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TVC hoping to thwart impending passage of 'hate crimes' bill

The head of a Washington, DC-based pro-family group says House Democrats are poised to pass HR 1592, a bill that threatens the religious liberties of Christians, on a day millions of Christians will celebrate one of those treasured liberties. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) has scheduled a vote on the federal "hate crimes" bill tomorrow (Thursday), which is also the National Day of Prayer.



Andrea Lafferty is executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, a group that has been lobbying members of Congress who voted for hate crimes legislation in the past to change their stance. She believes HR 1592, which would include crimes against homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders in federal hate crimes statutes, infringes on people's constitutional right to religious freedom.

"What arrogance, that the leadership of this Congress, the liberal Democrats, would bring up a bill that silences and would prosecute pastors on the very day that this nation focuses on prayer," Lafferty says. She believes the proposed hate crimes measure is part of a broad effort by congressional Democrats to foist the homosexual agenda on America.

"Steny Hoyer, Mrs. Pelosi, and the whole Democratic regime of this Congress have made promoting homosexuality a priority, and the first vote is hate crimes," the Traditional Values Coalition spokeswoman asserts. "The next thing they're going to vote on is a homosexual quota bill, and the list goes on and on," she says; "but they fast-tracked the hate crimes bill. They're moving it quickly through the House and then over to the Senate."

Lafferty says she has been told the White House will not veto the hate crimes bill if it passes. And, although Congressman Artur Davis (D-Alabama) has offered an amendment to HR 1592 that he claims would allay the fears of the Traditional Values Coalition and other pro-family groups, Lafferty argues that Christian pastors could still be prosecuted under the bill for preaching against homosexuality.

It has been noted by Chuck Colson that this legislation does not specify the term "sexual orientation" that is in this legislation, leaving it open to be interpreted to prevent people from speaking against many different moral atrocities.

They may silence people, but they will never silence God.