“Hate” crimes bill a threat to liberty
- Jun 29, 2009 - 8
The U.S. House of Representatives easily approved “hate” crimes protections for homosexuals and transgendered individuals April 29. The Senate is expected to take up the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act prior to leaving for their August recess.
The House bill would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the current categories–such as race, religion and national origin–protected from hate crimes. “Sexual orientation” includes homosexuality, while “gender identity,” or transgendered status, takes in transsexuals and cross-dressers.
If adopted by Congress and signed by the president, the “hate” crimes legislation would establish a terrible precedent, making sexual preference in any way, shape or form a protected right.
It is not unthinkable, under the scenario presented by the “hate” crimes bill, that if a person commits a violent act based on a victim’s “sexual orientation” after hearing the Bible’s teaching, for instance, that homosexual behavior is a sin, the teacher or preacher might be charged with inducing that person to commit the crime.
This is a major issue for the cause of religious freedom and freedom of speech. In the face of a vote in the U.S. Senate, it is imperative that evangelicals contact their senators and urge them to resist the pressure of political correctness and to stand up for the constitutional principles of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
People should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when they commit crimes against persons or property. Yet it is a dangerous mistake to try to elevate some crimes of violence as being more heinous than other crimes of violence because of the purported motives of the perpetrator or the identity of the victim. Murder is murder and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of the possible motives of the murderer or the racial, ethnic or sexual identity of the victim.
I encourage you to read this letter from U.S. Senator Jim DeMint on this most critical issue. Senator DeMint rightly warns that this legislation may well impact your “freedom to speak and preach biblical truth.”
This is no time to be silent. As people of God, we must let our voices be heard. Justice should be meted out based on actions, not upon the particular identities or lifestyles of perpetrators or victims.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to preserve religious liberty in America and across the world. If you would like to help us continue our fight to protect this freedom, please click here.
Further Learning
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comments
1 On Jul 2nd, 2009, at 10:25am, Gene Spear wrote:
The hate crimes bill make speaking against homosexuality a crime if someone commits a crime after hearing such speaking.
Why is such speaking selected and forbidden as a crime? Why not make it a crime to speak against adultery or against belief in God or against Jesus? Or, why is it not a crime to speak against Islam or the prophet? Perhaps this hate crime bill will lead to these also. Who wants such thought control and the corresponding police state? Let’s scrap such bills.
2 On Jul 2nd, 2009, at 12:52pm, Jonathan Autry wrote:
According to Richard Land’s reasoning the current law already makes speaking out against Islam and Jesus a crime if someone commits a violent act as a result. That is part of the problem with this reasoning. Gene, this line of thought assumes that if someone was to read your comment and use it as motivation to commit a crime, you could be arrested and held liable. I personally think the law is better than that. The new law merely adds gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Religion has been on the list for 40 years.
3 On Jul 3rd, 2009, at 11:10am, Jannie Anna-Laise wrote:
Jesus would never have advocated violence against anyone. Its a sad day, rmembered for tears in Heaven, the day the Christians became the Lions.
Advocating violence or hatred against a community is a crime against us all and should be duely adressed as such. Funny how Churches are currently protected under hate criomes provisions. I dont see you protesting that as a threat to liberty!
Yours In Peace, Jannie Anna-Lise
4 On Jul 3rd, 2009, at 1:37pm, Ryan Kupiec wrote:
I agree with Dr. Land in that I don’t know how necessary this bill is because of existing laws. However, I think that being strongly against it is unwise and misses an opportunity to stand up for people who are mistreated. It seems to me that speaking out against this bill only encourages the stereotyping of the SBC as “the Republican Party at prayer.” Instead of worrying about our “right” to preach homophobia, why don’t we instead call pastors to treat homosexuals with more dignity. Many pastors use the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality as an excuse to bully homosexuals and make their sins worse than ours. Instead, why don’t we encourage pastors to preach the Bible, regardless of what may happen legally, but also to emphasize that all people, straight, gay, etc. are desperately in need of Christ to change every area of our lives, including our sexuality.
5 On Jul 3rd, 2009, at 2:50pm, Rev. John Elliott wrote:
Who is to say that a person has to do an act to someone for it to be a hate crime. I Think that this law could just as easy turn on us who preach the Bible truth that homosexuality is a sin, that we could be put in jail for preaching hate. A persons sexual orientation is not covered under law. In fact, I think most States, if not all, have laws that make these acts criminal now, what is this law going to do with these laws?
6 On Jul 7th, 2009, at 8:41pm, Dr. David Shelley wrote:
Dr. Land is right about this bad legislation. The real problem, and perhaps the reason such legislation is even being considered, is that the church is asleep. Jesus commanded us to be salt and light, yet the church has bought the lie of “separation of church and state,” and a saltless, dark world is the result.
7 On Jul 9th, 2009, at 8:33pm, Robin wrote:
I do not agree that we should be passing a hate bill to protect a group of people based on homosexuality or Gender identity. Next we will be passing bills to protect a person base on there hair,eye color ect… The bills will never STOP, and my and ever other American’s freedom of speech will be gone forever,just because someone does not like or agree with my point of view.
8 On Jul 11th, 2009, at 6:55pm, Jonathan Autry wrote:
Good points, we should preach against homophobia and homosexuality. The mistake was made 40 years ago, and it needs to be undone. If our fears are that the followers of Christ will attack homosexuals and muslims then we have more problems than this law. If we are afraid that the denomination that 200 years ago were willing embrace slavery and “rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God” will be chilled because they saw them in the Bible, then we have a bigger problem. John, the law itself requires a crime of violence and has for 40 years and the courts have upheld that it must be a physical act. Speech doesn’t count. David, separation of church and state is a Baptist doctrine if anyone has lied it has been the SBC.