Christians Cheer Hate Crimes Immunity

[JennyD]

Fundamentalists praised an amendment to the hate crimes legislation which ensures that religious speech will remain immune to hate crime prosecution unless it can be shown that the intent was to incite imminent violence. Violence next week? Maybe not.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), known recently for his truly visionary legislative assault on mermaids, introduced an amendment to the hate crimes legislation before the Senate on Thursday, July 16.
Brownback’s amendment states that nothing

shall be construed or applied in a manner that infringes the rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, or substantially burdens any exercise of religion (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief), speech, expression, association, if such exercise of religion was not intended to 1) plan or prepare for an act of physical violence or 2) incite an imminent act of physical violence against another.

The National Religious Broadcasters weren’t entirely satisfied . . . liberals claim it's because they can’t intentionally incite their congregations to violence:

There could still be some room for concern in the “incite” portion of that caveat. NRB Senior V.P. and General Counsel Craig Parshall said the hate crimes legislation was still bad policy and that the amendment would make abusive prosecutions “less likely.”

But without that amendment, he said, “our Christian communicators would face an unbridled, vicious juggernaut of censorship, where federal criminal ‘hate crime’ laws could be used to shut-down free speech and religious expression.”

Well, only free speech which incites violence and hatred. Would a True Christian(tm) speak such words?

What do you think? Should religious broadcasters be permitted to speak God's Truth, even if it offends sex-crazed sodomites and baby-killing whores?

[Rev. Jim Osborne]

Re: Christians Cheer Hate Crimes Immunity

You know, legislation like this is absolutely ludicrous. As a televangelist and religious broadcaster, something like this affects me directly! If this bill passed without immunity for religious views, I wouldn't even be able to quote the whole Bible on my TV show! No longer could I have an on-air Bible study about Leviticus and what God commands us to do with homosexuals or witches.

What this "hate crime" legislation really is is Christian Censorship! Think about it: Name one televangelist or radio broadcaster that has been responsible for inticing people to murder or terrorize. You can't do it, can you? So people like us do not deserve to have our constitutional rights trampled upon by a bunch of liberal senators. Of course, people would be wary of censoring Christians so they are tricked into supporting laws like these under "hate crime" status.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Re: Christians Cheer Hate Crimes Immunity

I'd like to know why atheism isn't listed as a hate crime. It should be illegal to practice atheism in God's favorite country!!

[Oakland "Reb" Griner]

Re: Christians Cheer Hate Crimes Immunity

If there was some way of restricting the 1st amendment rights of the false religions (Mormons, Catholics, Hindus, Moslems, 'cafeteria Christians', etc.) while leaving Landover unfettered, that would be excellent.

I suppose I am just hoping for too much there . . . .

[Pastor Isaac Peters]

Re: Christians Cheer Hate Crimes Immunity

I don't think there should be hate-crime laws to "protect" sodomites at all. Why should they get special privileges not available to normal people? As Senator Sessions has explained so eloquently (sodomite "news" source):

"Gays and lesbians have not been denied access to basic things like health, schooling or the ballot box," Sessions said, adding that gay people "have no difficulty in approaching government officials."

On the other hand, it is important to preserve hate-crime laws that cover anti-Christian hate crimes, given all of the anti-Christian persecution incited by Congressional Democrats and the liberal MSM.