Mississippi’s Legislature has lost its collective mind — and any semblance of having learned from our state’s sordid, blood-stained past.

In a move that harkens back in a way to the Jim Crow laws of days long past, but not forgotten by many, the Senate just passed a bill that would allow both government and private employees to cite religious objections to deny service to gay and lesbian couples.

Morally, we don’t believe gay marriage is correct under God’s laws; however, it’s legal right now under the laws of the United States.

The Bible tells us clearly the two most important things Christians are to do is love the Lord and love their neighbors. The Bible didn’t stipulate which neighbors. God meant all of them.

The bill, which is expected to pass the House soon, on the surface seeks to “fix” an issue that has not been a terribly big problem in Mississippi. Its authors are simply upset about the U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.

But since lawmakers cannot control the Supreme Court, they’re seeking to nibble around the edges. But the problem is nibbling the edges in this case sets Mississippi up again to be a state in which discriminatory practices are allowed to continue under the guise of religious freedom.

This bill is only a few degrees away from a law that allows someone to discriminate against non-whites or people of foreign descent.

This bill needs to be re-thought or at least Gov. Phil Bryant — if the measure gets to his desk — needs to veto it swiftly.