And here I thought that lying was a sin, silly me

[ck4829]

A proposed new federal hate crimes law would allow prosecution of crimes motivated by bias against homosexuality or “gender identity,” among other characteristics, and provide funding for the feds to go after hate criminals who local authorities fail to investigate or prosecute. But in their alternate universe, religious-right anti-gay groups have seized upon the act’s language protecting Americans of all “sexual orientations” to claim that it’s all a stealth operation aimed at legally protecting people with deviant sexual fetishes, including necrophilia and bestiality.

On May 5, for instance, the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) issued a claim that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act would extend legal protections to pedophiles and necrophiliacs — those who are sexually attracted to children and human corpses, respectively — along with people with 545 other paraphilias. (Paraphilias are psychosexual disorders, typically involving sexual interest in non-human objects, non-consenting partners, or pain and humiliation. They do not include homosexuality, which is not considered a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association or any similar association of medical experts.)

The act says no such thing. After being contacted by writers at BoxTurtleBulletin, a blog that fact-checks anti-gay propaganda, the group issued a May 12 correction, though it did not bother to edit or delete the offending article on its website.

They weren’t the only ones.

Exodus International, an “ex-gay” umbrella group that advocates so-called “conversion therapies” for homosexuals, formerly claimed on its website that the “APA recognizes 30 human sexual orientations” including, among others, incest, prostitution and “telephone scatalogia.” That message appeared as a pop-up any time a reader scrolled over the word “orientation” on the Exodus website. After being reached by Ex-Gay Watch, a website that critically monitors the ex-gay movement, Exodus silently corrected pop-ups on its website to note, like IFI, that “sexual orientation,” in fact, refers to heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. Period.

The Liberty Counsel, a legal advocacy firm founded by the late Jerry Falwell, still claims that “the hate crimes bill does not limit “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” and, thus, includes all these disorders and fetishes.” The far-right news site World Net Daily published a May 4 article headlined, “Next on Senate agenda? ‘Pedophile Protection Act’/‘Hate crimes’ law definitions would protect 547 sex ‘philias.’” Citizenlink, the magazine of the Focus on the Family, the nation’s largest Christian Right organization, didn’t mince words: “Even more concerning, the legislation could create special protection for pedophiles.” James Dobson, the group’s founder and president took the smear one step further, saying in a broadcast: “We have to assume that protection under the law would be extended to the 30 sexual disorders identified as such by American Psychiatric Association.” Dobson then went on to read a list that included incest and voyeurism. “I have to ask,” Dobson fulminated. “Have we gone completely mad? We’re going to protect all 30 of these forms of sexual perversion?”

Most of these groups have claimed that the proposed law would allow authorities to throw into prison pastors who made statements from the pulpit opposing homosexuality. That, too, is completely false. What the act would really do includes:

• Authorize federal authorities to investigate hate crimes when state or local authorities fail to do so.
• Increase funding to state and local authorities to prosecute hate crimes, including those based on religion, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

The act is named after Matthew Shepard, a college student in Wyoming who in 1998 was beaten, tied to a fence, tortured and left in a coma to die by his assailants. Prosecutors and police showed that Shepard was targeted because he was gay — something that some religious right groups have also falsely claimed is untrue.

http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/05/19/once-again-the-religious-right-lies-about-hate-crimes-law/

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Lying equals a sin only if you're not a 'christian' who's sins are washed away by mere words.

[RB TexLa]

2. Sins are not washed away by mere words.

One must be truly sorrowful for their sins, accept a penitence and reject or be working to reject their sins to receive forgiveness. Even protestant Christians theologically believe in serving a penitence for their sins although they have no formal rite for it. I'm sure other religions have ways of dealing with breaches of their accepted codes, I just haven't studied them. For an atheist the concept of sin is non-existent as sin is a theological concept, being actions or thoughts that removes one from a relationship with God, there the individual's concept of morality and ethics determines their cause of action when they violate such boundaries.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. SBC says one must say, " Jesus, forgive me for I have sinned. I accept you into my heart as the one

and only son of God, and my personal Savior."

This can be done on the death bed, after living a life violating all 10 Commandments. That's words.

[RB TexLa]

5. Well someone else can step in to defend Baptist theology if they wish, but I'm pretty sure they

do have to mean what they are saying. It's not just saying the words, that can be part of it but it's not the whole economy of salvation even for low church protestants who don't always accept that concept.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. According to Scripture

Abraham repeatedly lied about his relationship to Sarah. Sarah was his half-sister and his wife. He repeatedly described her as his sister - even when it was apparent that someone else wanted to take her as their wife. And, of course, those people were pissed off at his deceit. Yet Scripture describes Abraham as a great man of faith.

IMHO, you need look no further than the Bible itself for confirmation that faith takes precedence over honesty and truth telling - and recognition of present realities.

[Enrique]

6. regarding throwing pastors in jail

The bill states:

SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution.

[Grey]

7. apparently not... But it should be.

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.