Convicted Watergate felon-cum-evangelist Chuck Colson has a few thoughts about ENDA:

Imagine you own a small business—let’s say a donut shop—and you have an employee who is late for work everyday and is rude to customers. When you fire him, he claims it is really because he is gay—and sues.

Well, if you fired him because he is late and rude, then you win the case.

Or imagine you run a daycare center in your church basement. One day a homosexual applies for a job. When you turn him down, he says you broke the law.

That’s only a problem if you actually did break the law.

Today, both of these stories are simply scenarios. But by the end of the week, they could be reality.

Under intense goading from the gay-rights lobby, the House of Representatives is poised to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, called ENDA. This legislation would add “sexual orientation” to civil rights law. If passed, ENDA would cut deeply into the religious rights and freedoms of all Americans.

What freedoms?  What rights?  Colson is talking about the so-called "right" to discriminate against gay people.  Does such a right exist?  Of course not.

For example, an employer with a moral or religious belief opposed to homosexuality or bisexuality would be forced to give up those rights the moment he arrives at his office. No business would be allowed to refuse to hire a homosexual for any reason. Fire a person because of incompetence—he would say it’s because he is gay, or just even perceived to be gay.

Let’s rewrite that last paragraph, substituting a few key words.  Here we go:

For example, an employer with a moral or religious belief opposed to Christians would be forced to give up those rights the moment he arrives at his office. No business would be allowed to refuse to hire a Christian for any reason. Fire a person because of incompetence—he would say it’s because he is Christian, or just even perceived to be Christian.

Now if you’re a Christian reading that, I’m sure you probably are thinking — "And what’s the problem?"

That’s right. ENDA would also expand civil rights protections on the basis of a simple perception. Because ENDA includes “real or perceived” discrimination, an employee, or potential employee, could sue an employer for his or her perception of the employee’s sexual orientation. But sexual orientation is not like race, age, or gender; it is behavioral and not empirically verifiable. Can you imagine the license this would give the courts to begin to investigate peoples’ sex lives? It’s astonishing.

Stuck on stupid.  The courts wouldn’t have to investigate peoples’ sex lives, Chuck.  If Employer X fired Employee Y simply because Exployer X thought Employee Y was gay, it is entirely irrelevant whether Employee Y actually is gay.  Hence, no need to "investigate".

If passed, ENDA would place all the power of the federal government in direct opposition to the beliefs of all major faith groups in America regarding the teachings about sexuality.

Well, I’m not sure about that factoid.  Perhaps in Colson’s own evangelical bubble, the "major faith groups" are limited to the ones he is exposed to.

And even so, the "beliefs of major faith groups" don’t trump individual rights in this country.

ENDA would also undermine the institution of marriage by pronouncing traditional sexual morality a form of discrimination.

Yeah, I don’t get that either.  Hire a gay person, and the divorce rate goes up?

And what is this "traditional sexual morality" business?  It’s the word "traditional" that flips my lid.  Hey, Chuckie.  At one time, "traditional" racial morality meant discriminating against blacks.  You really wanna play on that team?

This legislation will lead to a flood of lawsuits; employers would inevitably be forced to require marriage-like benefits to homosexual employees.

Yes.  Just like they do to heterosexually married employees.

The bill also includes phony religious protection language that does not exempt all religious schools and universities (even K through 12).

Tellingly, Colson doesn’t elaborate.  Probably because he can’t support it.  The bill most definitely does provide exemption to — and I quote — "the employment practices of a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society which has as its primary purpose religious ritual or worship or the teaching or spreading of religious doctrine or belief."

Pro-ENDA lawmakers are being especially disingenuous. Many congressmen are going to the floor to make speeches about the value of faith groups in American life. The idea seems to be to create the appearance of how much they care about religious communities—records they can point to later for cover as they vote for bills like ENDA. It’s astonishing how easily they think Christians can be fooled, isn’t it?

You oughta know, Chuck.

Do they still think evangelicals are poor, ignorant, and easy to command, as the Washington Post once said?

Like that link so we can verify that the Post actually said that.  (Was he talking about this article, and if so — my, what a spin!)

The Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual rights group, is having their annual gala (a dinner) this weekend —

Yes, Chuck.  Thank you for informing your knuckle-dragging readers what a "gala" is.

— and congressional leaders want to hand them a big victory. You and I need to get to our telephones immediately…

To the Christophones!

…especially if you own a business, and call our members of Congress. We must tell them that we are not fooled by any of this religious protection language, that this bill discriminates against religious business owners…

What’s a religious business owner?  Is it a business owner who happens to be religious?  And if so, what’s the problem?

I suspect that most business owners adhere to one faith or another.  But business is business, and religion is religion.  And I suspect that most business owners know the difference.

…and that we want them to vote against this invasion of religious freedom.

The freedom to discriminate!  Because that’s what Jesus would have wanted, right?  Right?

“‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

-Matthew 22:36-40