Hate crimes legislation addressed in resolution
- Nov 27, 2007 - 2
A resolution urging Congress to delete hate crimes legislation from the current defense bill passed with the full support of Alabama Baptist messengers attending the state convention annual meeting in Mobile Nov. 13–14. The resolution was one of seven approved without discussion.
The resolution on hate crimes legislation stated that its aim was to protect the First Amendment right of ministers “to preach and speak biblical truths” about God’s views on “homosexual activities.”
Through the statement, Alabama Baptists urge Congress to remove the hate crimes section from H.R. 1585 — the Defense Authorization Act — and President George W. Bush to veto the bill should it pass Congress as is.
The six other resolutions passed during the annual meeting were:
- On preventing child abuse
- On Sunday liquor sales
- On Indian gambling
- On the 300th anniversary of Baptist associations in America
- On the Cooperative Program
- On appreciation
Three other resolutions were submitted but not passed out of committee. They were:
- On praying for rain
A resolution was submitted by Tom Belcher, pastor of Millport Baptist Church, calling for the state convention to pray for rain. Instead of presenting the resolution for a messenger vote, however, the Resolutions Committee asked Belcher to offer a prayer for rain during the session. The following day, rain moved across the state.
- On Bibles in hotel rooms
Joe Godfrey, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, said information was submitted Tuesday morning for a possible resolution regarding hotels providing sex kits and/or condoms in their rooms but not providing Bibles. He explained to messengers, however, that more information was needed before a resolution could be properly drafted.
There was not enough time for it to be prepared and presented this year, Godfrey said, noting it could certainly be resubmitted next year. “If messengers can submit resolutions in advance, this is one of the reasons it is helpful to do so — it allows us time to prepare them for presentation,” he said later in an interview with The Alabama Baptist.
- On same-sex “marriage” and the federal marriage amendment
The committee decided that this topic had been dealt with thoroughly during the past three conventions.
In all, 10 resolutions were considered by the Resolutions Committee. Four came from messengers. The others originated with the committee.
Resolutions passed by messengers
- Hate crimes legislation
Through the statement, Alabama Baptists urge Congress to remove the hate crimes section from H.R. 1585 — the Defense Authorization Act — and President George W. Bush to veto the bill should it pass Congress as is. The goal is to protect the First Amendment right of ministers “to preach and speak biblical truths” about God’s views on homosexuality.
- Preventing child abuse
Through this resolution, Alabama Baptists express “moral outrage and concern at any instance of child victimization” and urge churches to “exercise moral stewardship” by performing background checks on employees and hiring in a responsible manner.
The resolution also says that a task force appointed by Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, has written guidelines for state Baptist churches to use when dealing with sexual misconduct. “It is not yet complete, but the information, when finished, will be provided to the churches as guidelines for doing due diligence in protecting children by means of background checking, etc.,” Lance said.
- Sunday liquor sales
After a state-owned liquor store in Birmingham was opened experimentally on a Sunday with plans of opening more, Dan Ireland, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program, asked Gov. Bob Riley to reverse the decision. Soon after, he did.
The resolution affirms Riley’s decision and reaffirms Alabama Baptists’ “long-standing objection to the sale and use of alcohol as a beverage.”
- Indian gambling
The resolution urges the U.S. secretary of the interior not to negotiate with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, who has requested to expand their gambling operations to include high-stakes gambling such as slot machines and lotteries. It also affirms Attorney General Troy King’s opposition to the expansion and encourages him to continue fighting it.
- The 300th anniversary of Baptist associations in America
The resolution celebrates the milestone and affirms the state’s 75 Baptist associations.
- The Cooperative Program (CP)
Alabama Baptists are “always at the top of percentage giving through the Cooperative Program” in the Southern Baptist Convention. The resolution affirms the state convention’s commitment to the CP and encourages state Baptist churches to continue supporting it.
- Appreciation
The resolution voices gratitude to Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Mobile; Mobile Baptist Association; state Baptist leaders; and all others involved in bringing about “a convention characterized by God’s leadership.”
This article is reprinted from the November 22, 2007, issue of The Alabama Baptist, the newspaper of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Abuse, Child Abuse, Addictions, Gambling, Substance Abuse, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality, Citizenship, Legislation
2 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Nov 27th, 2007, at 9:29am, Dan Valdes wrote:
Hate crimes legislation
“Through the statement, Alabama Baptists urge Congress to remove the hate crimes section from H.R. 1585 — the Defense Authorization Act — and President George W. Bush to veto the bill should it pass Congress as is. The goal is to protect the First Amendment right of ministers “to preach and speak biblical truths” about God’s views on homosexuality.”
This is a red herring and informed people know it. What does that say about Alabama Baptist messengers?
2 On Dec 26th, 2007, at 3:28pm, Rev. Roger McClellan wrote:
It is not only a red herring, but furthermore it would seem to be the purposeful advancement of a falsehood. Many activists of the religious right have been trying to sell the lie that the proposed hate crimes legislation will infringe upon the rights of ministers “to preach the Word”. I find it hard to believe that all of the leaders of the right are ignorant of the wording which specifically addresses acts of violence, which leads me to the unfortunate conclusion that these “men of God” who are often trusted implicitly are selling lies to their followers to advance their own agenda of intolerance. I am tolerant of those who disagree with me regarding the morality of same-sex relationships, but I can find little patience for or tolerance of those in positions of trust and authority that use lies to advance the tacit approval of violence toward those who are different.