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Ordinance restricts religious
speech
"The passage of this (Canadian) bill poses great concern. It
restricts free
speech and can be used as a tool for religious persecution
against those who
do not support the homosexual agenda. Gays are pushing to
silence those who
do not agree with them to the point of severely hindering the
right to speak
contrary to their social agenda. It is disconcerting that parts
of the
Bible, as well as other religious texts and statements, can be
labeled 'hate
propaganda.' ...Consequently, ministers who preach in support of
traditional
marriage between one man and one woman only, and brand same-sex
marriage as
deviant behavior run the risk of being fined and/or faced with
criminal
prosecution. ...if it can happen in Canada, it could happen in
America."
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DETROIT NEWS
Detroit, Michigan
May 22, 2004
U.S., beware: Canada restricts religious speech
by Bishop Keith Butler / Special to The Detroit News
On April 28, the Canadian Senate dealt a serious blow to free
speech and
religious freedom. It passed Bill C 250 to amend the criminal
code to expand
its definition of an "identifiable group" relating to hate
propaganda to
include any section of the public distinguished by sexual
orientation. The
legislation is the work of openly gay Member of Parliament Svend
Robinson.
The passage of this bill poses great concern. It restricts free
speech and
can be used as a tool for religious persecution against those
who do not
support the homosexual agenda. Gays are pushing to silence those
who do not
agree with them to the point of severely hindering the right to
speak
contrary to their social agenda.
It is disconcerting that parts of the Bible, as well as other
religious
texts and statements, can be labeled "hate propaganda." In
addition,
portions of the bill do not have the protection of the attorney
general,
which means that anyone can file a hate crime charge before the
courts.
Consequently, ministers who preach in support of traditional
marriage
between one man and one woman only, and brand same-sex marriage
as deviant
behavior run the risk of being fined and/or faced with criminal
prosecution.
A judge could issue a warrant for the seizure of any materials
being
referenced.
It is important to understand that if it can happen in Canada,
it could
happen in America.
Although proponents state that the bill protects religious
texts, a slippery
slope has been created. MP Robinson has stated, "A pastor would
not be
prosecuted for preaching against homosexuality on the basis of
the Bible."
He further states "That there are numerous assurances that any
such charges
would only apply to the most obnoxious or severe critics of
homosexual
behavior."
However, without these "assurances" spelled out in the
legislation, problems
loom. Who makes the determination as to what is obnoxious or
severe
criticism? Without specificity, it's left up to individual
interpretation,
and that's where the danger to individual freedom lies.
Similar legislation has been used to limit freedom of speech.
According to a
press release issued by the Catholic Civil Rights League, "In
January of
this year a Swedish Pentecostal pastor was prosecuted for 'hate
speech
against homosexuals' for a sermon he preached last summer citing
Biblical
references to homosexuality." This possible threat of
prosecution is not
limited to the clergy; it reaches to the average Canadian
citizen.
Picture this: You're sitting in a public restaurant talking to
some friends
about how marriage should be defined. You say you do not agree
with same-sex
marriage, that marriage should be between one man and one woman
only as God
intended. The group at your table chimes in, agreeing with you.
The person
at the table or booth next to you files a complaint, charging
that you were
inciting a riot against gays.
Nothing could be further from the truth, but Canadian officials
can pick you
up, and you will go before the courts to allow them to interpret
the intent
of your words. For simply exercising your right to freedom of
speech and
thought, you run the risk of being fined, imprisoned or both
under the vague
and cloudy definitions found in the proposed legislation. If
government can
control what we can and cannot say, we've lost all of our
liberties.
Why devote so much attention to Bill C 250? Canada is a
democracy and member
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Who would have
thought that free
speech restrictions would become a part of their laws? It could
happen in
America.
Thank God we have the First Amendment that is supposed to
guarantee our
freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of religion for
all
Americans and not just some. We must be alert and vigilant, less
we wake up
one morning and find our endearing freedoms snatched away by
those seeking
special class protection. We should also be diligent about
electing to
public office those individuals who embrace freedom for every
citizen in a
free society.
Bishop Keith Butler is the founder and pastor of Word of Faith
International
Christian Center in Southfield.
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More proof that so-called "gay rights" ordinances discriminate
against
traditional values organizations such as the Salvation Army...
"(Cook County Commissioner Mike) Quigley said the county's
ordinance banning
employment discrimination against gays and lesbians bars it from
contracting
with the Salvation Army. The ordinance exempts religious
organizations'
practices when those groups are working solely to further their
religious
beliefs. If a church or religious group wants to discriminate
against gays
and lesbians when it hires a minister, for example, that's legal
in Cook
County. But if the same group wants to provide social services
with public
money, it cannot discriminate."
