U.S. Hate Crime Bill Could Criminalize Biblical Truth, Pro-Family Spokesman Fears

(AgapePress) - A controversial hate crimes bill has been resurrected on Capitol Hill -- this time under Republican leadership. The Culture and Family Institute (CFI) says the legislation is being pushed by the homosexual lobby, which is emboldened following the court-ordered legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

Two U.S. Senate Republicans have introduced the new legislation, the language of which is virtually the same as that in an earlier attempt by liberal lawmakers to put a hate crimes law on the books -- an effort that was defeated. However, this newly introduced bill would attach "sexual orientation" to the language of the previous bill.

Bob Knight CFI director Bob Knight believes conservatives need to be wary about the proposal. "Even though this bill is sponsored by Gordon Smith and Orrin Hatch -- both Republicans -- it's really the old Kennedy hate crimes bill that's been resurrected. And it's a very dangerous bill, because it adds 'sexual orientation' to hate crimes law, and it greatly expands federal jurisdiction," Knight says.

Also, the pro-family spokesman is concerned that the proposed law would require law enforcers to give priority to investigating and prosecuting crimes against homosexuals. "So if your grandmother is mugged," he posits for example, "it won't be a big deal, and the law enforcement authorities may have to put more of their revenues toward the mugging, say, of a homosexual guy walking down the street. Now both deserve protection, but certainly the gay guy doesn't deserve more than your grandmother."

Another major worry is that the hate crimes bill proposed by Smith and Hatch, if passed, will put the First Amendment rights of Christians at risk, making them subject to prosecution simply for expressing biblical views about the homosexual lifestyle. Knight notes that such a bill has already been approved by lawmakers in Canada, where he fully expects it to "muzzle public discussion of homosexuality and even someday silence pastors."

Current Canadian federal law forbids anyone from publishing materials or speaking in any way that could result in the "incitement of hatred and genocide" against certain specified groups. By adding "sexual orientation" to that list, Knight says Canada's lawmakers may have set up grounds for prosecuting anyone who criticizes homosexuality. And that is what he fears may happen in the U.S. if the legislation proposed by Smith and Hatch is approved.

The Canadian bill does contain a religious exemption in the "hate speech" section of Canada's Criminal Code. But in a recent news release, the Christian Coalition Inc. of Canada (CCIC) noted that the exemption places the burden of proof on the accused and is too vague and open to interpretation to serve as an adequate defense against charges of hate speech.

In a disturbing example of the implications of this bill, CCIC cited a Saskatchewan court case in which the Bible was determined to be hate literature. There, the Canadian court upheld a fine against a Saskatoon newspaper publisher and a man who placed an ad listing Bible verses about homosexuality.

Knight says the logical next step in the process of advancing hate crime legislation in America will be to criminalize free speech and thought. Should U.S. lawmakers pass a hate crimes bill that includes sexual orientation, he fears it will be used to give homosexuals special status as a protected group, while Christians' who express biblical views against the homosexual lifestyle end up as "fair game."

Thanks for your reply, and I am glad you weren't seriously injured or killed in that accident! Sounds definitely like a wake-up call. I have heard (and experienced) that if a person even once prays seriously from the depths of their heart, asking God to take charge of his or her life, then God will more and more direct that person's life, more and more we can see His hand behind events that happen to us. The more we want Him to be master, and ourselves to be the servants, the more He will be our Master.

It is said that if we take one step towards God, He will take a thousand towards us. Of course, He is not far from us ever, we just have tried to avoid Him.

Take care, friend - even after a minor accident, the internal organs and systems receive a shock, and you may feel worse before you feel better.

Try soaking in a warm bath with natural lavender oil (essential oil) a few drops. It is incredibly healing, heals burns, aches, all kinds of ailments. I would do a soak several times, also doing a self massage (or getting someone else to do it) with good oil, before the bath, helps strengthen the bones, organs, and immune system.

Baptist church targeted for 'anti-gay' event
Homosexual activists file complaint threatening nonprofit status

Posted: May 29, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Homosexual-rights activists filed a complaint against a Baptist church that held an event to support a proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Montanans for Families and Fairness, a coalition that includes Planned Parenthood and homosexual groups, charges Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church in Helen, Mont., failed to report to the state commissioner it used its nonprofit resources to support the proposed constitutional ban, according to the Billings Gazette.

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The situation is under review by the state political practices commission, which could result in fines and loss of the church's nonprofit status with the IRS for engaging in political advocacy.

At the church event last Sunday, petitions supporting the ban in Montana were circulated.

The initiative will be placed on the November ballot if 41,000 voters sign, the paper said.

"They made an expense on behalf of this thing," Rob Hill, campaign director for the coalition that filed the complaint, told the Gazette. "We believe they have to file with the commissioner's office. They haven't done that."

The church's lead pastor, Rev. B.G. Stumberg, said he was suprised to hear about the complaint Wednesday through a reporter.

"I don't know what they're talking about," Stumberg told the Billings paper after hearing details. "We haven't given a cent. The only thing we've done is we've spoken out for marriage."

The Sunday event featured a broadcast with national leaders such as James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship.

The pastor said petitions supporting the ban were passed around and signed. He insisted the church did nothing wrong.

The activist groups contend, however, the church should have reported its contributions to the ballot initiative to the state by Wednesday.

Under state law, argues the coalition's Hill, the church became an incidental ballot committee when it authorized expenditures for the event, the Gazette said.

Therefore, it needed to file disclosure reports with the state no later than five days after the church authorized those expenses.

The church had to pay for access to the simulcast event.

"This church used its resources to plan the event, gather the audience, provide a multimedia event and then petition its congregation, all in support of the discrimination amendment," Karl Olson, chairman of the coalition, told the Gazette.

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