{"id":2356047,"date":"2024-10-17T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T12:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/realtor-persecuted-after-posting-bible-verses-on-facebook\/"},"modified":"2024-10-17T08:12:05","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T12:12:05","slug":"realtor-persecuted-after-posting-bible-verses-on-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/realtor-persecuted-after-posting-bible-verses-on-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"Realtor Persecuted After Posting Bible Verses On Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frealtor-persecuted-after-posting-bible-verses-on-facebook%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2356047&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Wilson \u200bFauber, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-promised-to-throw-his-opponents-in-jail-the-fbi-arrested-a-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-the-next-morning\/\" title=\"Biden Promised To Throw His Opponents In Jail. The FBI Arrested A GOP Gubernatorial Candidate The Next Morning\">prominent real estate agent<\/a> and ordained minister from Staunton, Virginia, has faced \u200cprofessional scrutiny for the first time in his 44-year career due to a political opposition group&#8217;s attack\u200b on his Christian beliefs. This campaign against him began after he announced his candidacy \u2063for the Staunton City Council and involved the resurfacing of Biblical \u200bquotes he posted on his personal Facebook page in 2015, which emphasized a traditional definition of marriage. Although his posts went unchallenged for \u200cyears, they became the basis for an ethics complaint following changes to the\u200d National Association of Realtors (NAR) code of ethics \u200bin 2020 that classified such expressions as &#8220;hate speech.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fauber was initially informed of the complaint in May 2024 and is set to have a hearing on December 4, where the NAR will determine whether he violated its\u2062 ethics standards. If found guilty, he\u2063 risks losing his NAR membership \u2063and, consequently, access\u2064 to \u200dthe crucial Multiple Listing Service (MLS),\u200b essential for his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">real estate business<\/a>. Critics argue that this situation\u2064 reflects broader issues of freedom of speech and religion, suggesting \u2063an environment\u200b where \u2063personal beliefs can lead to professional repercussions. The case highlights concerns about \u200creligious discrimination within professional organizations \u2063and has prompted legal representations to combat the growing trend of such actions against individuals expressing their faith.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Wilson Fauber has been a well-respected real estate agent and broker in the Staunton, Virginia, area for 44 years, with no professional complaints ever filed against him. That is, until 2024, following an aggressive initiative by a political opposition group intent on damaging Fauber&rsquo;s reputation by targeting his Christian beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 2015, I posted Biblical quotes on my personal Facebook page,&rdquo; Fauber said. &ldquo;Around the same time, Rev. Franklin Graham had created a post and I re-posted with some additions for emphasis,&rdquo; said Fauber, who is also an ordained minister. &ldquo;The post thread contained Bible references and explanations from a minister&rsquo;s perspective.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The quotes, posted on behalf of Arise International Ministries from Fauber&rsquo;s personal Facebook page, emphasized the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. They were made <a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/576\/644\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">before<\/a> the Supreme Court had decided or heard oral arguments regarding same-sex marriage in 2015 &mdash; meaning that at that time, under law, marriage was between and man and a woman &mdash; and well before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Association of Realtors<\/a> (NAR) amended its ethics code language regarding hate speech.<\/p>\n<p>Fauber knows of no complaints or claimed offense regarding his posts, until 2023, when he chose to run for Staunton City Council. Coining Fauber &ldquo;the Hater,&rdquo; an opposition group targeted his biblical beliefs. The group&rsquo;s slander caught the attention of the NAR, of which Fauber is a longtime member.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Amendment to Code of Ethics<\/h2>\n<p>In 2020, the NAR adopted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/about-nar\/governing-documents\/code-of-ethics\/2024-code-of-ethics-standards-of-practice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new amendment to its code of ethics<\/a>. Standard of Practice 10-5 compels realtors to avoid the use of &ldquo;harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.&rdquo; Suddenly, Fauber&rsquo;s 2015 comments about marriage in the Bible, reiterated in a 2023 interview, became fair game for an ethics complaint.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There were those who don&rsquo;t like freedom of speech and freedom of religion and so they researched my Facebook accounts and found the post from 2015 and then a local reporter met with me to ask me if I still believed in the scripture I had posted,&rdquo; Fauber said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fauber confirmed that he did. Those who filed the NAR board of ethics complaints referenced the front-page story, which showed that Fauber made related comments more recently than in 2015.<\/p>\n<h2>No Longer a Free America<\/h2>\n<p>The claim was filed in February 2024 and Fauber was notified in May, via email, not a certified letter, a short time before the scheduled hearing in June, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I had just days once I received an email through [my primary inbox],&rdquo; Fauber said. &ldquo;I had days to find an attorney.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Due to certain ongoing health issues, the hearing was rescheduled and is now set for Dec. 4, when the board will determine whether Fauber violated the NAR code of ethics. If the allegations are proven, Fauber could have his membership suspended, losing access to the critical multiple listing service (MLS).