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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/whoops-indianas-anti-gay-religious-freedom-act-opens-the-door-for-the-first-church-of-cannabis/#.VRilUGzjKdI.reddit

QuoteIn a classic case of  “unintended consequences,” the recently signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in Indiana may have opened the door for the establishment of the First Church of Cannabis in the Hoosier State.

While Governor Mike Pence (R) was holding a signing ceremony for the bill allowing businesses and individuals to deny services to gays on religious grounds or values, paperwork for the First Church of Cannabis Inc. was being filed with the Secretary of State’s office, reports RTV6.

Church founder Bill Levin announced on his Facebook page that the church’s registration has been approved, writing, “Status: Approved by Secretary of State of Indiana â€" “Congratulations your registration has been approved!” Now we begin to accomplish our goals of Love, Understanding, and Good Health.”

Levin is currently seeking $4.20 donations towards his non-profit church.

According to Indiana attorney and political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz,  Indiana legislators, in their haste to protect the religious values and practices of their constituents, may have unwittingly put themselves in an awkward position with those who profess to smoke pot as a religious sacrament.

Shabazz pointed out that it is still illegal to smoke pot in Indiana, but wrote, “I would argue that under RFRA, as long as you can show that reefer is part of your religious practices, you got a pretty good shot of getting off scot-free.”

Noting that RFRA supporters say the bill  “Only spells out a test as to whether a government mandate would unduly burden a person’s faith and the government has to articulate a compelling interest for that rule and how it would be carried out in the least restrictive manner,” Shabazz contends the law may tie the state’s hands.

“So, with that said, what ‘compelling interest’ would the state of Indiana have to prohibit me from using marijuana as part of my religious practice?” he asked. ” I would argue marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol and wine used in religious ceremonies. Marijuana isn’t anymore ‘addictive’ than alcohol and wine is used in some religious ceremonies. And marijuana isn’t any more of a ‘gateway’ drug than the wine used in a religious ceremony will make you go out any buy hard liquor. (At least not on Sunday.)”

Shabazz concluded, “I want a front row seat at the trial that we all know is going to happen when all this goes down.”

I love this shit! This is so cool because it tosses their discriminatory bill back in their lap. It also opens other doors- recently in Utah, the state tried to stop the "Sister Wives" Brown family based on a bigamy charge, but failed to prove it. cohabitation is not a crime under the law in most states. Won't be long before polygamy is put forward in theses states as a religious privilege and therefore, under the states law, legal.

Used to know a Hopi Native American that had access to Peyote because it was part of their religion. Points out the naivety and stupidity of the politicians and how they create unintended problems out of their bigotry.

I don't like peyote for one reason: it makes you really really sick just like poison mushrooms I mistakenly thought were morels, or they were growing by them and picked up the poison. A blue flame is nice to start off things. I swear is where the gas companies got their logo from. It was not the strangest experience I've had, but under the setting it brought my spirit guide into focus, and my blood brother name: Thunder Bird, who I flew through the heavens with. And just like after the poison mushrooms I never felt so good after vomiting, sweating from every pore of my body, and getting my legs back. It was a fantastic trip, but I really hate being sick.  :pidu: :weed: Solitary

This is great, let's hope more people do stuff like this, and abuse a fucked up system

QuoteNoting that RFRA supporters say the bill  “Only spells out a test as to whether a government mandate would unduly burden a person’s faith and the government has to articulate a compelling interest for that rule and how it would be carried out in the least restrictive manner,” Shabazz contends the law may tie the state’s hands.

I love this shit too.  However, the State Law only opens that door if upheld by the Supreme Court.  Until then the State is free to sign into any law they want no matter how arbitrary or capricious it might be.  And given the State leader's intellectual resources, they no doubt will.  Until all this gets to the Supreme Court, they will have to rush to vote in another law specifically outlawing the use of pot even if it is part of a religious belief.  More alert watchers will notice the irony.

But it will be great fun watching all the shenanigans in the meantime.  They should have a primetime sitcom, where they just set up cameras in Indiana's House and Senate. 

