"Hate speech" weapon against scripture

[FollowingHim]

Increasingly people are being accused of "hate speech" and have serious persecution for simply quoting or elaborating on scripture. There is a growing and real danger that the Bible could eventually be outlawed for containing hate speech (while the Quran will be promoted by the same people, pure orwellian double-think). And it's happening worldwide.

Jerusalem’s top rabbi says ‘homosexuality punishable by death,’ faces backlash
Israeli politicians and LGBT activists have called for the resignation of Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar after the high-ranked cleric said that homosexuality was punishable by death.

“This is a cult of abomination, this is clear,” Amar said when asked of his attitude toward homosexuality in an interview with Yisrael Hayom newspaper, cited by Times of Israel.

“This is an abomination. The Torah says it is punishable by death. It is in the first rank of severe offenses,” he said. ...

The parliamentarians from Yesh Atid and the Zionist Union stated that the chief rabbi was “exploiting his position” as religious authority “for a campaign of dangerous incitement against a large public group in Israel.”

“A public figure who endangers the safety of Israeli citizens by discrimination and incitement should be fired from their position immediately,” German and Michaeli said in a letter.

Shlomo Amar simply stated "The Torah says it is punishable by death", in order to illustrate the seriousness of homosexuality in the eyes of YHWH. He did not suggest actually killing anyone, just illustrated a theological point with scripture. And he now faces a strong campaign to have him fired.

While in New Zealand:

Bishop Brian Tamaki blames gays, murderers and sinners for earthquakes

Destiny Church's Bishop Brian Tamaki has blamed earthquakes on gays, sinners, and murderers. ...

"The land actually speaks to God. Out of the soil ... Abel's blood spoke to God from a murder. The earth can speak. Leviticus says that the earth convulses under the weight of certain human sin.

"It spews itself up after a while - that's natural disasters. Because nature was never created to carry the bondage of our iniquity," Tamaki said.

Did you spot the lie in the headline? He never even mentioned gays at all. He just said the same sort of thing that you'd hear in hundreds of churches any Sunday. This is almost entirely fabricated by the media. But now there is a massive movement against him, every media outlet is full of multiple stories about it, there are opinion pieces against him everywhere, Facebook is full of it. And it's serious, there is a petition to the Prime Minister remove his church's tax-exempt status, and it has collected a vast number of signatures, while the Prime Minister has already voiced his personal criticism of Tamaki so could easily choose to honour the petition if he receives it. And if it were successful it would set an extremely dangerous precedent.

It's everywhere. We are under extremely serious attack. At the moment the attacks are on odd individuals that people won't mind being "punished" - Tamaki is NZ's wealthy prosperity preacher, there's plenty to criticise about him, so even most Christians would probably be quite happy with his church losing tax-exempt status. Without ever thinking that this means they too could suffer the same fate for equally innocuous statements.

There could easily be a very sudden and global shift to outlaw biblical Christianity. The church may have only a brief window left of free speech and free distribution of scripture.

But the risk will likely be dismissed as paranoia by most Christians, until it is too late.

 

[frederick]

I've been so busy I hadn't seen any of this and the related stuff in the news about Brian. Did any of you read about the German government separating married couples and annulling the marriages of refugees they deem too young to be married? If the German welfare agencies think a marriage is inappropriate, they break it up. And my German Christian friends tell me it is already illegal in Germany to teach that there is only one way of salvation. That kind of restriction is spreading in Europe.

 

[FollowingHim]

I had noticed the odd hint of that, hadn't looked into it, but it isn't surprising. Interestingly NZ law recognises foreign marriages even where the ages disagree with NZ law, so that wouldn't be able to happen here without changing the law - though I can easily see that law being changed as soon as someone decided it was a "loophole" and the media published a sad story about an abuse case and said the law had to be changed to prevent it. Germany has been going down this authoritarian track for a while with homeschooling being illegal, we met a family recently who had emigrated to NZ so they could homeschool. They clearly intend to be able to indoctrinate all the youth.

 

[FollowingHim2]

I hadn't seen that. In Germany I know it is illegal to homeschool, which is why many Germans move to America and NZ.

I don't know if you'll remember this, but there was a story here in the news about 4-5ish years ago, about a man who's wife had died. He had married her only a year before I believe. Well the PTB found out that the man that married them had not actually finished his paperwork to be a marriage celebrant. So they decided that this guy was never really married in the first place, which deeply upset him as his wife had just died and he couldn't marry her officially again, and they were saying that his whole understanding of their relationship was a lie. It also meant he didn't qualify as a widower. It made me think what a lot of weight people put on a small piece of paper being granted from the government. They were married. The government can't say that they weren't actually married, they can say "you don't have the right paperwork for us to consider you married for legal purposes", but that doesn't make them not married.

 

[aineo]

I don't know if you'll remember this, but there was a story here in the news about 4-5ish years ago, about a man who's wife had died. He had married her only a year before I believe. Well the PTB found out that the man that married them had not actually finished his paperwork to be a marriage celebrant. So they decided that this guy was never really married in the first place, which deeply upset him as his wife had just died and he couldn't marry her officially again, and they were saying that his whole understanding of their relationship was a lie. It also meant he didn't qualify as a widower. It made me think what a lot of weight people put on a small piece of paper being granted from the government. They were married. The government can't say that they weren't actually married, they can say "you don't have the right paperwork for us to consider you married for legal purposes", but that doesn't make them not married.

Wow, Sarah, this just makes me sick at my stomach.

 

[The Revolting Man]

Persecution is coming. Prepare for it. We've brought it on ourselves.

 

[Joleneakamama]

We have a friend who is being pressured to go get a marriage license by his significant other's family. It is sad how many people, ministers included, think that a licence somehow gives greater validity to a marriage. We had a preacher's wife over 17 years ago tell us we were just shacked up, but few would be so quick to say that at this point, when we have been married for 20 years. It is sad, when the state will recognise common law marriage, before ministers. Ironically, in law, a couple in a common law marriage are more one then a couple who married legally. The common law partners can contract for each other, and represent each other. The couple with the license are viewed as separate individuals in a contract, with the state a third party.

Ted Weiland did an audio titled "Could you be a disciple of Baal, and not know it? " I really liked it, though it showed that even well intentioned ministers can be disciples of Baal. I've even met a few.

 

[frederick]

I hadn't seen that. In Germany I know it is illegal to homeschool, which is why many Germans move to America and NZ.

I don't know if you'll remember this, but there was a story here in the news about 4-5ish years ago, about a man who's wife had died. He had married her only a year before I believe. Well the PTB found out that the man that married them had not actually finished his paperwork to be a marriage celebrant. .

I don't recall coming across that news item however, if I hadn't been challenged to study the whole marriage/polygyny issue, I would have been thinking no different to that. Over the years God has put me in situations that have motivated/prompted me to think through the basic biblical truths regarding salvation, the church, education of children, baptism of new believers, marriage/polygyny, etc. for which I'm very grateful. But for Him doing that, I'd be believing the same as most other people - and not chatting to the likes of you all on BF :bible:. We have an awesome God who providentially works all things according to will. Indeed, A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). All thanks and praise to Yahweh.

 

[rustywest4]

The worst is when the persecution comes from family and friends. Many look down on us for homeschooling (let alone other convictions we hold). They treat us as though we are robbing our children of their childhood by keeping them out of the public school system. We've all heard those condescending comments, "How do your kids get any socialization?". I'm like, "Have you seen our society lately? I am not too sure I want my children socialized!"

As parents it is our responsibility to protect our precious children from the darkness of this world. We are commanded to keep them from false teachings and untruth and worldiness. We are instructed to shelter them from evil, from sin, from the wiles of the enemy. As the patriarch, I will protect my inheritance (my children) til my dying breath!

I pray the Lord helps you all walk through the persecution of this age, as He is faithfully doing with us! Shalom!

 

[aineo]

The worst is when the persecution comes from family and friends. Many look down on us for homeschooling (let alone other convictions we hold). They treat us as though we are robbing our children of their childhood by keeping them out of the public school system.

My youngest son is now in his final year of high school and has been homeschooled from the start. It was kind of funny - we were ridiculed for it at first, but then when some of the more popular families in the community started homeschooling, one part of our family had a much different attitude.

We've all heard those condescending comments, "How do your kids get any socialization?". I'm like, "Have you seen our society lately? I am not too sure I want my children socialized!"

This is one I always had a bit of fun with. I would simply point out the people I knew who were the most social in school who were also always up to trouble and ask family, "Is this what you are wanting from my children?" I realize not all social people are always up to trouble, but it still made the point well.