This past week a bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives which, if passed into law, will curtail our freedom of religion enormously. This bill, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is designed with one goal in mind - to make it a crime to express any negative thought or feeling regarding homosexuality. It equates teaching against homosexuality, even in a religious setting like a church service, with hate crimes such as murdering or otherwise attacking a person solely because of their race or sexual choices. It is clear that homosexuals are the only group whose "rights" are meant to be protected by this law from certain measures that were rejected from being part of the bill, such as an exemption for religious liberty and protections for the homeless and senior citizens. This bill is part of the wider agenda to normalize homosexuality and silence any voice raised against it.
All freedom-loving Americans, especially those who cherish their religious liberty, should unite to defeat this bill. For one thing, there are already laws in every state and on the federal level that deal with hate crimes. Secondly, this law could be used to prosecute pastors who preach the Bible's teaching on homosexuality from the pulpit - a clear violation of true separation of church and state (see the First Amendment to the US Constitution). In fact, laws similar to this one have been passed in several others countries, such as Canada, and in Canada ministers have been charged with hate crimes because they taught the Bible. Finally, this bill gives government the right to pas judgment on citizens' thoughts and attitudes. I believe that inciting someone to commit a hate crime should be illegal (calling on people to beat up illegal immigrants, for example), but teaching that something is morally wrong is certainly not the same thing. Our minds must be free!
The argument is that it is people like preachers who teaching the Biblical prohibition against homosexuality that actually promote hate crimes. However, this is far from the truth. Christians who are staying true to the Bible will always condemn sin whil holding up the love and hope of Christ. For, in every passage of the Bible where homosexuality is condemned, other sins that are somewhat more common are also condemned. We all stand guilty before a holy God, but we have a Way to Him which is opened to us by grace, to which all sinners, no matter what sin, have been called to enter. The Christian message is at once terribly concerned with holiness and amazingly offering of wholeness.
It is interesting that the same people who have cried loudest against the government entering our bedrooms have sought most for that same government to enter our heads!
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3 comments:
Great post! In the last comment, are you talking about the Patriot Act?
Um, yeah...not so much. In actuality, this bill has absolutely nothing to do with supposed 'thought crimes.' It addresses acts of violence only--again, there is nothing in there about people sharing their opinion on the morality of homosexuality. This is about violent attacks on people. It adds sexual orientation to the existing federal hate crimes law which covers race, gender, and religion. Hate crimes are acts of terror directed against a community, for the purpose of intimidation. For example, a violent act like burning an African-American church is an attempt to intimidate a community and thus, an act of domestic terrorism. A violent act perpetrated against a gay or lesbian person because of their sexual orientation is an attempt to intimidate people, and thus is subject to being prosecuted differently. It's still perfectly legal for someone to share their opinion that, for example, black people are inferior. Hate crimes laws would not apply unless they actually committed an act of violence. But unless you plan to commit an act of violence against a gay person, this bill shouldn't worry you. In fact, as a Christian you ought to be supportive of something that seeks to provide some measure of justice to a marginalized and oppressed people. Every time a Matthew Shepherd is killed for being gay, Jesus is crucified again...Jesus identifies with victims of suffering in the world, and calls his followers to do the same.
Tim and I have talked about this previously, as there have been many pastors in Germany who have been sent to prision for speaking God's truth about condemning homosexuality. I think this bill will be veto-ed by President Bush, but the idea of it passing is quite alarming. Great post.
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