There is absolutely nothing in this bill that can be used to prosecute anyone on the basis of their speech, belief, or associations. It merely adds attacks based on sexual orientation to the list of criteria for federal hate crimes. I don’t think that Christians have any reason to fear, simply because you are only charged with a hate crime if you actually attack, injure, hurt, murder, etc., and this specific act was fueled by prejudiced beliefs. I don’t know if I necessarily believe that hate crimes deserve a special legal status, because I think that hurting an innocent person is abhorrent whether you are prompted by prejudice or cold blood. I also think that prosecuting someone to a harsher extent based on their beliefs is discriminatory in itself. However, I do know that if you are a Christian, you need not fear anything unless you actually commit a crime that happens to be charged by hate. So just don’t physically assault anyone, and you’re good to go.
While all of this sounds good, all it will take is one person suing a minister over a sermon on homosexuality saying it caused a crime against him/her. Then watch this bill go OTT with at attempt to silence what the Bible teaches.
The death of Matthew Shepherd was awful but so was my brothers. Matthew was murdered and so was my brother, my brother was murdered by someone who did not know him but just wanted to beat him to death. It has always pissed me off that Matthew Shepherd life was so much more important, to the pc crowd, than anyone else, but evil and hate comes in all forms and shapes and it is not just about a person’s skin or sexual orientation. The whole hate crime bill is nothing but pc crap!!! How many children in this country have to be molested and murdered before there is a special crime bill to protect them and put sex offenders in jail on an island forever never to be seen or heard of again. I guess the homosexuals are being murdered left and right and need special protection especially above children. But we do have 50 million dead children the pc crowd never gives a thought about.