Once again, Congress has taken up legislation to expand Hate Crimes to include matters of sexual orientation and gender identity. The matter this week passed the House of Representatives, but not without a significant effort and only by about 60 % of the affirmative.
It is the religious right, once again, mostly fundamentalist and pentecostal American Christians pressing against this legislation, and President Bush, that self proclaimed Godly Christian, has threatened to veto it. They site concerns over first amendment free speech issues. And, perhaps they should be concerned, concerned not about their free speech, but about the morality of their speech. These Christians use scripture, not just to proclaim a moral stance, but to truly incite hate. When you declare that you know someone is going to hell, you stand in ultimate judgement. If someone is going to hell, then certainly they have no rights left here on earth? Or so it is easy to make that leap of thought. And from that easy leap of thought to a leap of hateful action.
Augustine, in one of his sermons commenting on the understanding of scripture said:
"When you understand anything in the scriptures, it is love that is manifesting itself to you; when you fail to understand, it is love that is hiding itself from you." (Sermon 350)
If a Christian's understanding of scripture leads them to condemn another, or leads others to consider acts of violence, then they are not really understanding the scriptures.
Free speech is a fundamental and sacred right, but the speech of religious leaders is not political speech, not the speech that is protected in the constitution. The speech of religious pastors commenting on scripture is not political, but ultimate religious teaching that is used to justify actions on moral grounds. This type of speech goes beyond protection; it goes to responsible usage and discretion.
Pastors, preachers, listen to Augustine's warning on the fruit of your scriptural understanding. Jesus himself said, you will know them by the fruit they bear.
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5 comments:
This doesn't have lot to do with the subject of the post, but I can't email, just blog. And I wanted to send everyone my good wishes and prayers for a wonderful AIHM community day tomorrow and mass at SMoG on Sunday. Wish I could be there!
((((ICCC sisters and brothers))))
(cyber-hugs)
There is a lot that is problematic about current hate crimes legislation, even from a progressive poiint of view. Take a look here:
http://afsc.org/justice-visions/default.htm#bones
-Treat
Jon,
Thank you for continuing this important debate and for your post.
I will check out the link you gave for consideration.
When you declare that you know someone is going to hell, you stand in ultimate judgement. If someone is going to hell, then certainly they have no rights left here on earth? Or so it is easy to make that leap of thought. And from that easy leap of thought to a leap of hateful action.
Free speech is a fundamental and sacred right, but the speech of religious leaders is not political speech, not the speech that is protected in the constitution. The speech of religious pastors commenting on scripture is not political, but ultimate religious teaching that is used to justify actions on moral grounds. This type of speech goes beyond protection; it goes to responsible usage and discretion.
Father,
It's not my wish to read more into this than you had intended, but are you suggesting that the teaching of any Christian soteriology other than absolute universalism constitutes a hate crime (or at least an incitement to a hate crime) and could therefore justifiably be criminalized? If not, could you please clarify?
Paul,
Thank you for your question. Without getting into the theology of escatology, my caution was to echo Augustine's thought on scripture. True knowelde of scripture leads to love. Sometimes those who quote scripture do so to condemn people with a certainty of their going to hell.
No one can make such an assured assumption. Pastors certainly need to teach morality, but to make such a claim in certainty of a soul's condemnation is particularly dangerous for a pastor since it can easily be used, and sometimes has been to justify hateful feelings and even hateful actions.
Pastors or clergy who proclaim certain knowedge of a soul's judgement need to be morally responsible for their preaching.
For example, the Rev. Phelps (sp?) preaching that "God hates fags" and "fags will burn in hell" is scripturally, theologically and morally irresponsible, absurd, and abhorant, but also could be inciteful to someone in his congregation. That is radically different from a preaching that "homosexuality is sinful."
True knowedge of the scripture leads to love not violence or hateful actions. My point here is spiritual not legal, but that discussion also needs to take place in our society, but I was not doing it here. :-)
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