Hate Crime Laws A Way to Silence Opposition

One of the reasons Christians and other conservatives so strongly oppose "hate crime" laws in the United States is because they are already being used in other countries to silence points of view that the government considers unwelcome.

Consider this case in Canada reported by WorldNetDaily:

The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were "critical" of the beliefs of those who are not Christian, WND has learned.

"The auditor that originally looked at our books told us her supervisor had said she wanted us shut down," Mrs. MacGregor told WND. "Canada has very strong hate laws."

She said the ministry points out the differences between Christianity and various cult beliefs, but also with respect, and never as a proponent. She said the work always is in response to a question or issue.

"When a group such as Jehovah's Witnesses said of our doctrine we're worshipping a freakish three-headed God (the Trinity), we should be able to respond," she said. "We say, 'Here's the doctrine of the Trinity and here is where it is in the Scripture.'"

That, however, violates Canada's hate crimes laws, and the ministry was ordered to either make wholesale changes in its presentations, or shut down.

"There was nothing we could do that would please them," she said. "They wanted us every time we criticized something to say, 'So Christianity is equal to Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses… Just decide for yourself.'"

"We cannot do that," she said of the work she and her husband, Keith, have spent their lives assembling.

The freedom of speech we enjoy in the United States under the First Amendment should theoretically protect us from this sort of government abuse. Theoretically.

But consider that, despite the Second Amendment, guaranteeing the right to own firearms, gun ownership is being restricted in many degrees across America.

Also consider that, despite the First Amendment's protection of religious expression, the right of children to pray in schools, the right of high school graduates to pray or thank God at their graduations, and expressions of faith in many other settings are being curtailed.

Liberals, who know no objective values, are very adept at twisting a protection of rights into a weapon to destroy those rights.

Already liberals in both major parties have dealt a blow to free speech with the infamous McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance act.

With America growing further and further adrift from objective values, and good people becoming more apathetic and unwilling to stand up for right, how long until we follow the path of Europe and Canada?