In response to this matter I wrote a letter to the Department of Justice...


Dear Mr. Acosta,

I understand that this situation, in which four Christians in Philadelphia were arrested for speaking out against homosexuality in public, is a tricky one for the Department of Justice and the United States as a whole. On the one hand, we must be considerate and fair in our treatment of our homosexual citizens; yet on the other, we must not discriminate against members of a certain religious community by disallowing them their freedom to assemble peacefully and their freedom of speech as given to us by our Bill of Rights (Amendment I: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.") While the Christian view of homosexuality appears intolerant and offensive to those of differing beliefs, a Christian would be forced to stand unfaithful to his or herself and to God if forced to remain silent on the subject. While the Christian faith does not advocate or tolerate hatefullness or ill-treatment of homosexuals, it does teach that the practice of homosexuality is detrimental to one's eternal soul. It is for this reason, and for the responsibility to remain true to the Bible which is believed to be the Word of God, that Christians speak out against homosexuality. It is intended to be an act of love, of concern for the eternal lives of others, not one of hate. This is not always how it is displayed in actual performance, but it is the Biblical principle that Christians strive to follow.

It has been reported that the Department of Justice is refusing to investigate this situation because some Department of Justice attorneys were present when these people were arrested and advised members of the Philadelphia police on how to arrest them on charges of ethnic intimidation. If this is indeed the truth, I believe the Department of Justice has failed in its responsibility to the citizens of the United States. I do not know the whole story of what happened in Philadelphia; obviously, I can only rely on the media's representation. I do not mean to claim the arrested Christians' innocence, as I do not know if any distasteful activity took place on their behalf. I am unaware of the full details regarding the situation, but then again, isn't that the very point? No one can know the full details unless a fair trial takes place. Innocent of hate crimes or guilty, these four individuals deserve a fair trial in which they are allowed to defend themselves and their belief system, as also granted in our Bill of Rights (Amendment VI). As the Justice Department of the United States, it is your responsibility to ensure that all citizens receive the investigation adequate to assure a fair trial and hopefully a just verdict. To refuse to investigate this matter is certainly a breach in that responsibility on behalf of those arrested individuals.

This is a request for the Department of Justice to investigate the treatment and indictment of the Christians in Philadelphia. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely...