The government bureaucrats regulating Realtors in the state of Virginia are assembling an attack on a real estate agent who is in trouble because he shared a Bible verse, including one addressing his beliefs on marriage.
It is in a report at Faithwire that the situation involving Wilson Fauber., who also is a minister, is outlined.
He reports he’s facing ethics charges in his industry and could lose his Realtor status, all because he made social media posts regarding biblical beliefs about marriage.
He’s being represented by the Foundation Freedoms Law Center, and his problems developed when he decided to run for the Stanton, Virginia, city council.
“During my journey running for Staunton City Council, some of the opposition from a different party decided that they were going to scour my Facebook pages and see if they could find any dirt on me. And they went back to 2015 and they found a Scripture that I posted from Leviticus … where the Lord clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination to Him,” he explained.
He was forced to notify police when opposition messages were perceived as threats, and when he lost the election, the National Association of Realtors claimed in an email that a complaint had been filed against him, over his beliefs.
“My complainant said that they thought that posting that Scripture and other Scriptures that I’ve posted is hate speech. And taking me to task with the National Association of Realtors. … It’s very bizarre, in a way, but, as we look at what’s happening around the world, it’s not,” he explained in the report.
Lawyer Michael Sylvester told Faithwire the Bible verses were posted “on behalf of his ministry.”
The lawyer said while the real estate group establishes ethics rules to create guidelines for their behavior, the problem has come up because the organization created its own “hate” speech rule that appears to infringe on the First Amendment.
Sylvester explained in the report the rule “suggests that it controls that minister’s activity and therefore that individual activity.”
Fauber said the agenda against speech, including a looming hearing, is “persecution and certainly trying to silence my free speech.”
His lawyer said he didn’t do or say anything that qualifies as hate speech, and the complaint should have been dismissed out of hand.
Fauber explained, “I believe the Lord has called me for such a time as this to be His voice in this particular matter and He has given me His peace.”
