PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Defending Our Values
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
What is happening across
our country today is very
disturbing. We are seeing
the Christian beliefs that this
country was founded upon
under attack. It would seem
that Christians are the only
people who no longer have
rights. And those who do stand
up for traditional Christian
principles are labeled as extremists or bigots.
We should all be paying close attention to the
latest controversy, which pertains to the religious
freedom laws passed in Indiana and Arkansas. The
legislation is nothing new, as 19 other states, as well
as the federal government, have similar legislation
already in place.
All this legislation does is to protect anyone from
being forced to be involved in activities for which
they have a religious objection. I applaud these two
states for also passing this legislation. Those who
oppose it would seem to be the extremists, as they
evidently believe that people should not be allowed
to stand by their religious beliefs. No one should
be forced to provide services for or participate in
activities which violate their conscience.
In reality, many of the activists opposing these
basic protections are primarily attempting to stir up
controversy in advance of the 2016 elections.
Far too often, we sit back and hope for the best,
but with something this important, we should be
showing our support for those defending religious
liberties. We hope our own legisl