Left-wing Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar surprisingly came to the defense of a pro-life Christian woman this week after she was criticized for expressing her faith in Jesus Christ.
“Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted … its religious freedom,” Omar, who is Muslim, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday.
Omar was responding to an incident that occurred earlier in the day between Lizzie Marbach, the communications director at Ohio Right to Life, and two elected officials. The kerfuffle resonated with users on X so much that #IStandWithLizzie started trending.
On Tuesday, Marbach posted on X that “there’s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.”
There's no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) August 15, 2023
In response, GOP Congressman Max Miller called on Marbach to “delete” her “bigoted” post.
“Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion. You have gone too far,” he said.
No! Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did, its religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that.
It’s also wrong to speak about religious freedom while simultaneously harassing people who freely express their beliefs. https://t.co/NbgKr1MvIi
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 16, 2023
He further remarked, “God says that Jewish people are the chosen ones, but yet you say we have no hope. Thanks for your pearl of wisdom today.”
Democratic Ohio state Rep. Casey Weinstein echoed Miller’s disdain.
“We may be on opposite sides of the aisle, but I stand right with Max on this. Delete it, Lizzie.”
Weinstein has since deleted his post. Dozens of conservatives and Christian influencers rushed to Marbach’s defense.
As a GOP congressman from Ohio why in the world would you think it a good idea to condemn someone as bigoted for professing their Christian faith and demand that they delete it? https://t.co/fnahK8QPD5
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 16, 2023
“Religious freedom for everyone except for Christians? [Huh]?” Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist said.
Religious freedom for everyone except for Christians? Hunh?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 16, 2023
Omar then jumped into the fray on Marbach’s behalf as well.
“Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did, it’s religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that,” she stated. “It’s also wrong to speak about religious freedom while simultaneously harassing people who freely express their beliefs.”
Omar has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ issues, abortion, and other social justice policies for years, many of which infringe on the rights of religious Americans. Yet, when X user Hobie Sill criticized Omar for defending Marbach, Omar replied, “That’s her actual belief, you can disagree but it’s not bigoted for her to say what her beliefs are. That’s all.”
Marbach eventually told Miller, who served in the Trump administration, that Christ himself said he was the way, the truth, and the life, and that “no one has hope outside of Jesus Christ.”
Sorry, Congressman, but these are the words of Jesus himself.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
No one has hope outside of Jesus Christ and every knee will bow one day declaring that Jesus Chris is Lord.
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) August 15, 2023
“I sincerely thank all of those who rallied in support last night,” she also stated. “May it be a stark reminder to Christians that now is the time to be bold in our faith — even when people on ‘our side’ stand against us. Let’s continue proclaiming that Jesus Christ is LORD today!”
I sincerely thank all of those who rallied in support last night. 🙏🙌
May it be a stark reminder to Christians that now is the time to be bold in our faith—even when people on "our side" stand against us. Let's continue proclaiming that Jesus Christ is LORD today!
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) August 16, 2023
Miller, 34, was first elected to serve Ohio’s 7th Congressional District in 2022. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has since apologized to Marbach and for having “conveyed a message I did not intend.”
Marbach accepted the apology but urged him to seek forgiveness from Jesus Christ and to find salvation in Him.
“A pivotal moment in American politics happened on Tuesday, when a sitting United States congressman from Ohio, Max Miller, declared that the very foundation of the Christian faith is ‘bigoted’ and ‘goes too far,’ and tried to kick it from the public square,” Marbach later wrote in a commentary for The Federalist. “Note that Miller is not a leftist Democrat, from whom these attacks on the First Amendment and Christianity are commonplace. Miller is a Trump-endorsed Republican who calls himself a ‘conservative voice’ for Ohioans.”
Stephen Kokx
Stephen Kokx, M.A., is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Francis Cardinal George. A former community college instructor, Stephen has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching and politics. His essays have appeared in such outlets as Catholic Family News and CatholicVote.org.
