bill making it a crime to speak against homosexuality???
 

Ok, I was headed to bed. But I opened my email and this was in there. I'm wondering if anyone here can either confirm or deny this??? Thanks!!

June 14, 2007

Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire email list of family and friends.

A bill in Congress makes it a crime for pastors and churches to speak against homosexuality

Message to pastors and other Christians: Just keep your mouth shut

Dear Lucille,


If pastors and other Christians don’t aggressively oppose a bill now in Congress, in the near future they will be subject to huge fines and prison terms if they say anything negative about homosexuality.

The proposed law would make it a crime to preach on Romans Chapter 1 or I Corinthians Chapter 6. Or even to discuss them in a Sunday School class. If churches and individuals want to keep the government from telling them what they can and cannot preach and teach about homosexuality, they better get involved now!

House bill H.R. 1592 and Senate bill S. 1105 would make negative statements concerning homosexuality, such as calling the practice of homosexuality a sin from the pulpit, a “hate crime” punishable by law. This dangerous legislation would take away your freedom of speech and your freedom of religion. Consider what has already happened:

A California lawsuit which is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court would make the use of the words “natural family,” “marriage” and “union of a man and a woman” a “hate speech” crime in government workplaces. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already ruled in favor of the plaintiffs!


CNN and The Washington Post both reported that General Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was fired because he publicly expressed moral opposition to homosexual behavior.
For the Alliance Defense Fund’s summary of this bill, click here.

Take Action
We are looking for one million Americans willing to take a stand and not allow a small group of homosexual activists to take away our freedoms. Can we count on you? Click on the link below to sign our Petition to Congress in Defense of Religious Freedom.

Please forward this to others, especially your pastor, and ask them to get involved in protecting our freedoms of speech and religion. This threat to our religious freedoms is real!


Sign the Petition to Congress Today


If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved.

Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your family and friends.

Sincerely,



Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

My pastor's wife forwarded me this e-mail also. I don't know much about it. I hope it is not true or does not come to pass.

Wildmon needs to be subjected to caning! As usual, he's on one of his tirades that have no basis in actual fact. Here's a quote DIRECTLY from the bill in the House of Representatives (bold print below the heading is mine):

`Sec. 249. Hate crime acts

• `(a) In General-
  • `(1) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person--
    • `(A) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and
      `(B) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--
      • `(i) death results from the offense; or
        `(ii) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.
    `(2) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR DISABILITY-
    • `(A) IN GENERAL- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, in any circumstance described in subparagraph (B), willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person--
      • `(i) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and
        `(ii) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--
        • `(I) death results from the offense; or
          `(II) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.
      `(B) CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED- For purposes of subparagraph (A), the circumstances described in this subparagraph are that--
      • `(i) the conduct described in subparagraph (A) occurs during the course of, or as the result of, the travel of the defendant or the victim--
        • `(I) across a State line or national border; or
          `(II) using a channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce;
        `(ii) the defendant uses a channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce in connection with the conduct described in subparagraph (A);
        `(iii) in connection with the conduct described in subparagraph (A), the defendant employs a firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or other weapon that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce; or
        `(iv) the conduct described in subparagraph (A)--
        • `(I) interferes with commercial or other economic activity in which the victim is engaged at the time of the conduct; or
          `(II) otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce.

SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

• Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Now, from the Senate bill:

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF HATE CRIME.

• In this Act--
  • (1) the term `crime of violence' has the meaning given that term in section 16, title 18, United States Code;
    (2) the term `hate crime' has the meaning given such term in section 280003(a) of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (28 U.S.C. 994 note); and
    (3) the term `local' means a county, city, town, township, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State.

SEC. 7. PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN HATE CRIME ACTS.

• (a) In General- Chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`Sec. 249. Hate crime acts

• `(a) In General-
  • `(1) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person--
    • `(A) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and
      `(B) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--
      • `(i) death results from the offense; or
        `(ii) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.
    `(2) OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR DISABILITY-
    • `(A) IN GENERAL- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, in any circumstance described in subparagraph (B), willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person--
      • `(i) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and
        `(ii) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--
        • `(I) death results from the offense; or
          `(II) the offense includes kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.
      `(B) CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED- For purposes of subparagraph (A), the circumstances described in this subparagraph are that--
      • `(i) the conduct described in subparagraph (A) occurs during the course of, or as the result of, the travel of the defendant or the victim--
        • `(I) across a State line or national border; or
          `(II) using a channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce;
        `(ii) the defendant uses a channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce in connection with the conduct described in subparagraph (A);
        `(iii) in connection with the conduct described in subparagraph (A), the defendant employs a firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or other weapon that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce; or
        `(iv) the conduct described in subparagraph (A)--
        • `(I) interferes with commercial or other economic activity in which the victim is engaged at the time of the conduct; or
          `(II) otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce.