According to the article, an official is going to recommend that the city council not approve a $5,000 grant to the organizers stating that “the event violated city requirements that it not be religious in nature.”
What I find hard to understand is why they would ponder supporting the conference in the first place, considering the city requirements in regards to supporting such an event?
Hello? Is it just me, or does the phrase “spiritual conference” conjure up something other then any sort of religious event?
This is itself does not bother me. According to the Constitution, the federal, state, and local governments are not to be proponents of any religion. The Founding Fathers were opposed to any form of State involvement with an individual’s religious freedom. This stance was the result of dealings with the Church of England. You see, it was run by the government - everything from doctrine to control of the religion’s hierarchy.
What does bother me is this:
“At the council’s business session, council member Deb Hermann said the conference would feature a speaker who has used hateful speech against the gay and lesbian community. The council later passed a resolution that condemned hateful, hurtful and harmful speech. It also recognized the gay and lesbian community.”
Who is this “speaker” in question? His name is Todd Hall.
Mr. Hall is a self proclaimed Apostle and Prophet associated with the Shabach Ministry of Praise. On the ministry’s website, he is listed as “the Founder and Overseer of Shabach Christian Church in Orlando, Florida.”
While doing some research, I came across a YouTube posting of a sermon he gave considering homosexuality. While grossly misinterpreting scripture concerning Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot’s two daughters, as well as misinterpreting other scriptures, he does take a firm stand. He states that the lifestyle is “gross and disgusting,” and he has a real issue with homosexual leadership in the church.
Although I disagree with the majority of what this Pentecostal preacher states (such as his emphasis on praise over prayer, as well as his Prosperity teachings), his stand on homosexuality is biblically correct (to a point). What one must be careful of though is to remember that it is not the sinner that one should hate, but the sin. One must also be careful to recognize that all sin is equal in the eyes of the Lord (it all separates us from Him), that is, all sin except for Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (which is the rejection of Christ Jesus). We must approach all sinners with love, just like Christ did. Indeed, everyone is a sinner, so what makes “you” better then the person standing by your side? We should put on an attitude of humbleness recognizing that it is only by the grace of God that we are saved. It has nothing to do with what we have done to earn His favor, nor is there anything we could ever do to gain it.
To view the YouTube video, click here.
No, my issue isn’t with Todd Hall, my issue is with the Kansas City Council. You see, Mr. Hall is preaching a faith, something that should be outside of government regulation. He does not advocate violence, nor is he seeking to overthrow the government. He is merely expressing his faith, which must be respected as personal, even if not agreed with. Yet because of his stance on homosexuality, and his strong wording, “the council later passed a resolution that condemned hateful, hurtful and harmful speech. It also recognized the gay and lesbian community.”
Once again, certain forms of speech can no longer be considered “free.” Although the council doesn’t specify what it considers “hateful,” in the very next sentence they recognize the homosexual community. Thus, one is forced to conclude that speaking out against homosexuality is considered “hate speech.”
As I mentioned before, the Orwellian Thought Police are out in force today, and soon, anyone who does not tow the “party line” will be considered outcasts – or worse.
Upon reading the article, I found myself under the impression that the Kansas City council was more then willing to (unconstitutionally) give a grant to this spiritual conference until they heard who one of the speakers was going to be. Then they removed their support and condemned “hate speech” against homosexuality.
If our politicians and political elite are so concerned with hate crimes, why is there virtually no protest against Muslim countries who hang homosexuals (Iran for example)? Indeed, reading blogs and opinions from all walks of life, the majority of those who oppose what is going on in such countries are homosexual advocacy groups AND Christians!
How can a faith that “preaches hate” defend the rights of those who are being persecuted? The answer is simple. Christianity does not preach hate. Yet in this country, we are now required to not only accept the homosexual lifestyle, but we are to promote it and celebrate it. It doesn’t matter what happens in the rest of the world. It’s the result of our “leaders” who are working hard to impose their own moral agendas upon society. That strikes me as a state controlled religion.
No my friends, true freedom of speech as well as freedom of religion are passing into the great beyond. In their place now are “resolutions” and a politically correct “acceptance.” However, if you disagree then you are committing hate speech. If you are committing Hate Speech, then you are a Thought Criminal. What does a society do with criminals? Stay tuned to find out!
Phil
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