U.S. House Judiciary Committee to vote on Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913) on Wednesday 4/22/09. Bill language offers this example: "A pastor's sermon could be considered 'hate speech' under this legislation if heard by an individual who then acts aggressively against persons based on 'sexual orientation'.
HR 1913 text can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1913:
MO
Senator Christopher Bond (202) 224-5721
Senator Claire McCaskill (202) 224-6154
Rep. Roy Blunt (202) 225-6536
Rep. Ike Skelton (202) 225-2876
AR
Senator Blanch Lincoln (202) 224-4843
Senator Mark Prior (202) 224-2353
Rep. John Boozeman (202) 225-4301
This is the current definition of marriage according the Webster Online dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marriage)
mar·riage
Pronunciation: \ˈmer-ij, ˈma-rij\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry Date: 14th century 1a (1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractural relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage> b: the mutual relation of married persons: wedlock c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage 2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities 3: an intimate or close union <the marriage of painting and poetry - J.T. Shawcross>
The definition of marriage according to the scriptures (Garden of Eden ~ present):
Matthew 19:4-6
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America’s decline since prayer was removed from schools
Since the Supreme Court banned school prayer in 1963:
-
the murder rate tripled;
-
Violent crime went up 544%;
-
Prior to 1963, divorce had been declining for 15 consecutive years. After 1963, the divorce rate more than doubled;
-
unwed birth rates 10-14 years of age shot up 553% by 1983;
-
Sexually transmitted disease rates (15-19 years of age range) shot up 226% by 1975;
-
the percent of children living in fatherless households increased from 6% to 40%.
Nationally syndicated columnist William Raspberry writes:
“Almost every commentator on the current scene bemoans the increase of violence, lowered ethical standards and loss of civility that mark American society. Is the decline of religious influence part of what is happening to us? Is it not just possible that antireligious bias masquerading as religious neutrality is costing more than we have been willing to acknowledge?”