Obama gets 'Pedophile Protection Act'

A Christian minister who has spent time in jail because of a state "hate crimes" law is warning that the federal legislation, now pending on President Obama's desk, is "one of the most dangerous pieces of federal legislation in the history of our nation."

The comment comes from Michael Marcavage of Repent America. He was among a group that became known as the "Philadelphia 11" that made national headlines in 2004.

That was when the Christians, ministering at a homosexual festival, were accused under a state "hate crimes" law.

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"This is an attempt by the U.S. government to shut down the Gospel of Jesus Christ by criminalizing Christians who reach out in the love of God to those trapped in the bondage of homosexuality," he said. "The passage of this 'hate crimes' legislation is one giant leap in the direction of persecuting Christians nationwide."

It was five years ago when Marcavage and 10 others were charged for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the public streets of Philadelphia during an annual taxpayer-funded celebration of homosexuality called "Outfest."

He describes how by preaching the Word of God, singing songs of praise and carrying banners with Bible verses, the Christians were perceived by law enforcement officers as a "threat" and were arrested.

"At the same time, police ignored the fact that homosexual attendees were harassing the Christians by encircling them with large pink placards while blowing loud, screeching whistles," he wrote in a report on the dispute.

"After being jailed for 21 hours, each member of Repent America was charged under Pennsylvania's 'hate crimes' law called 'ethnic intimidation.' They were also charged with a host of other bogus felony and misdemeanor charges, including 'criminal conspiracy' and 'possession of an instrument of crime,' and each faced a possible sentence of up to 47 years in prison along with a $90,000 fine," he said.

"Thankfully, after months of the looming 'criminal' charges, they were all vindicated of all counts," he said.

The state's "hate crimes" law eventually was struck down by the courts, he noted.

Analysts say they expect Obama to act on the "hate crimes" plan – attached to a defense spending authorization that is considered critical to the U.S. military – as early as tomorrow.

The bill, H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act, include the "hate crimes" plan that "expands criminal penalties against anyone who harms an individual based on 'gender identity' or 'sexual orientation,' thus posing a serious threat to biblical evangelism and active stances against the sin of homosexuality," Marcavage said.

Such provisions had died in Congress in previous years because of President George W. Bush's stated promise of a veto because they are unconstitutional. President Obama, who was supported strongly in his campaign by homosexual activists, however, has promised to approve the plan.

"It is feared that the enactment of the bill will further create an environment for a police state, criminalizing any individual whose conduct is loosely interpreted by law enforcement as being harmful. Additionally, there remains a concern that upon facing trial, individuals may be subject to the personal bias of liberal federal judges who will pervert the law and send the innocent to prison, and that pastors and outspoken Christians could be charged with 'inciting violence' should an individual be arrested for a 'hate crime' after hearing a message decrying homosexuality or other sexually deviant behavior," Marcavage said.

The American Family Association also promised its members would not be forgetting those who voted in favor of the bill.

"This vote is simply too important to ignore," said Tim Wildmon, president of the group. "The law created by this bill is exceedingly dangerous and represents a huge step toward normalizing homosexual and transsexual behavior in this country.

"It creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals. This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American," he continued.

"Worse, it creates possible scenarios where pastors can be sent to jail if their sermons on sexuality can be connected in even the remotest way to an act of violence. It threatens free speech and freedom of religion and is totally unacceptable."

The organization said it sent an alert to its 2.6 million members letting them know how their senators voted and urging them to contact them with comments.

Republicans, normally supportive of defense measures, largely opposed the plan in the Senate's 68-29 vote.

"The inclusion of the controversial language of the hate crimes legislation, which is unrelated to our national defense, is deeply troubling," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., told Fox News after the vote.

When the Senate earlier approved a key procedural move, Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, said, "In … months President Obama and the Democratic-led Congress have forced on the American people the most radical and immoral agenda.

"The administration and the Democratic-led Congress are out of touch with the mainstream. They represent the most fringe extreme elements of America. They will not be able to continue their efforts to undermine moral values, socialize the economy and trash American pride and heritage.

"The people will not remain silent forever," he said.

The AFA said since "sexual orientation" nowhere is defined in the law, "this law will give pedophiles, voyeurs, and exhibitionists special protections, which is why the bill has correctly been called 'The Pedophile Protection Act.'"

Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., argued on the House floor all alternative sexual lifestyles should be protected.

"This bill addresses our resolve to end violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these 'philias' and fetishes and 'isms' that were put forward need not live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule," he said.

As WND reported, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder admitted a homosexual activist who is attacked following a Christian minister's sermon about homosexuality would be protected by the proposed federal law, but a minister attacked by a homosexual wouldn't be.

The revelations came from Holder's June testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was taking comments on the proposal. The measure also was the subject of discussion on talk radio host Rush Limbaugh's July 3 show.

"This is the question," Limbaugh said. "(Sen.) Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) presents a hypothetical where a minister gives a sermon, quotes the Bible about homosexuality and is thereafter attacked … by a gay activist because of what the minister said about his religious beliefs and what Scripture says about homosexuality. Is the minister protected?"

No, said Holder.

"Well, the statute would not – would not necessarily cover that," Holder stated. "We're talking about crimes that have a historic basis. Groups who have been targeted for violence as a result of the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, that is what this statute tends – is designed to cover. We don't have the indication that the attack was motivated by a person's desire to strike at somebody who was in one of these protected groups. That would not be covered by the statute."

Continued Limbaugh, "In other words: ministers and whites are not covered by the hate crime statute because we're talking about crimes that have a historic basis, groups who have been targeted for violence as a result of their skin color, sexual orientation. So hate crimes are reserved exclusively for blacks and homosexuals. Everybody else can get to the back of the bus on this one."

The bill was nicknamed "The Pedophile Protection Act" when Rep. Steve King proposed an amendment during its trek through the U.S. House that would specify pedophiles could not use the law to protect their activities.

Majority Democrats flatly refused.

Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, told WND the move is alarming because "this would be the very first governmental and societal disapproval of a sincerely held religious belief, held by a majority of Americans, namely that homosexual behavior is immoral.

"It's the first time the federal government is writing into law a disapproval of that belief," he said.

While he said he doesn't believe there will be "immediate" prosecutions of pastors and churches for teaching the biblical injunction that homosexual behavior is sin, "I think the effect on speech and religious speech is nonetheless real."

He said he does expect that pastors soon will begin being called to testify in "hate crime" cases in court "as to what that pastor preaches, what the church teaches, what the Bible teaches."

"When this happens, there will be a shock wave through pastorates in America," he said.

Ultimately, he warned that the homosexual advocates who have pushed the "hate crimes" plan consider this law just the first step "toward silencing Christians."

That development already has been observed not only with the enactment of "hate crimes" laws in other nations but in the "hate crime" related speech codes existing on many university campuses in the U.S., Stanley said.

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