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty much impossible to do the real estate business without  the MLS,&rdquo; Fauber said. &ldquo;The MLS does more than allow a realtor to find a property, it includes when it&rsquo;s sold, how many days it&rsquo;s been on the market and other information, documents and restrictions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Loss of MLS access is direct job loss in the real estate business, said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familyfoundation.org\/victoriacobb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Victoria Cobb<\/a>, president of Family Foundation of Virginia, who also oversees the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundingfreedomslaw.org\/news\/fflc-defends-pastor-realtor-against-hate-speech-charge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC) supporting Fauber&rsquo;s case<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When somebody brought him up on ethics charges, the board could have chosen to dismiss them, but they did not,&rdquo; Cobb said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re really in a situation where if someone&rsquo;s personal faith posted on their personal Facebook speech becomes hate speech in the minds of an employer or an association, we don&rsquo;t live in a free America, everyone should be concerned about that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wilson never injected this into his campaign,&rdquo; said Michael Sylvester, FFLC litigation counsel. &ldquo;He has to keep reiterating that he loves and wants to serve all people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Before November 2020, when the hate speech clause was adopted, the code of ethics all related to how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-realtor-who-left-gay-lifestyle-allows-license-to-expire-after-broker-forbids-talking-publicly-against-homosexuality\/\" title=\"Christian Realtor Who Left Gay Lifestyle Allows License To Expire After Broker Forbids Talking Publicly Against Homosexuality\">real estate agents<\/a> and affiliates worked with clients, Fauber said. Now that has changed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The NAR has now given themselves permission to police real estate agents 24\/7,&rdquo; Fauber said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s deeply troubling that an organization like the NAR can police my life, and complaints can be filed against me for reading a passage of scripture, even in church; that a person wouldn&rsquo;t even have to be present to file a complaint about me. That&rsquo;s far reaching.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Not an Isolated Event<\/h2>\n<p>Fauber&rsquo;s case is not the first time the NAR has been accused of anti-Christian action; in Montana this past February, Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailymontanan.com\/2023\/02\/10\/brandons-law-proposed-to-allow-real-estate-access-to-mls-without-joining-national-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sponsored legislation<\/a> to ensure Christian members of the NAR are free to express their beliefs following the fining and suspension of local pastor and realtor Brandon Huber.<\/p>\n<p>In Virginia, phone calls of cases like Fauber&rsquo;s come pouring in daily, Cobb said, regarding someone who has lost a job or suffered significant harm due to their faith.<\/p>\n<p>The FFLC was founded in response to the state&rsquo;s liberal legislature that was passing &ldquo;blatantly unconstitutional&rdquo; laws like the <a href=\"https:\/\/equalityvirginia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/FAQ_-The-Virginia-Values-Act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Virginia Values Act<\/a>, Cobb said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We knew people even more than in the past were about to lose their freedom of speech and freedom of religion,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We are finding in fact that not just the laws we saw, but in general, there is every day a growing need for legal representation for people who are truly losing their jobs, their livelihoods, as a result of their faith.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Christian realtor <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/religious-liberty\/aclj-wins-lawsuit-against-virginia-real-estate-board-for-targeting-jesus-loves-you-and-john-316-court-strikes-down-unconstitutional-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hadassah Carter<\/a> recently won her case against the Virginia Real Estate Board, citing harassment and discrimination for her beliefs. Carter included Bible verses and Christian phrases on her website and was subjected to monitoring and accused of violating Virginia&rsquo;s fair housing statutes by the board due to her religious speech.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Society Has Really Reached a New Low&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>&ldquo;The hopeful outcome is that the ethics judges will recognize that Wilson hasn&rsquo;t violated the rule and has never spoken against anybody in any online space or publicly,&rdquo; Sylvester said. &ldquo;In the bigger picture, if quoting the Bible is hate speech then society has really reached a new low. Usually we admire our professionals, but now we are telling our professionals they need to leave their values at the door. One would have thought that this 2020 rule would be to stop society&rsquo;s greatest evil, but now it is targeting Christian ministers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the harm done to Fauber&rsquo;s reputation may be irreparable.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve earned an excellent reputation and am well thought of in the community,&rdquo; Fauber said. &ldquo;As with any accusation, people wonder if something is there; it creates some doubt. That seed has been planted in the community. After 44 years in the business and an excellent reputation, it&rsquo;s very disheartening.&rdquo; Threats of bodily harm against Fauber during the campaign led him to seek protection from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/country-celebrates-natl-law-enforcement-appreciation-day\/\" title=\"Country celebrates Nat\u2019l Law Enforcement Appreciation Day\">local police department<\/a>, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If this can happen to Wilson it can happen to anyone and if we don&rsquo;t stand up alongside, we may not have anyone stand with us when it happens to us,&rdquo; Sylvester said.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Ashley Bateman is a policy writer for The Heartland Institute and blogger for Ascension Press. Her work has been featured in The Washington Times, The Daily Caller, The New York Post, The American Thinker and numerous other publications. She previously worked as an adjunct scholar for The Lexington Institute and as editor, writer and photographer for The Warner Weekly, a publication for the American military community in Bamberg, Germany.     Ashley is a board member at a Catholic homeschool cooperative in Virginia. She homeschools her four incredible children along with her brilliant engineer\/scientist husband.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wilson Fauber, a respected real estate agent for 44 years, faces attacks on his Christian beliefs in 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":638,"featured_media":2356048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/5533558309_41dae9091f_k-e1728951058592.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[43195,4573,32311,19118,27308],"class_list":["post-2356047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bible-verses","tag-facebook","tag-free-speech","tag-persecution","tag-realtor"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/5533558309_41dae9091f_k-e1728951058592.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}