Our religious freedom IS slipping away

On May 3 the United States House of Representatives voted by a substantial margin to approve H. R. 1592 or the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. This bill, which will soon appear before the U.S. Senate, also expected to give the bill its stamp of approval, will make homosexuals or gender confused individuals federally protected classes under federal law. If this happens, homosexuals, transvestites, transsexuals and other “sexual orientations” can claim protected minority status.

Lou Shelton, director of the Traditional Values Coalition, states, “It (H. R. 1592) will be used to lay the legal foundation and establish a framework to investigate, persecute, and prosecute pastors, business owners or anyone else whose actions are based upon the truths found in the Bible, which have previously been protected by the First Amendment. This will result in a chilling effect on religious freedom.”

Shelton insists that no epidemic of hate crimes exists. In fact, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2005 there were 862,947 cases of aggravated assault, but only 177 were motivated by sexual orientation. This is 0.000205 percent of all aggravated assaults in 2005.

Tony Perkins, president of The Family Research Council, has identified this “hate crime” legislation as “thought crime” legislation. He says, “If (or when) federal thought crimes laws are passed, your right to share politically incorrect parts of your Christian faith could, in fact, become a federal crime.”

Perkins added, “Let me be clear, acts of physically violence against anyone, homosexual or heterosexual, should be vigorously prosecuted, but a federal law giving one penalty for a persons actions and an added penalty for their thoughts will pave the way for laws that criminalize speech or opinions alone. Criminalizing Biblical truths would effectively silence the gospel in public. This kind of legislation is an attempt to criminalize our thoughts, punish our beliefs and silence our voices.”

The Scriptures teach that God alone is “the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Law enforcement agencies and civil courts cannot discern what is in a man’s heart. They ought only to concern themselves with the outward actions of men, their deeds and words.

We should not intrude into areas that a sovereign God has reserved to himself.

The American Presbyterian Press views this kind of legislation as a significant first step towards establishing the kind of totalitarian socialist state envision by George Orwell in his novel “1984.” Indeed, the enactment of such legislation would officially establish the “Thought Police” Orwell details in his novel. In this case the government would no longer deal with the outward actions of men that violate the law, but deal with the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The American Family Association has warned that if such legislation is passed there is a real possibility that preaching against homosexuality would be banned and churches standing in opposition to the homosexual lifestyle would lose their tax-exempt status. In fact, this kind of legislation paves the way for Christians to be persecuted for what would be called “hate speech.”

Similar laws with an anti-Christian bias are being enforced around the world. In Sweden, Pastor Ake Green was indicted, convicted, and sentenced to 30 days in jail because in his own church he gave the Bible’s views on homosexual practices.

In Australia two evangelical pastors were charged with violating certain “hate crimes” laws for criticizing the Muslim religion. In Canada, a Catholic city councilor was fined $1,000 for simply restating the church’s teaching on homosexuality.

I have never professed to be very smart, but there are some things someone may need to explain to me. First, why would the gay community compare their quest for “rights” with the black community’s quest for equal rights in recent history? These are two different issues. Since the 1950s the call for racial equality and the fight for breakthrough legislation providing civil rights for blacks would not have been necessary if the principle of the Declaration of Independence concerning inalienable rights had been honored. Gays are not seeking equal rights; they are seeking special rights, not extended to all Americans, a notion completely at odds with the Constitutional guarantee of equal protection.

Secondly, why would we ever declare that Christian symbols in the public arena are unconstitutional and allow the gay/lesbian community to freely flaunt their lifestyle?

Thirdly, why would we allow Rosie O’Donnell to spew her venomous rages against Christianity, the White House, and America in general and consider such unprincipled legislation?

While gays chant, “Stay out of our bedrooms!” and the pro-choice advocates shout, “Keep your hands off my reproductive organs!” and the anti-war populace screams, “Bring home the troops!” and the environmentalist cry, “Stop the pollution!” and the gun control proponents lament, “Disarm the people!” I will dare to declare, “Stay out of our pulpits and stay off my editorial page!”