Unless you live under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the controversies stirring in California over the recent passing of Prop 8, and the current debate over HR 1913. The former was the passage of a law defining legal marriage in California as only being recognized between a man and a woman. This of course brought much outrage from those on the political and ideological left. The latter relates to criminalizing the advancement of any negative opinion regarding the gay lifestyle, defining almost any such expression as “hate speech.”
Why are the self-proclaimed prophets of tolerance in California’s political far-left so ardent in their desire to suppress freedom of speech among those who view homosexual behavior as a moral issue rather than an issue of civil rights? It is a question worth investigating.
In one sense, I can affirm their distrust of much of what they’ve seen from organized religion. While I don’t believe the vast majority of Christians are hateful toward homosexuals, there have been a handful in the vocal minority of self-professing religious people who have written and spoken some very ugly, un-Christlike things about fellow human beings who practice a gay lifestyle. Unfortunately, the arrogance and vitriol of this vocal minority has discredited many of those who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle but desire to engage in respectful, honest dialogue over the issue.
Theoretically, HR 1913 could criminalize any effort to publically teach that homosexual behavior is wrong or immoral according to the Bible. This means that pastors, teachers and other Christian leaders could be prosecuted for a hate crime simply for publically affirming their disagreement with homosexual behavior based on Biblical convictions.
Whatever a person’s view on the issue of homosexuality, a legislative maneuver like this should cause all red-blooded Americans significant outrage. Case in point: as a Christian myself, I realize that most self-professed followers of Christ are not the archaic, right-wing bigots they are frequently caricatured as in much of the media. Yet while I disagree with those generalities, I will ALWAYS defend a person’s right to say it. The same laws that protect my right to read and teach the Bible as I see it also protect the right of others to insult me.
As I alluded to above, the key issue in this debate is that homosexuality has become accepted by many as a civil rights issue as opposed to an ethical one. Many would argue that even though honest scientists admit that the jury is still a long way out regarding whether homosexuality is a chosen behavior versus a natural orientation, gays and lesbians are being given the status of actual minorities who DO deserve protection against slanderous hate speech provided in civil rights laws.
As a pastor, I am certainly against public defamation of particular individuals. In my opinion, no law-abiding citizen should be personally targeted for any act of intimidation or harassment for any reason – especially by someone who claims to be a Christian. However, to attempt to incriminate a Christian leader for teaching that homosexuality is one of a myriad of sinful behaviors in the world seems unconscionable. What do you think?
Hey Jeremy, it's Ryan R. Incredibly well written piece. Thanks for the insight on HR 1913, unfortunately I was completely unaware such a bill existed and unfortunately such a bill even exists. To criminalize pastors for teaching such a lifestyle is wrong is wrong in itself. To let a few extremists who speak of such hatred towards any group of people prevent others from addressing a lifestyle that doesn't go hand in hand with the life that God says we should lead is upsetting for a few reasons. One being that it seems extreme rights and lefts take issues to a new level that shouldn't be reached causing a bill like HR 1913 to even exists. Two being that one of our own who claims to love God's word like do would cause so many others to hate the very word that we love the most. Great topic.
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