Torture, Hate, Marriage and Religion

Religious Views on Torture.

On April 30, CNN published the results of a survey concerning the approval of torture, which explored the opinions of churchgoers and non-churchgoers.

It turns out that more than half of regular churchgoers "said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is 'often' or 'sometimes' justified," and 42% of people who seldom attend church or do not attend church at all agreed with that statement.   Evangelical Protestants were most likely to agree with the use of torture, while the mainline Protestants (Episcopalians, Lutherans and Presbyterian) were more inclined to say that torture was not justified.

Hate Crimes Legislation.

Social conservatives are angry about the federal hate crime legislation that has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate, according to a news report published by Fox News.   Quoting Mathew Staver, who founded the Liberty Counsel, a law firm representing religious freedom issues, Fox News reports that Staver said, "It elevates homosexuality to the same protective category as race. It's all part of the radical homosexual anarchist agenda."   Religious groups are concerned that the hate crime legislation is akin to "thought crimes" and will limit churches' rights to free speech condemning homosexuality.

A noted proponent of adding sexual orientation to the hate crimes legislation is Matthew Shepard's mother, Judy. Her gay son was murdered in October 1998 in Wyoming and because sexual orientation was not classified in federal hate crimes law, no federal assistance was available to investigate the crime. The hate crimes legislation will allow for federal resources in the investigation and trials of serious crimes and murders for various groups, such as race, gender, and, if expanded, sexual orientation. These types of crimes are generally intended to target a community, not an individual.

When it was debated in the House last week, Republican representative Virginia Foxx (North Carolina) said the anti-gay motivation behind the murder of Matthew Shepard was a "hoax."

In light of Foxx' allegation, Rachel Maddow interviewed Judy Shepard and explained the misconceptions about what hate crime legislation will accomplish.

More information about the federal hate crime legislation, from the perspective of proponents of the bill, can be found at the Matthew Shepard Foundation website.

As characterized by opponents to the bill, more information can be found at the American Family Association's action alert and in the Liberty Counsel's press release.

Religious Leaders Speak Out on Effects of Gay Marriage in Massachusetts.

Related to the "radical militant homosexual agenda" that some religious groups say exist is the subject of gay marriage. The follow video, Marriage Equality and Religion: The Massachusetts Experience, features interviews of clergy in Old South Church in Boston, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, and Messiah Baptist Church, who discuss how gay marriage has affected their churches.

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Related posts:

1. PRESS RELEASE: Hate Crimes Prevention Act Passes the Senate – Legislation Heads to the President's Desk for Signing
2. Hate Crimes Bill Passes House
3. Hate Crimes Bill Passes Senate with Religious Speech Amendment
4. The Religious Right Push Hate Crimes Opposition Letters; Anti-Gay Killings Highest Since 1999
5. Gohmert on Hate Crimes
6. Hate Crimes on the Rise
7. Religious News Verses: Prayer, Hate and Christmas
8. Christian Fundamentalist News Roundup
9. Defamation of Christians Non-Existent
10. More Sanctity of Marriage Hypocrisy

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