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Unclear language adding homosexuals to anti-hate law endangers Christians, say critics
One day after the Canadian Parliament voted down a measure reaffirming marriage "as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others," the House of Commons passed a bill adding sexual orientation to the country's hate-propaganda law.

While Christians of course oppose the promotion of hatred against anyone, including homosexuals, and abhor any calls for violence against gays, many Canadian Christians are worried that yesterday's bill, C-250, limits their freedom to oppose homosexual behavior.

"Bill C-250 has the potential to silence reasonable debate on issues like marriage and school curricula and restrict the legitimate expression of moral and religious views on sexual practices," the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada said in a backgrounder before yesterday's vote. (A press release from the EFC, as well as Focus on the Family Canada, are forthcoming.)

"Canadians who are speaking out against the redefinition of marriage are already being accused of 'hate' speech by homosexual activists," Canada Family Action Coalition executive director Brian Rushfeldt told The Vancouver Sun. "[Under C-250,] the activists will begin to insist on prosecution to silence their critics with criminal sanctions."

The bill passed yesterday by a vote of 143-110, though, as CTV notes, "it's rare for a private member's bill to pass" in the Canadian House.

Though the bill must still pass the Canadian Senate and be given royal assent, The Globe and Mail of Toronto suggests that one of the first targets under the bill is Topeka, Kansas, homophobe Fred Phelps. He's someone who Christianity Today and 99.99 percent of American evangelicals believe is promoting a false and dangerous gospel that contradicts Christianity. And Christians join with others in denouncing his "God Hates Fags" campaign. But Weblog is unaware of his explicitly promoting violence against homosexuals.

That's the problem, says Alliance MP Brian Pallister. "Where do you draw the line? To suppress free speech only drives bigots and abusers underground," he said. "You want those people out in the open, then they show how stupid they really are."

Under the law, promotion of hatred is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Dutch treat
Calvin College student Andrew Vanden Heuvel just accidentally discovered a comet. But he can't name it after himself because there's already a comet called Vanden Heuvel. Which is also the name of 23 percent of the heavily Dutch student body. (Just kidding.)

Ten Commandments:

• ACLU sues over Ten Commandments display in Georgia | Officials in Barrow County have vowed to keep the 3-by-4-foot framed display in the courthouse, where it has hung for 18 months (Associated Press)
  
  
• Moore: Move 10 Commandments to Capitol | By its very action as the elected representatives of the American people, Congress would restore the balance of power between the branches of government and would send a message to federal courts that we, the people, have the final word on our inalienable right to acknowledge God," Moore said in a statement (Associated Press)
  
  
• Alabama judge offers Ten Commandments to Congress (Reuters)
  
  
• Plans made for second monument | Just in case Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument is in demand in two cities, plans are being made to commission a second, similar display, advocates said Wednesday (The Birmingham News, Ala.)
  
  
• Suit seeks to force Barrow to remove Commandments | The American Civil Liberties Union will ask for a federal court order today to force Barrow County commissioners to remove a framed display of the Ten Commandments from the county courthouse, said Maggie Garrett, ACLU staff attorney (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  

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September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47