The supreme court’s new ruling on the funding of terrorist groups at first glance appears to be a much needed law to stop those determined to kill American citizens. What may not be apparent is the effects that this new ruling might have on the speech of pastors and ministers who proclaim the truth of the Bible to their congregations.
Within the past year a new law defining hate speech towards a particular group became punishable as a crime and is now on the books. There has been much concern over the true implications of that law that could theoretically jail a pastor for preaching against homosexuality.
If a particular “Right Wing” Christian group espouses the biblical doctrine of homosexuality as being a sin against God, could that group be classified as a “Terrorist Group” and all donations to that particular church or pastor be cut off by the federal government?
Sound like a reach? Nothing like that could ever happen in America where free speech is a constitutional right? The slow erosion of our rights in America has already began to take place. Little by little, these seemingly insignificant laws are being added to each other, all with the potential future application to the prohibition of speech and freedom for those outspoken Americans, many of which are Christians.
At the beginning of the American independence from England, it was the Pastors of churches that helped draft the words to the Constitutional documents objecting to England’s prohibition of religious speech. England saw these outspoken Christian men as “Terrorist” and also sought to cut off their funding.
I wonder if teachers of the Bible are far behind in being labeled as terrorist once again as the eventual outcome of the recent new laws approved by our courts. Keep a close eye on these laws and how they are interpreted in future rulings concerning the freedom of Christian speech when proclaiming Biblical truths.
Rob Robinson
The following is the headline in today’s Washington Post regarding the new law approved by the Supreme Court that affects the funding of any group labeled as a terrorist organization:
‘Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Terror Law’
Washington Post
The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities.
Material support intended even for benign purposes can help a terrorist group in other ways, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his majority opinion.
“Such support frees up other resources within the organization that may be put to violent ends,” Roberts said.
Justice Stephen Breyer took the unusual step of reading his dissent aloud in the courtroom. Breyer said he rejects the majority’s conclusion “that the (U.S.) Constitution permits the government to prosecute the plaintiffs criminally” for providing instruction and advice about the terror groups’ lawful political objectives. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor joined the dissent.
