We weren't aware, but the state of Kansas apparently is finding ways to place substantial burdens on those who simply want to practice their religion. The attacks are so insidious, they've somehow escaped the attention of news organizations -- including this one.

We're not talking about Muslim children who want to wear scarves in public, or their parents' desire to use Sharia law to settle disputes. There isn't an organized Mormon movement demanding the right to practice polygamy. We're not aware of any Hindus not being allowed to wear a bindi, a Seventh-day Adventist attempting to remove meat from the school lunchroom, a Wiccan being refused time off from work to celebrate the Samhain Sabbat, or any Jewish people being refused jobs because they're Jewish.

No, it's Christians shouldering the burden. And with almost 90 percent of the state's population self-identifying as Christian, it would appear almost everybody in Kansas is under attack.

Or at least that's what one could infer from the proposed "Preservation of Religious Freedom Act" currently being debated in the Statehouse. The bill declares that state and local government policies shall not "substantially burden" people's right to exercise their religious beliefs without showing a compelling interest. If a burden was deemed necessary, it would need to be imposed in the least restrictive way possible. And if people still felt their religious freedoms had been abridged, they had the right to sue government agencies.

Even though it sounds suspiciously like the rights guaranteed in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, proponents are showing up in droves. Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer testified in support of the bill. So did the Kansas Catholic Conference, the Kansas Family Policy Council and Concerned Women for America among others.

During a hearing this week, many noted President Barack Obama's since-reversed mandate for companies to provide insurance coverage of birth control. We are obliged to point out, however, this bill was introduced during last year's session -- 12 months prior to the recent contraception debacle. And the bill never made it our of committee once arguments were raised about how the bill failed to protect against government-sponsored religious discrimination and whether courts would be prohibited from citing Islamic law in decisions.

So what's driving the need for House Bill 2260? After all, when mainstream Christians in Ellis County want to gather outdoors, they simply assemble on the steps of the courthouse. When Westboro Baptist Church members show up, they're confined to cordoned-off areas of sidewalks. It doesn't appear to us most Christians have a problem practicing their faith.

Instead, we suspect it's simply a desire to place substantial burdens on others.

The Family Policy Council, one of the act's supporters, makes no bones about what kind of Kansas families it won't support. Appeals are made to "Christian citizens" to fight local ordinances being proposed that would ban discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity. KFPC also is wary of "the homosexual lobby" behind anti-bullying policies in schools.

The Concerned Women for America group is equally straightforward: "CWA believes that marriage consists of one man and one woman." CWA also "supports the God-given rights of individuals in the United States and other nations to pray, worship and express their beliefs without fear of discrimination or persecution." Provided, of course, you're talking about "traditional" individuals with "traditional" belief systems.

The Kansas Legislature need not worry about preserving religious freedom for the majority of Kansans. There simply is no threat. As lawmakers cast votes on this bill, they should instead be honest about what they're trying to accomplish. They're attempting to legalize discrimination against individuals their religion considers outcasts.

Editorial by Patrick Lowry

plowry@dailynews.net