Christian Pastors Worried By H.R. 1913
A Texas congressman who is a former judge warns that the “hate crimes” legislation reintroduced in the U.S. House could potentially lead to the arrest of Christian pastors who speak out against sexual immorality.
Representatives John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) are sponsoring the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913), also known as the “Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.” The bill would add sexual orientation to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law. When Democrats passed the bill in 2007, they were divided over whether to add “gender identity and expression” to the list.
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) says under the legislation, pastors, rabbis, or imams could be charged with encouraging or inducing a “hate crime” if they preach against homosexuality.
Bible ban”Every preacher of the gospel, unless you cut out parts of it; every imam who mentions anything with regard to sexual immorality — they could be pursued, and in other countries they have been,” says the Texas lawmaker.
Gohmert shares information he received from abroad. “I was talking to a guy from Norway who was telling me that people are even afraid to say Mary was a virgin, because just bringing up sexuality at all can raise problems with law enforcement,” he says.
i am born-again believer who is out raged . God wants us to speak out over sin and the works of satan especially with prayer and supplication. im so glad jesus is coming soon.
WE MUST SPEAK OUT ABOUT SIN AND EVIL DONT BE AFRAID TO DIE FOR CHRIST JESUS THE REDEEMER IS ON HIS WAY HERE TO JUDGE THE WICKED
I will fight the worldly system with the power of Jesus Christ.I will take the
freedom of speech and the freedom of a Christian to the extreme.We must remember what the Apostles said.They said,”We must obey God Rather than man.”
From the text of the law that I read… not sure what some are reading… the statute and its punishment are only applicable to actions, not speech. And felonious, violent actions at that, not the actions of a follower of Christ, who would minister to these men and women, not strike or kill them.
Let them put me in Jail! It will be 3 hots, a cot and the Holy Ghost! It will be like Pal & Silas in the Camp!! They will be happy to get rid of me, I will try to convert every soul there..lol
This sister is not scared, arrest me and take me to where the lost are at in great numbers.. That is where we need to be, I have Lic. for Prison Ministries anyways…ROTFL!
SO IF THEY WANT TO FEED, AND CLOTHE US PREACHERS, AND TAKE CARE OF ALL OUR MEDICAL NEEDS AND SUCH, I SAY SO BE IT!!
That kind of threat does not scare a true child of GOD, our lives are not our own, but GOD’s…
As a Christian and fervent believer in the freedom of speech I was equally as outraged to hear about this bill BUT IF YOU READ THE ACTUAL TEXT it becomes very clear that this bill cannot be used to prosecute any speech other than if a Pastor directly told a person to “Go kill person A because they are gay” This bill is only applicable to VIOLENT ACTION committed against people and cannot be used to censor speech. Additionally, I should point out that as Christians, WE ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THIS ACT, any crime committed against a Christian because of their Christian identity is already classified as a hate-crime in this country, isn’t it a bit hypocritical of us to criticize this bill as “Special rights” when we ourselves are included as part of it?
Jeremy,
You are correct, I read the bill as well. Ladies and gentlemen, when you read something on the internet we have a responsibility to check it out first. I don’t know where this notion that this bill will cause a pastor who is speaking the word of god and outlining what it says about sin will cause him / her to be charged with a hate crime.
Free speech is limited as is, if it causes immediate, inevitable, or irreparable harm.
However, to restrict one who is speaking on the basis of religion is wrong and is in conflict with Democracy, and I don’t think it will be done in the effect of a bill. The world is moving towards the one system in the initial form of economic unity.
With the way the world is moving now, we can not do much to resist. To those who are Christians, you know what you have to do, which is follow the Lord and not be swept into the world system that is emerging.
Since those who dare stand up and preach against immorality are being arrested in Europe, I can see it happening here, partly in that the voice of opposition to sound morals seem to be able to express things in a way to make it sound like they are the good and Christains are prejudiced and evil. But, just like many of the causes that the Christains stand up for that I have seen, good will come out of this and you will find that you actually have more friends and support than what is perceived. Stay true to Jesus and you will find it work to your good! I promise!
I’m thinking about Paul, in Acts 26, when he answered for himself (happily) to King Agrippa. Jesus told Paul to ‘rise, and stand upon thy feet….delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee….to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sactified by faith that is in me”….Acts 26:17,18….and Paul said in v 22, Having therefore obtained help of god, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.”
Be glad and lift up your heads,for your redemption drawth nigh.No Law but Love,No Creed but Christ,No Book but the Bible. ITS CHRIST OR PERISH.Even so,come quickly LORD we pray, may the GRACE of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you all.May GOD bless you all richly and may HIS coming rejoice your heart.
Well, as I stated before. No true Christian will feel threatened by this stuff or anything greater to come.. Before it is all over, Christians in the USA will be getting their heads chopped off for serving GOD and not denying Christ.. BUT WHAT A WAY TO GO!!
GOD tells us to fear no man or what they can and will do to us, but to fear HIM only.. I was demon possessed for 24 years of my life, and I am not scared to stand with or for the liberty and freedom that GOD has giving me..
The way I feel about all this and all to come, is that the devil should have killed me when he had me.. Because I belong to GOD now, and I am not scared to fight for what GOD says is right..AMEN.. We do have a voice, and a mighty GOD who will stand with us and fight.. But HE will also secure us, and sheild us if we allow HIM too..
Bottom line: “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF, BECAUSE IT IS ALL UNDER GOD’S FEET ANYWAYS”..lol
RESPECTFULLY IN CHRIST JESUS
This law is absolutely designed to specifically infringe upon free speech!
While the law does not directly ban free speech, the implication is for the criminal liability of “ordering”, “commanding”, or otherwise instigating an known or unknown third party into a violent action based on Biblical Law.
For all intent and purpose, the liability this law imposes can be transferred from the public domain Bible to the preacher for preaching legislatively defined “hate”.
You may not see a direct freedom of speech issue from the text but the impact of the legislation is a defacto ban on speech defined as “hate speech” by creating criminal liabilities for Bible preachers and believers.