Coming soon to Indiana:

1. Night & Day, Either Way Church of Bisexuality.
2. Step into the Light, First Church of Gays and Latter Day Queens
3. I Don't Believe It, Church of Atheism
4. Amazonia, the Lesbian Synagogue
5. First Church of Sexuality, the One True Path to Happiness
6. Rick's Church of Sports and Sports Related Paraphernalia
7. First National Church of Oprah
8. New Dawn Cathedral, We Await the Glory of Our Robotic Overlords
9. The Church of Procrastination - Open to the Public, Soon.... Maybe
10. Wee Ones, Ministry of Paedophilia - Former Priests Welcome
11. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
12. The Church of Satan

The Church of Steve, because beer.

The Church of Me, because fuck you.

Church of Narcissism - Mirrors and Selfies Encouraged

The Covenant of Everlasting Delights - Embrace Your Inner Hedonist

The Temple of Nothing - Nihilism, Not Much to It

The Shrine of Anti-Theism - Stop the Madness

The church of beards, bears and beer.

In celebration of all things manly.

(http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/186440490-happy-man-drinking-beer-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=AqrFqQk7KMf6bvQWSaSF0GRG7Uc3B6xxivrdgId8fkw%3D)

Church of the Wandering Stephen

Stephen being a Trappist Monk whose palate was so refined he was the premier beer taster for the order. He wandered from one place to another, sampling all the beers, seeking the Most High Beer Of All. He was last seen trudging into an oncoming snow storm and was never seen again. But it is said his spirit yet seeks out the finest brew, and to this day we celebrate him by imbibing craft beers on all the holy days and Sabbaths, aiding him in finding the one true beer.

If that isn't holy, nothing is.

 

:pray: :pray: :pray: :weed: :pray: :pray: :pray:




:super:

Serves 'em right. I hope other people step up and show them how stupid they're being.

Heh.  Looks like the law they actually passed was that of Unintended Consequences.

I'm going to sit back and enjoy the meltdown as they discover there's no way to make this law applicable only to Christians who want to be bigoted in public.  They're going to have to allow Jews and Muslims to refuse to serve each other, and they're going to have to allow secular humanists to refuse to serve wingnut bigots on the basis of their beliefs.

I would love to be in a storefront in Indianapolis and have Pence walk in -- and tell him to his face that it is against my closely held beliefs to have anything to do with bigots, and refuse to serve him.

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q490/atheola/true.jpg)

First Churh of Calabi-Yau Manifolds

Hurray for the law of unintended consequences!

Quote from: Unbeliever on April 02, 2015, 03:55:00 PM
Hurray for the law of unintended consequences!

Unintended, maybe, but no more unforeseeable than the rest of the economic backlash we're facing from it. I know a couple of guys who go to that 50,000 attendee gamer's convention every year, which pulled out of Indiana over it.

Quote from: Solomon Zorn on April 02, 2015, 04:43:30 PM
Unintended, maybe, but no more unforeseeable than the rest of the economic backlash we're facing from it. I know a couple of guys who go to that 50,000 attendee gamer's convention every year, which pulled out of Indiana over it.

Good, they can be hit where it hurts - their economy.

I was just thinking, this uproar in Indiana is kind of off track.  There were plenty of challenges to gay marriage.  But the Indiana law, while it is no doubt a response to gay marriage, doesn't even address gay marriage.  It's like the right got itself into a panic when the courts weren't siding with them on the marriage issue, and in desperation, they come up with another way to fuck gays over.  You know, just to even things out a little:  "OK, I guess you guys can get married, but just to make sure you don't get to uppity and think your equal to the rest of us, we're going to screw you this other way.  You may be winning on the marriage thingy, but we want you to know we still hate you.  So there!"

Or maybe the marriage thing just got them wound up.  Now they're all dressed up in their courtroom outfits, but no reason to go to court.  Well now!  You don't want to waste a perfectly good head of steam in a situation like that, so while you're all psyched up, you find some other way to harass gays.  And if gay's eventually prevail on every equality issue, holy shit!  They will being going down their hate list looking for the next minority to fuck with. 

It will probably be the atheists.  It was probably those damn atheists that put the gays up to marriage and equality, anyway, so they will go after atheists.  But who knows? They could decide to harass dumb blondes, or maybe kids that aren't very good at baseball.  Maybe they won't notice us.