Dear Pastors and Religious Leaders:

The long debate over the “separation of church and state” has convinced many religious leaders that their opinions are not welcome in political debates. Many pastors hesitate to explain that government policies have helped cause the decline to America ’s culture, morality, and spirituality. Many people of faith have given up their freedom of speech and the freedom to practice their religious principles in all areas of their lives.

I am writing you today to remind you that religious principles and biblical teachings produced the values and policies that made America exceptional, prosperous, and good.

In recent decades, Congress and the courts have adopted policies that have proved destructive to faith, families, and freedom in America , but no one action has been as damaging as the “hate crimes” legislation will be. This hate crime legislation will replace “equal justice under law” with arbitrary justice based on the race, religion, or sexual orientation of criminals and their victims. More importantly, it will lead to the criminalization of biblical truth as “hate speech.”

Under this legislation, a pastor who teaches that homosexuality is wrong could be accused of a hate crime or charged with “inducing” a violent crime against a gay person.

Please tell your congregation this legislation is not about “hate” (all violent crimes are hateful); it is about taking away your freedom to speak and preach biblical truth. It takes away your right to say that some things are wrong. We need millions of Americans to call and email their Senators, especially Democrat Senators who are pushing this legislation. Majority Leaders Harry Reid has promised to pass this legislation in the next few weeks (the House already has).

To learn more about the “hate crimes” legislation, refer to Family Research Council’s reference page on the topic, www.frc.org. And to find the email addresses and phone numbers of your Senators, link to www.senate.gov. or call the Capitol operator at 202-224-3121. Please act this week.

                                                            Sincerely,

                                                            Jim DeMint

                                                            U.S. Senator