Members of Chirch firmly believe that individuals have the federally protected religious right to be LGBTQ+ as it is germane to our relationship with God, as we understand God.
That right is protected under The First Amendment of the US Constitution and The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Pronounced “rifra.”
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Recently, rifra has afforded some individuals and businesses the right to refuse services to people who are LGBTQ+. Why? Because providing that service would cause them to go against their firmly held belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Fortunately, for members of Chirch, rifra goes both ways. Since we are a non-profit community association that is federally recognized as a non profit church, rifra also protects our firmly held beliefs.
We have the human right to be LGBTQ+. At Chirch, we also have the religious right to be LGBTQ+ because our firmly held belief is protected under rifra, as well as the US Constitution.
On June 30, 2023, the US Supreme Court made a decision in a crucial case called 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis.
The following italicized information is contained in the syllabus of the US Supreme Court.
In this case, Lorie Smith wanted to expand her graphic design business, 303 Creative LLC, to include services for couples seeking wedding websites. But Ms. Smith worried that the state of Colorado would use the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act to compel her—in violation of the First Amendment—to create websites celebrating marriages she does not endorse. To clarify her rights, Ms. Smith filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to prevent the State from forcing her to create websites celebrating marriages that defy her belief that marriage should be reserved to unions between one man and one woman.
By a 6-to-3 vote, the Supreme Court sided with Lorie Smith. Why? The general consensus is that she won because she is an artist.
Ms. Smith provides design services that are “expressive” and her “original, customized” creations “contribute[e] to the overall message” her business conveys “through the websites” it creates; the wedding websites she plans to create “will be expressive in nature,” will be “customized and tailored” through close collaboration with individual couples, and will “express Ms. Smith’s and 303 Creative’s message celebrating and promoting” her view of marriage; viewers of Ms. Smith’s websites “will know that the websites are her original artwork;”
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In Smith’s view, “it would violate [her] sincerely held religious beliefs to create a wedding website for a same-sex wedding because, by doing so, [she] would be expressing a message celebrating and promoting a conception of marriage that [she] believe[s] is contrary to God’s design.”
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Jenny Pizer, chief legal officer for Lambda Legal had the following to say about the decision.
"This decision says that the laws apply effectively to everyone but doesn't apply to this type of business, and I think there's an enormous question moving forward," she said. "How is this going to be applied to the range of goods and services that involve "some customizing, and arguably some artistry, depending on the eye of the beholder.”
University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock says, “There likely will be many follow-up cases, probing the outer boundaries of Friday's court decision. But, he says, "The core of this is you can't be compelled to use your creative talents in service of speech that you fundamentally disagree with. That's a pretty clear category.”
This AP article illuminates the Supreme Court Decision, which we and others believe offers a new category of artistic-religious rights.
As Chirch is founded by artists who hold federally protected artistic-religious beliefs, we embrace this category and firmly believe it merits discussion and exploration.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution grant us the freedom to create Chirch.
Amendment 1
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Founded May 17, 2022, Chirch is recognized by the IRS as a non profit community church. Members’ donations are 100% tax deductible. Thank you.
We firmly believe that we have the right to define God, and ourselves, with language that currently exists, or with language yet to be created. It’s our choice.
As an art form, language is constantly evolving. We are the artists who shape it.
Identifying as LGBTQ+ is not a requirement for Chirch membership. All are welcome to join, and donate.
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Our doctrine is an open source belief system that lives at the intersection of science and the sacred, which we call the Scicred. Thus people from all backgrounds are welcome.
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At Chirch we believe the United States government is moving toward becoming a radicalized Christian theocracy.
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Currently, there are approximately 533 pieces of pending legislation that, if passed, would erode or eliminate LGBTQ+ rights. Rights and protections that took many generations and many lives to establish. This is a record number of pieces of anti LGBTQ+ legislation and the list is rapidly growing.
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In 2023 alone we have seen 70 anti-LGBTQ+ laws enacted, most targeted at children. That too is a record number. The fervor with which extremist groups are marching this legislative assault forward is mind-blowing, yet, unfortunately believable. And it is growing by the minute.
Please join us. Our right to exist is at stake.
At Chirch, our firmly held belief that we have the religious right to be LGBTQ+ is our way of protecting those rights in partnership with God, as we define God.