|
Coming to a Court Near You
Report for
August 13,
2004
We were going to wait until fall to reactivate
Homo-Fascist Watch, but the following story needs to be circulated. This
chilling article is self-explanatory. Those with eyes to see and ears to
hear need to also act. Christians in America must take a bold, public, and
biblical stand against the lies of New Sodom or suffer the consequences.
No Free Speech in Preaching
Swedish pastor sentenced to jail for blasting
homosexuality.
By Lars Grip, ENI, in Stockholm, Christianity Today, Week of August
9, 2004
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/132/12.0.html
A Swedish court sentenced a Pentecostal pastor to one month in prison
after finding him guilty of offending homosexuals in a sermon. The case
was the first trial test of the national law against incitement as applied
to speech about homosexuals.
Last year during a sermon delivered in the east coast town of
Borgholm,
Ake Green described homosexuality as "abnormal, a horrible cancerous
tumor in the body of society." He called homosexuals "perverts,
whose sexual drive the Devil has used as his strongest weapon against
God."
During proceedings, the public prosecutor, Kjell
Yngvesson, played a tape
recording from the sermon. According to the church newspaper Kyrkans
Tidning, he justified the arrest by saying, "One may have whatever
religion one wishes, but [the sermon] is an attack on all fronts against
homosexuals. Collecting Bible [verses] on this topic as he does makes this
hate speech."
In his defense, the pastor said he merely wanted to make clear the
biblical view on homosexuality, not to express disrespect.
Green's lawyer pointed to the contradiction between religious freedom and
freedom of speech on the one hand, and the rights of homosexuals to be
protected against discrimination on the other. A verdict of guilty would
violate the pastor's right to preach about his beliefs, the lawyer said.
Soren Andersson, president of a Swedish federation for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender rights, said religious freedom is never a reason
to offend people. "Therefore," he told journalists, "I
cannot regard the sentence as an act of interference with freedom of
religion."
Yngvesson asked the court to impose a prison sentence on the pastor. Green
is expected to appeal. Homo-Fascism
Watch Main Page |
