SC 535

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Chism
Senate Concurrent Resolution 535
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT
OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO PROHIBIT THE DISPLAY OF THE LGBTQ PRIDE
MOVEMENT (RAINBOW) FLAG ON ANY STATE OR POLITICAL SUBDIVISION BUILDING.
���� WHEREAS, in Genesis 9:13,
God declares, "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token
of a covenant between me and the earth"; and
���� WHEREAS, the 1st-century
Jewish historian Josephus confirms that the divinely inspired author
"meant the rainbow, which in those countries was believed to be God's
bow"; and
���� WHEREAS, the ancient pagan
poet Homer concurs that the rainbow is a divine symbol to humanity, writing,
"like the rainbows which Zeus fixed in the cloud a sign to men of many
tongues"; and
���� WHEREAS, the ancient pagan
philosopher Plato agrees that the rainbow is a wonderous and divine sign,
saying through the mouth of Socrates that "wonder is the only beginning of
philosophy, and he who said that Iris [Greek personification of the rainbow and
messenger of the gods] was the child of Thaumas [Greek personification of
wonder] made a good genealogy"; and
���� WHEREAS, early Church Father
John Chrysostom writes that "at the sight of this sign, we do not conceive
of sad suspicions � so that we may immediately recall the divine promise, that
we may have confidence that we shall suffer nothing which resembles the
flood"; and
���� WHEREAS, the medieval Jewish
theologian Maimonides declares that God intends to say, "the bow which I
put in the cloud in the day of creation, shall be, from this day, and
henceforth, for a sign of the covenant between me and you, so that every time
that it appears, I will look upon it and remember my covenant of peace";
and
���� WHEREAS, medieval Christian
theologian Thomas Aquinas describes the rainbow as not only "a sign of no
future flood," but also as "signifying Christ, through whom we are
protected from spiritual flood"; and
���� WHEREAS, the founder of
Protestantism, Martin Luther, notes the enduring theological significance of
the rainbow, writing, "as often as the rainbow appears, it proclaims to
the world with a loud voice, as it were, the story of the wrath of God,"
and urges his readers to "let this sign teach us to fear God and to trust
in Him"; and
���� WHEREAS, fellow Protestant
theologian John Calvin likewise notes the enduring divine purpose of the
rainbow: �"For, as it pleases the Lord to employ earthly elements, as
vehicles for raising the minds of men on high, so I think the celestial arch
which had before existed naturally, is here consecrated into a sign and pledge;
and thus a new office is assigned to it; whereas, from the nature of the thing
itself, it might rather be a sign of the contrary; for it threatens continued
rain"; and
���� WHEREAS, the renowned 18th-century
evangelist John Wesley instructs his readers, "as God looks upon the bow
that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we also may be ever
mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness"; and
���� WHEREAS, the rainbow is a
biblical symbol of God's Covenant intended as a promise of hope for all
mankind; and
���� WHEREAS, the rainbow has
continuously inspired millions of faithful Jews and Christians over millennia
as a sign of hope and peace to all the nations; and
���� WHEREAS, even pagan authors
have identified the rainbow as a message of divine wonderment for all humanity;
and
���� WHEREAS, the rainbow is an
awe-inspiring sight displayed in the sky after a rainfall; and
���� WHEREAS, the rainbow is a
wonder of nature with historical, religious and scientific significance; and
���� WHEREAS, the rainbow
represents the expectation of a fresh start and a new beginning following a
time of darkness; and
���� WHEREAS, beginning in 1978,
individuals hostile to the Christian faith misappropriated the rainbow symbol
for the "pride" movement; and
���� WHEREAS, in Proverbs 8:13
God announces his enmity toward pride, stating, "The fear of the Lord is
to hate evil: pride � do I hate," and, hence, such pride is deeply
offensive to the many people who follow a biblical religion:
���� NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we hereby direct the Mississippi
Department of Finance Administration, as the responsible agency for
administration of all public properties in the State of Mississippi, not to fly
or otherwise allow the display of any rainbow flag intended as a symbol of the
LGBTQ Pride Movement on any property owned, leased or used by any state agency
or political subdivision of the state of Mississippi.
���� BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that
this resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the Executive Director of
the Department of Finance and Administration and made available to the Capitol
Press Corps.