bump
Where is the ACLU on this one?????
I would dare anyone to file charges against our church if the pastor chooses to call homosexuality a sin. We're talking about Freedom of Religion here, folks. DO NOT let Barry Lynn and his commie friends intimidate you into not speaking the Truth!
So the right to free speech and freedom of religion does not belong to Christians who believe the Bible is the word of God? This is ridiculous!! Why do we, the majority, allow this nonsense?
So separation of church and state only belongs to those who oppose Christianity. These people are hypocrites when they say the church has to stay out of politics but they have no problem stepping into the church arena and declaring what is wrong with the church's teaching.
In the waning hours of the 105th Congress, quiet efforts to pass controversial legislation are under way.
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act... cites violence based on sexual orientation as a Hate Crime.
Hate Crimes have commonly been racially motivated. Only in Canada has sexual orientation been included in anti-hate and human rights legislation. The Canadian law does not focus exclusively on physical violence-- it includes all forms of communication as well.
...As a Canadian living in the United States, I fear for your freedom, mainly because you take it for granted.
If my words were published in a Canadian newspaper... I would be charged with inciting hate under the criminal code.
Freedom of speech no longer exists in Canada-- I could not state that AIDS is largely found within the homosexual community, nor quote statistics to back up my assertion.
My opinion would make me a criminal. Since "tolerance" has been redefined... only Political Correctness is tolerated...
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a signifigant foot in the door for homosexual rights lobbyists-- it validates the entire... movement as an endangered group in need of special legislative protection.
Violence against any person is already illegal, no matter what the motive.
I find it offensive that violence is noteworthy only when the victim ( is)... a member of some political action group.
Susan Mayhew
Herndon, Virginia
This is another GREAT LIE by the liberals, just like scaring all the Christian children about praying in school. Take a stand, for crying out loud! Speak up for your rights! What is wrong with the church community? Why are we allowing government agencies to do this?
Are they monitoring the mosques for what THEY have to say on this topic???
It blows my mind how Christians are perceived as intolerant neanderthals, but the Moose Limbs are revered as a multicultural icon.
If just one person could tell me what's up with that, I'd be amazed. It's NEVER discussed, in the media or in "polite" company.
Doesn't suprise me a bit, this kind of thing has been in the works for a long time now. The day is coming when churches will be threatened with losing their tax exempt status if they refuse to tow the government-mandated politically correct line. Looks like the Keystone State is getting a little taste of this already.
I see. Saying that abhorrent and perverse behavior is offensive is illegal if you're a Christian. Saying that you advocate legalizing sex between old men and boys who are six years old (NAMBLA) isn't. We are losing our country. I see crap like this and I feel the urge to pick up my shotgun and go defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and *domestic*. Why don't these people just come right out and seize our guns, put us in "re-education" camps, abduct and brainwash our kids, burn our villages, and kill us off like Hitler did to the Jews? I could at least respect their honesty. But no, the bastards have to sneak around. *Not that I encourage this* but if there just happened to be a few dead Democrats lubricating the Tree of Liberty with their blood the Tree might be a little greener.
When will people learn that seperation of church and state does not mean seperation of faith and state.
I'd hold off on believing this one folks. A quick google search show no one commenting on this other than this Becket organization. A quick review of the current "harrassment by communication" statute in Penn. reveals that it deals with telepone communications only. It prohibts a repeated course of action of using phone calls to harrass someone when there is no legitimate intent to communicate. For example, repeated calling someone and either threatening or cussing them out. I'm thinking this is just some organization trying to stir up some contributions.
BM
Pennsylvania ‘hate speech’ code struck down by Federal Court
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (EP)
In a unanimous decision in mid-February, a federal appeals court panel ruled that a Pennsylvania school district's anti-harassment policy was overly broad and violated the right of Christians to voice their religious beliefs about homosexuality.
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit noted that there is no ''harassment exemption'' to the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech. The decision is binding on federal judges in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands.
Writing for the majority, Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. rejected the lower court's claim that ''harassment has never been considered to be protected activity under the First Amendment.'' He said this is clearly not true when the ''harassment'' involved consists solely of speech. His decision said the school district went too far in forbidding ''harassment'' based on everything from race and sexual orientation to ''other personal characteristics,'' a vague term that included clothing, appearance and social skills.
Alito acknowledged that a school may categorically ban ''lewd, vulgar or profane language'' and may also regulate speech to meet a ''legitimate pedagogical concern.'' Other speech, however, may be limited ''only if it would substantially disrupt school operations or interfere with the rights of others,'' he wrote.
Bryan Brown of the American Family Association's Center for Law and Policy, who represented plaintiff David Saxe, called the decision ''a tremendous blow against the political correctness movement.'' He added, ''This is a resounding bell of freedom ringing in Philadelphia reaffirming that, indeed, students do not leave their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate.''
The case began in the fall of 1999 when Saxe, who teaches at Penn State University, joined two public school students in challenging a recently enacted ''hate speech'' rule. The code banned ''unwelcome verbal, written or physical conduct which offends, denigrates or belittles an individual.''
''What this policy was about is the content of somebody's speech,'' Saxe said. ''It chilled the First Amendment rights of every child in that school, every teacher, every visitor.''
The ruling is expected to affect similar policies across the land. Michael Levin, an attorney for the Pennsylvania school board, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, ''I don't know how many school districts have policies as broad as State College's, but it is probably a significant number.''
Brown said, ''There are a lot of them like State College, and a lot of them are going to fall. This sends a message to schools across the country that students, staff and teachers cannot be muzzled in their bid to share their Christian values. This is a breath of fresh air for Christians.''
Brown said he hopes the school district appeals the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court because of the important issues involved.
INTREP
Group Plans to Spy on Churches
Johnson County, KS - Pastors and priests in Johnson County might need to watch what they discuss in church. Starting next month, a group says it plans to send volunteers to area churches to see if they are participating in election year campaigning. The Internal Revenue Service forbids tax-exempt groups, such as churches, from participating in political campaigns for or against a candidate. The move came after Johnson County ministers attended a meeting earlier this month. They were urged to help oust Kansas lawmakers who voted against a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which failed.
If they're trying to get religion out of the government, then the government needs to get out of the churches.