Pastors rallied at the Justice Department Monday to protest the 'hate crimes' law (signed by the President in the dark of night two weeks ago) by reading from the Book of Romans regarding homosexual behavior.
UPDATE 4/21/10: U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) announces support of challenge. “Like you, I believe this ‘Hate Crimes’ Act is unconstitutional and marks an unprecedented move to regulate and criminalize our thoughts."
-- From "Edmond pastor challenges hate crimes law" by Mark Schlachtenhaufen, The Edmond Sun (Oklahoma) 11/17/09
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is reviewing a letter from an ad hoc coalition of pastors asking that a new hate crimes law not be enforced because they believe it violates the Constitution.
Paul Blair, senior pastor at Edmond’s Fairview Baptist Church, and two other metro pastors were part of the group that held a press conference in front of the U.S. Justice Department building Monday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
Blair said he wants Oklahoma’s attorney general to not enforce the law when it comes to a pastor’s ability to preach on homosexuality. He said the press conference was a response to President Barack Obama’s signing The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law last month.
Blair said the press conference was needed to get the federal government on the record and to show clergy across America that they still may preach that homosexuality is contrary to biblical teachings and to God’s creation.
Blair questioned the justification for the law and postulated that it may come to be used to assault free speech and thought as well as Christianity. He said he is in need of God’s unmerited favor like every other human, and that his message is about the need for all to repent.
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From "Pastors to Holder: Bible still condemns homosexuality" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/18/09
A former U.S. Navy chaplain who was removed from the service after he exercised his right to pray "in Jesus' name" against the wishes of his chain of command read the biblical condemnation of homosexuality at a rally in front of the U.S. Justice Department to protest the nation's new "hate crimes" law.
Former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt of PrayInJesusName.com read from Romans: "And they that commit such things are worthy of death."
"The government has to invade my thoughts to decide what my motive was in quoting the Bible," Klingenschmitt explained. "I can be prosecuted if the government thinks my motive was wrong."
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The 'hate crimes' law includes a "fig leaf" religious exemption.
