Will US AG Arrest Pastors for Violation of the Hate Crimes Law?

Submitted by David Hart on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 17:22

The short answer is "no." This is just a cheap stunt. Third party liability requires both knowledge and intent. So, unless those pastors are telling people to assault gay people with a reasonable expectation that they will act on the exhortation, no crime is committed. In fact, if they did incite people to commit violence with knowledge and intent, that would be a crime with, or without, federal hate crime laws being in effect.

Trying to convince people otherwise is dishonest. I guess that not bearing false witness is not an important family value.

Will U.S. Attorney General Arrest Pastors for Violation of the Hate Crimes Law

Contact: Rev. Gary Cass, Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, 866-508-2232, 954-551-9770, drgarycass@christianadc.org; Misty Allmond, Vision America Action, 866-522-5582, 936-560-3900, visionamerica1@yahoo.com

VISTA, Calif., Nov. 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Coalition for Faith And Freedom -- an ad hoc, inter-denominational group of concerned clergy -- will be holding a Rally for Religious Freedom and Pray-In on Monday, Nov. 16th at 1:00 PM in Washington DC, in front of the Department of Justice, to demonstrate their opposition to the new Federal Hate Crimes Legislation.

Ministers will host a press conference, followed by several brief sermons from the Bible on the subject of homosexuality. The group will release a letter which will be presented earlier that day to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder expressing their concerns and demanding that the religious liberty of all Americans be respected.

Legal challenges to the unconstitutional hate crimes law may be announced at that time. Matt Staver, Esq., Founder and President of Liberty Counsel, has been retained as their legal Counsel and will be present for the news conference.

While the ministers do not expect to be arrested, they are willing to go to jail, if necessary, to stand for freedom of speech and religion.

The Coalition for Faith and Freedom also hopes to alert other members of the clergy -- who may be confused or intimidated -- to the clear and present danger of the hate crimes law to both their faith and their freedom.

Clergy who will be present at the November 16 Rally and Pray-In include Bishop Earl Jackson, President of S.T.A.N.D, Rick Scarborough of Vision America Action and HALT Obama.com, Paul Blair of Reclaiming Oklahoma, and Rev. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Coalition. Pastors from across America will be at the press conference and rally.

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