Jerry Moore: 'Straight Pride' T-shirts warn gay students
Civility be damned, some Illinois students were determined to promote God's word.
Earlier this month, St. Charles North High School's Gay-Straight Alliance observed Ally Week. The annual event focuses on dangers faced by gay people.
Three students at the high school wore T-shirts Nov. 8 with "Straight Pride" on the front. The shirts also had the biblical passage Leviticus 20:13 on the back, declaring that people who engage in homosexual activity should be put to death.
That's pretty strong stuff, but it is what the Bible teaches. If these students believe in the Bible, they have every right to promote death for gays.
Is it hate speech? Well, wishing to see someone's life extinguished isn't very compassionate. It depends on the students' motives in conveying this message.
But is hate speech protected under the U.S. Constitution? Very much so -- as long as you don't incite or threaten violence, it's considered free speech.
How, though, can advocating death not be a threat? Perhaps the students meant to caution gays to get right with God, or else. The Bible is full of such warnings, and people need to know about them.
Children who rebel (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) and curse their parents (Exodus 21:17) must be executed. The eyes of children who mock their parents will be plucked out by ravens and eaten by eagles (Proverbs 30:17).
Those fighting God's enemies will delight in striking their children against the stones (Psalm 137:9). Infants of the wicked will be dashed to pieces and their pregnant women ripped open (Hosea 13:16).
It's OK to own human beings, but someone who steals a slave deserves death (Exodus 21:16). No exception is mentioned if the theft occurred to free the person.
Capital punishment awaits a long list of folks. They include adulterers (Leviticus 20:10); blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16); brides who aren't virgins (Deuteronomy 22:13-22) and those who seduced them (Deuteronomy 22:23-24); those who break the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14); those who rape betrothed women (Deuteronomy 22:25); practicing (Exodus 22:20) and advocating the wrong religion (Deuteronomy 13:1-10); and women who practice sorcery (Exodus 22:18).
Wow, that's a lot of T-shirts. The question is do they share such warnings with gay people only? Aren't there others who need to repent?
Jerry Moore is the opinions editor for Suburban Life Publications. Contact him at (630) 368-8930 or jmoore@mysuburbanlife.com .