I cannot see a valid argument against this Act. It seems to me that those who disagree with this Act disagree with the Hate Crime laws entirely. PLEASE fight to have religion struck from the Hate Crime law then, not gender identity or sexual orientation. If you have a problem with the law then fight to have yourself removed from it, not others.

Unless you can explain why these specific classes should not be included in the law, do not fight the Act that includes them; fight Hate Crime legislation entirely. It is clear to me that this argument does not make sense. You disagree with Hate Crime legislation supposedly, but the only time you fight it is when it protects classes of people you disagree with.

As a gay Christian I feel that this sort of behavior from the Christian community just pushes gays farther away. Christ called us to love - not condemn. How do you vote against this law??

Albert Mohler writes, "President Obama is an intellectually serious man. He knows that words matter." Yes, he does, but he chooses to ignore this fact in order not to loose votes. Obama sacrifices values for popularity. He might get away with this here and now, but he will have to face the greater consequences when he meets his maker. Elections and words have consequences but far greater is the consequences when we trade God's values for worldly values?

So many times our leaders do what sounds right to a particular support group instead of what actually is right. This Act will make it more difficult for ministries such as Exodus International and church ministries to offer support and encouragement to men and women who are seeking freedom from unwanted same-sex attraction temptations in their lives. Even though they would be receptive to the message from the ministries . . . others who are not receptive would be able to claim a hate crime by proximity, just through quoting the words. This is a very dangerous Act. Still, those who are seeking freedom and those who love them and want to help them will continue to do so. And churches need to do more and more to help homosexuals so it becomes the norm to love them into freedom, making it more difficult to label as hate.

Churches have been far too timid. Many Christians in our churches struggle with homosexuality in silence.

Thom
http://thom-signsofastruggle.blogspot.com/

Why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth NOW? The current hate crimes law has been on the books since 1969, and NEVER over the past 40 years has someone been prosecuted for expressing prejudice against members of a race or a religious group. Christian pastors have been invoking Scripture against non-Christians for as long as there have been Christians, and the hate crimes statute has never been used against them. Take Pat Robertson, for example: He has been railing against Muslims for his entire life and went completely apoplectic when Muslim clerics were first invited to deliver the opening invocations before sessions of Congress, but Rev. Pat was still within his rights to do so. The fact that the hate crimes law now includes sexual orientation will not inhibit the venting of his spleen.

Until Christian conservatives wage a concerted effort to get rid of the ENTIRE hate crimes law that's been in effect for 40 years, Dr. Mohler's arguments will continue to be pretty disingenuous.