Is Christianity the newest occupational hazard? Dr. Eric Walsh thinks so. The Californian was hired by Georgia officials to run the state's Department of Public Health. But shortly after accepting the job and preparing to move his family to the Peach State, his new office called and asked for copies of sermons he'd delivered on the weekends at his church as a lay pastor. The next day, Dr. Walsh was fired. Why? Because he dared to preach what the Bible teaches on subjects from sexuality to evolution.
Like far too many people, the government not only scrutinized him for his religious beliefs -- but used them against him. An African American with a compelling life story, Dr. Walsh is still in shock over what happened. "I don't believe I did anything wrong," he told Fox News's Todd Starnes. "This has been very painful for me. I really am a strong believer in the Constitution, but now I feel like maybe all these ideals and values that I was raised to believe -- the ideals the country was founded upon -- no longer exist." Keep in mind, Dr. Walsh didn't make these statements at work. They were said from a pulpit, totally unrelated to his job. Yet still, the Georgia government declared than an otherwise qualified doctor was unfit to serve.
Not too long ago, liberals argued that Christians couldn't bring their beliefs to work. Now, it seems you can't even have them at church! This is exactly the kind of outrage that religious liberty bills like Mississippi's were designed to prevent. Without them the anti-Christian agitators will use the power of the government to strip Christians of their freedoms and force from the public square. Despite what the media would have you believe, the reason RFRAs are popping up around the nation is because religious freedom is at risk. And cases like Dr. Walsh's prove it.
