Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) discussed the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act on The Glenn Beck Program Thursday, describing how the proposed legislation could be a game-changer for churches across the country.

Lee, who introduced the bill with eleven original cosponsors last week, said the most "fundamental purpose" of the legislation is to protect religious institutions, particularly when it comes to their views on marriage.

"It would make it impossible for the federal government to discriminate against such churches, or against similarly situated organizations, based on the belief and action taken in conformity with the belief that marriage exists between one man and one woman," Lee explained.

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah speaks with guest host Buck Sexton on The Glenn Beck Program Dec. 19, 2013. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

"A church, in other words, should not have to make a decision between ... putting its tax exempt status at risk, and on the other hand, either maintaining or continuing to adhere to ... its own religious beliefs relative to marriage," the senator added.

Guest host Buck Sexton pressed the senator on whether such a bill will make an impact, saying "it seems like even a straightforward, black-letter law is no impediment to President Obama's progressive agenda."

But Lee said that's the exact reason it is so important to "drill down on this specific issue."

"The government should have no say in what an individual or what a church might believe regarding the sanctity of marriage," Lee said. "This is a decision to be made without the influence of government, particularly without the influence of the federal government. And so that's what we're trying to do here -- keep the federal government at bay, and out of that decision-making process."

Complimentary Clip from TheBlaze TV

[mlbvideo content_id=31273345]

The full episode of The Glenn Beck Program, along with many other live streaming shows and thousands of hours of on-demand content, is available on just about any digital device. Get it all with a FREE TRIAL.

--

Other Must-Read Stories:

• ‘What Do the Saudis Have on Us?’: Buck Sexton Reveals the Alarming Answer
• Was Justice Roberts Intimidated Into Voting for ‘ObamaCare’? Senator Mike Lee Presents the Evidence
• Former CIA Officer Buck Sexton Goes Off on Obama’s ‘Lack of Clarity, Character, and Principle in Foreign Policy’
• The Sneaky Way the Obamacare Website Is Underquoting Insurance Rates (and It Was a Mainstream Media Outlet That Caught It)
• Former Secret Service Agent Warns of a ‘Very, Very Dangerous’ Development in America