Ted Cruz: Gay marriage could lead to prosecution of pastors for ‘hate speech

During some discussion a potential candidate for the presidency was brought up and this guy was named. Admittedly i was a little confused at first about what Ted Cruz was talking about in a video i found here.
Ted Cruz Interview
Confused i did a search and it led me to this article from the Houston Chronicle which i quoted at the top.
Houston Chronicle

“If you look at other nations that have gone down the road toward gay marriage, that’s the next step of where it gets enforced,” Cruz said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “It gets enforced against Christian pastors who decline to perform gay marriages, who speak out and preach biblical truths on marriage, and that has been defined elsewhere as hate speech.”

Christian pastors have been sued for hate speech in other countries. In the early 2000s, Pastor Ake Green from Sweden served a month in jail for preaching a sermon at his church over homosexual relationships. Green analyzed verses from the Bible and referenced to homosexuality as “an evil force that plays games with people.” Sweden’s hate speech law prevents individuals from using “intimidation” towards minority groups.

Cruz thinks that there is no doubt that the advocates who are driving this effort in the United States want to see us end up in the same place as the other countries where individuals are essentially prohibited from speaking out against homosexuality.

So i looked up Pastor Ake Green and got this from BBC NEWS
BBC NEWS

Sweden's Supreme Court has said it will review the acquittal of a Pentecostal pastor who denounced homosexuality as "a deep cancer" in a sermon.
Ake Green was convicted of hate crimes in June 2004 and given a 30-day suspended prison sentence.

But then an appeals court in February threw out the case, saying it was not illegal to offer an interpretation of the Bible and urge others to follow it.

Which led me to these

Pastor Ake Green Sermon on Homosexuality
Ake Green Case

and finally to this.
Ted Cruz dismisses talk of 2016 Presidential Bid


And started to wonder if he actually believes this and if so, does he really have a shot at becoming our next president?

reply to post by Thorneblood


Interesting thread.

Free speech for both sides of this issue must be preserved or it will be a giant step backwards for freedom in this country instead of a giant step forward.

Some of the other cases i have found so far.

This is from Fox News Radio
FOX News Radio

An American pastor is facing a federal lawsuit filed by a George Soros-funded organization alleging that the pastor’s messages on homosexuality are a “crime against humanity” – a lawsuit that some Christians fear might have far-reaching consequences for church mission groups

This from the Huffington Post
Ruling against Church Group

And this from Canda

CBC
Canada

reply to post by Thorneblood


Are you choosing to ignore the Westboro Baptist Church, who won their way up through the courts, to the most hated religious people in America?

How many churches do you see these days that will openly and out rightly protest mixed racial marriages ? Unacceptable these days really, and the same thing is happening with homosexuals. It's about treating people as human beings, something the church abandoned long ago.

Don't make the stance that "OH NO! These human beings are getting rights and MY religious FReedoms are in jeopardy". Cry me a river.

It's a propagandists attitude and you know it.

Somehow I think I double posted..that's never happened.

reply to post by Thorneblood


Yes, it could lead to prosecution. I suspect a lot of the cases will be some "offense" or "slight" felt by some member of a community suing for damages. That way, if the pastor loses, the church loses a lot of money. If the pastor wins, the church loses a little less money. (Somebody has to pay the legal bills.)

UN Human Rights Treaties will be interesting to watch as well. I know our Constitution is supposed to trump treaties, but things are getting weird in this country.

It's also worth noting that in the Obamacare mandates, the government refused to give waivers for religious reasons. Yeah, I'd worry a little.

Ooops, just had another thought. What if the IRS rules were changed to remove the tax-exempt status from anyone who uttered "Hate Speech?"