly Shackelford told me [Thursday] on Washington Watch radio.

[Thursday], the University finally backed down in a letter saying, “It is the university’s position that any player who wishes to voluntarily place an NCAA-compliant sticker on their helmet to memorialize individuals will be able to do so.” What amazes me is that these officials are so ready to cave the moment one of these bullying letters come across their desk – even though the law is completely on the side of free speech and the free exercise of religion.

The reality is that of the last twelve times the Freedom From Religion Foundation has issued legal threats, the group has not followed through on legal action a single time. Their bluffing strategy can only succeed as long as we fail to expose the ways in which they prey on the ignorance of these officials. That’s why we are so honored to stand with the Liberty Institute in defending these precious liberties that serve as the foundation for all of our freedoms.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.