CHICAGO FREE PRESS
(homosexual newsmagazine)
Chicago, Illinois
February 12, 2002
Salvation Army loses county contract
by Gary Barlow
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley (10th District) Feb. 7
forced the
withdrawal of a proposal for the county to hire the Salvation
Army to
provide therapeutic counseling services for delinquent minors.
Quigley objected to the contract proposed by Cook County Circuit
Court Chief
Judge Timothy Evans and Mike Rohan, Cook County director of
juvenile
probation, because of the SA's anti-GLBT employment policy.
"The last thing the government should be doing is funding
discrimination,"
Quigley said.
The proposal would have committed the county to give the SA
$136,800 plus
$250,000 available under a matching private grant to provide
community-based
therapeutic services for up to 60 delinquent minors. The
one-year contract
was to begin March 1.
When Quigley saw the item on the Cook County Board's agenda, he
was aghast.
"Talk about things you're really surprised to see on the
agenda," Quigley
said. "I think it's reasonable to conclude that (Evans and Rohan)
didn't
think about it in this respect."
Quigley said the county's ordinance banning employment
discrimination
against gays and lesbians bars it from contracting with the SA.
The
ordinance exempts religious organizations' practices when those
groups are
working solely to further their religious beliefs. If a church
or religious
group wants to discriminate against gays and lesbians when it
hires a
minister, for example, that's legal in Cook County. But if the
same group
wants to provide social services with public money, it cannot
discriminate.
"Part of the contract with the county is that they be in
compliance with our
ordinances and I don't think (the SA) would be," Quigley said.
Quigley noticed the item on the board's long agenda Feb. 6.
Alarmed, he
called gay rights advocate Kelly Cassidy, who works in Cook
County State's
Attorney Richard Devine's office.
"It's the kind of call you don't mind getting at 10 o'clock at
night,"
Cassidy said. Cassidy and Quigley consulted with GLBT political
activist
Brandon Neese, deputy Cook County clerk, and others, and met
early Feb. 7.
Quigley subsequently objected to the SA proposal before the
board meeting
began, and Rohan and Evans agreed to withdraw it.
Cassidy praised Quigley's vigilance.
"Here's a guy who does what he said he'd do for us," Cassidy
said. "If he
hadn't seen it and picked up on it, it would have been a moot
point by now."
Rohan said he and Evans are re-evaluating the proposal.
"The county has regulations that have to be met," Rohan said.
The proposal can be reintroduced, but Rohan said the private
group offering
the $250,000 grant would have to extend the offer. Neese said he
expects the
chief judge will not pursue the contract. |
BETWEEN THE LINES -- East Lansing requires Scouts to pay
"The Boy Scouts ban on openly gay members has one local city
opting to make
the group pay for access to its buildings...in a city that bans
discrimination against sexual orientation."
BETWEEN THE LINES
(Michigan's statewide homosexual newsmagazine)
Farmington, Michigan
December 12, 2001
East Lansing requires Scouts to pay
by Sarah Mieras and AP Wire Reports
EAST LANSING - The Boy Scouts ban on openly gay members has one
local city
opting to make the group pay for access to its buildings for
meetings. Last
year's Supreme Court ruling, which found the Scouts to be a
private
association changed its status with the district, which is
located in a city
that bans discrimination against sexual orientation.
``When they made the decision on the national level to
discriminate, they
moved themselves into a group which pays for facilities,''
district
spokesman Kevin Green told The Lansing State Journal last
weekend.
The District, which lets public groups access its buildings for
free will
begin charging the Scouts fees from $50 to $200 for use of its
space
beginning Jan. 21.
The recent decision, said school officials, will make a uniform
policy in
the district. Until now, some of the five East Lansing
elementary buildings
that host Boy Scout groups had been charging them and some had
not. The
other two elementary schools don't host meetings.
Girl Scout groups meet at all seven elementary schools for free.
Green said
that will continue because the organization does not
discriminate against
gays and lesbians.
Notice of the charges were sent out last Friday by some schools
to area
Scout troops by school principals.
With the decision, East Lansing schools join United Way chapters
and schools
around the country that have restructured their relationship
with the Scouts
following the Supreme Court decision. Last week in St. Paul,
Minnesota the
local school district opted to phase out its sponsorship of the
Boy Scouts
and Cub Scouts because of their anti-gay stance.
St. Paul-area Superintendent Joann Knuth told the Associate
Press their
severance with the Scouts is based directly on its anti-gay
stance.
``We support the activities that Scouts provide for our
students, but we
felt we could not continue to be charter partners' because of
the national
group's stance excluding openly gay leaders," said Knuth. |
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