There has been a lot of agitation nationwide the last few years for so-called "hate crimes legislation". The thinking seems to be that simply punishing the crime is insufficient. Rather the civil magistrate is to discern the mental state, the emotions and the motives, of the criminal, and mete out additional punishments accordingly. This is particularly to be done when the criminal acted out his prejudices and committed a crime as an expression of these prejudices. Prejudices of race, color, gender, and sexual orientation are expressly noted as being of concern. These classes are thought to require additional protection and those who would express their "hate" against these protected groups are thought to require additional threats of harsher punishments as a deterrent. This crusade against hatred and bigotry may sound noble but first we must needs as, "Is it really Scriptural?"

The Scriptures teach that God alone is "the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart". For that reason Christ taught his Disciples, "By their fruits ye shall know them". We cannot search the heart as the Lord does, we can only examine the fruit. As Christ taught, if the fruit is good the tree is good and vice-versa. Civil courts and ecclesiastical courts, civil magistrates and church elders, can only deal with the outward actions of men. They can not discern what is in a man’s heart. The civil government ought only to concern itself with the outward actions of men, their deeds and their words, that they conform to the second table of the law, the Ten Commandments. They can punish men for adultery, murder and theft etc., and they can punish men for libel, slander, and fraud. And church elders can only hold men accountable for their faith and practice, for their doctrine and their deeds, for what they believe and how they live. They cannot discern the state of men’s hearts, much less hold them accountable for that. That is the sovereign prerogative of God and of the Man Christ Jesus whom he has appointed to be the Judge of the Living and the Dead at the end of the age. Let us not intrude into areas that a sovereign God has reserved to himself.

Additionally, the thrust of this legislation is twofold, and neither are worthy of our support…

First of all, the passage of this type of legislation is significant first step towards establishing the kind of totalitarian socialist state as envisaged by George Orwell in his novel "1984". We will upon enactment of such legislation officially establish the "Thought Police." The government will no longer restrict itself to dealing with the outward actions of men that violate the second table of the moral law, the Ten Commandments. The government will begin to deal with men according to the thoughts and intents of their hearts. Logically this will require some kind of "Inquisition" and therefore logically additional "inquisitorial powers" by the civil magistrates. As in the days of the Reformation people will have to be examined with respect to their thoughts and beliefs. Such kinds of examination are inherently opposed to the concepts of "innocent until proven guilty" and of the "right to remain silent" as expressed in the Fifth Amendment. Traditional concepts of justice in a free land will inescapably suffer with the progressive implementation of this type of legislation. This has already been dramatically been proven in other countries where such legislation has been passed. Traditional concepts of freedom of speech and of the press have been denied to groups who were deemed as expressing "hate" towards some protected group, particularly homosexuals and Jews. Under the cover of restricting extremist hate groups the government will make it illegal for Christians to express the thoughts of God as reflected in the following texts…

One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. Titus 1:12-13

Such accurate characterization of ethnic vices would be considered a "hate crime"

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  Romans 1:24-32

Such a sweeping condemnation of gays and lesbians would be considered illegal and "hateful" under legislation as already passed in other parts of the world.

Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16

And finally, such an indictment, as the above, of an ethnic group, would come under the control of this type of legislation. Ultimately, not only freedom of speech and of the press are at stake, but even freedom of the pulpit would be sacrificed at the altar of universal love and diversity! And of course the only group that would not come under the protection of this type of legislation would be the "unloving" Christians who insist on condemning sin and iniquity according to Biblical standards! Christians would become, as is already noticeable, the only minority that it is politically correct to scorn and persecute.

Secondly, the thrust of this legislation would be to aggrandize the federal government and transfer more and more of criminal law from the states to the central government. Back in the mid 1960’s a more conservative American Bar Association characterized the Civil Rights Law as 10% civil rights and 90% federal power grab. In the name of "civil rights" the federal government has intruded with vast and comprehensive regulations in almost every area of a citizen’s life. The implementation of hate legislation at the federal level will compound this screen for a federal takeover of our lives contrary to the division of powers of the original Constitution.

Such legislation is inherently unconstitutional at the federal level, and more importantly it is unscriptural at any level of government.  Such legislation is unworthy of support by the Lord's people and instead deserves our enlightened and determined opposition.  May God grant that we will always have both the conviction and the boldness, and also the liberty, to fearlessly proclaim all the counsel of God, no matters whose ox is being gored.