When Love is Hate
By Jack Kinsella
During the period of Christian persecution under the Romans, Christians were thrown to the lions, burned at the stake, beheaded or otherwise dispatched to heaven because they were judged to be guilty of hate crimes.
It began when the Emperor Nero, seeking to divert attention away from himself, blamed Christians for setting fire to Rome. Nero was widely suspected of having set the fire deliberately himself.
In his Annals, the historian Tacitus says that “to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace.”
Tacitus continued; “Their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius’ reign by the Procurator of Judaea, Pontius Pilatus…First, Nero had the self-admitted Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned–not so much for starting fires as because of their hatred for the human race.“
It is estimated by some historians that over the centuries, as many as 70 million Christians have been martyred for their witness of Christ. Interestingly, those same historians calculate that 65% of those were martyred during the 20th century alone.
The Jeremiah Project website makes this observation:
“The first step in the progression toward persecution of persons is identification. The second is marginalization; the third, vilification; the fourth, criminalization; and finally, persecution. This was the tactic Germany used against the Jews, and it is now the same tactic being used by liberals in America against the Christian church.”
In America, it is a ‘hate crime’ to say that homosexual conduct is a sin, but it is a free speech issue for homosexuals to call Christians ‘homophobes’.
It is a ‘hate crime’ to say Islam preaches death and destruction to non-Muslims, but it is freedom of religion issue for Muslims to preach it.
A cartoon that depicts Mohammed is a ‘hate crime’ if it offends Muslims. A cartoon vilifying Jesus is ‘free speech’ whether it offends Christians or not.
“The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007”, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, would leave it to someone who claims to be offended to determine whether a “crime” has been committed.
Similar laws already exist in other Western countries. In Canada, Canadian pastors are fearful of reading Biblical injunctions against homosexuality. In Australia, pastors have been convicted of “vilifying” Islam — by quoting Islamic texts.
Worldnetdaily recently reported: “Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth, noted that in Canada and France both, legislators have been fined for publicly criticizing homosexuality. Three years ago, a Swedish hate crimes law was used to put Pastor Ake Green, who preached that homosexuality is a sin, in jail for a month.
“And recently, a British couple told how they were denied the chance to adopt because it was determined that their Christian faith might ‘prejudice’ them against a homosexual child put in their care,” LaBarbera added.
Already in the United States, Catholic Charities of Boston halted all adoption operations in the state after being told under Massachusetts’ pro-‘gay’ nondiscrimination law, only agencies that placed children in homosexual-led households would get licensed by the state.”
Assessment
A number of OL subscribers have written in recently to complain that their Omega Letter isn’t being delivered, assuming we aren’t sending it. That isn’t the case. What is the case is that it isn’t being delivered. It is being intercepted and being returned as ‘hate literature’ by the ISP’s involved.
Any Omega Letter that argues against the gay agenda will be returned by some ISP’s as hate literature. An OL that questions the concept of Islam as a ‘religion of peace and love’ will be filtered and/or rejected.
What is fascinating about the various legislative remedies, internet censorship policies and criminal prosecutions is that, in each case, whether or not the thoughts expressed are true is no defense.
For example, to say there is a Biblical prohibition against homosexual conduct is a crime, regardless of the fact that it is demonstrably true — there IS a Biblical prohibition.
In this case, one isn’t expressing an opinion, personal or otherwise. It is a statement of fact — a statement of fact that can result in a prison term simply for pointing it out.
For the record, the Bible does NOT say that BEING a homosexual is a sin. Instead, it says that homosexual CONDUCT is a sin. It is the act, not the condition that God condemns.
It is equally true that heterosexual sin outside of marriage is also a sin. It is the act, not the condition, that God condemns.
That is not my opinion. It is what the Scriptures say, and I not only didn’t write the Scriptures, they’ve said that for thousands of years before I ever made my appearance on this planet.
Nowhere in this text do I express MY opinion regarding homosexual conduct. Neither do I express MY opinion in this text regarding Islam.
I am, however, expressing my opinion on hate crimes legislation. It won’t be MY thoughts that are offensive, but the thoughts of the readers who choose to be offended that will determine whether or not this is hate literature.
It is a trap for which there is no escape, since the hate actually exists in the mind of the ‘victim’.
There will be some Omega Letter members who will write to say their OL wasn’t delivered today. So some of you will have to go to the website to read what I DID say, because your ISP will censor your mail.
Not because of what I said, but rather, because of how some will interpret it.
However, I will express my opinion on Christianity. Christianity is, by definition, an intolerant religion. Jesus NEVER preached tolerance. He preached that there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Him.
“I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father, but by Me,” He taught.
Because that means that anybody who believes otherwise will be condemned, it qualifies under most of these legislative packages as a ‘hate crime’ against other religions.
And it means that, for at least some of you, today’s OL will likely be censored.
Note: Originally Written in July 2007.