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Mattew Shepard
Conservative Christian leaders are opposing a bill that would provide federal hate-crimes protection for the gay and lesbian community. The hate crimes legislation would provide special funding to state and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, and expand protection for the first time to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and the mentally and physically disabled.
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, named for a gay man killed for his sexual orientation in Wyoming, would allow the Justice Department to assist in the prosecution of hate crimes committed against minorities that result in death or serious injury.
Christian conservatives have raised fears that pastors would be prosecuted for inciting hate crimes if they preach against homosexuality, despite assurances that the law only targets physical violence. To stop the legislation, a few Christian leaders have suggested repealing all hate-crimes law, which would undo historic protections for race and even religion. Many Christian conservatives claim hate-crimes laws are unconstitutional.
Focus on the Family, a large and influential body of Christian conservatives, opposes the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the legislation, but does not favor repealing all hate-crime laws as unconstitutional. Focus on the Family, as do many main stream conservative Christians, sees sexual orientation and gender identity as changeable, unlike race. They believe it is a choice of lifestyle, rather than a fixed, determined characteristic. Indeed, some conservative Christians even believe homosexuality can be "cured" through prayer, a personal relationship with Jesus, or some other such nonsense.
Many conservative Christians — the CADC (Christian Anti-Defamation Commission), American Family Association, and Traditional Values Coalition, among them — fear that passage of the hate crimes bill will make their teaching about homosexuality illegal; Christian teaching that homosexuality is an abomination and that gays and lesbians are a particularly nasty type of sinner. Indeed, conservative Christians go so far as to say the bill would give protection to pedophiles. Some Christian bloggers have even gone so far as to call the act the Pedophile Protection Act.
The charge of pedophilia is a standard tactic of the religious right. Their comparison of homosexuality to pedophilia or bestiality is a rhetoric of bigotry and hatred that is worn thread bare. The time for hate to hind between the skirts of religion is over.
Not all Christians are homophobic; not all Christians want to deny protection to the GLBT community. Yet some Christians are homophobic, and some would deny human beings basic protection under the law. It is exactly because there are such people that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act is long over due.
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Comments
if the law is only for physical harm, then by all means let it pass. No one should get hurt just because they are a certain way. The whole reason Christianity does not accept homosexuality is because we don't accept sin, and Jesus said to love everyone, just not their sin, that's what He has saved us from.
Just a few months ago, NPR (national public radio)explained that the hate crimes bill is not meant to target "religious beliefs" at all, only to target hate crimes in any form. I take that to mean they(those pushing for the bill), will leave the Judeo Christian beliefs ALONE!
A true Christian would understand that Jesus would NEVER approve of picketing funerals of soldiers, and spreading their hate. These kind of Christians are disgusting, and they don't understand that Christian means "Christ-like."
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