Washington State now has a law mandating a hate crime hotline where residents can report hate crimes or “bias incidents.” It even promises $2000 of taxpayer money to anyone “injured” by such “incidents.”

The bill was signed into law at the end of this legislative season by Governor Jay Inslee. The attorney general's office has until 2025 to establish the hotline in three counties and the rest of the state by 2027.

The bill contains the standard definition of a hate crime that requires criminal investigation and prosecution. But the nebulous term “bias incident” covers the realm where criminal investigation and prosecution are deemed “impossible or inappropriate.”

In Washington State Bill 5427, a bias incident is defined as “hostile expressions of animus” that relate to a victim’s actual or perceived: race, color, ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, mental, physical, or sensory disability.

The “animus” (hostility or ill feeling) in these incidents can include verbal threats, intimidation, or other harmful actions that target an individual based on these protected characteristics. The bill aims to address and support people affected by such incidents by establishing a hotline for reporting and creating a compensation program.

California established a similar hotline in May of 2023.

“With the launch of the Ca vs Hate Resource Line and Network, we unequivocally state that there is no home or place for hate in California,” Governor Newson said.

New York’s approach was The Social Media Hate Speech Accountability Act in December 2022. It mandates that any social media site that operates in New York must set up a public channel where any user can report suspected “hate speech.” Site owners must respond directly to the user. Failure to do so will result in fines up to $1,000 per day.

It remains to be seen how these laws will stand up against the 1st Amendment. The US is unique in this speech protection. Nearly a dozen other countries have specific laws that restrict their definition of speech. News items are appearing more frequently of prosecutions in those countries for what we consider basic freedoms.

However, it’s essential to note that hate crimes are distinct from hate speech. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have statutes criminalizing various types of bias-motivated violence or intimidation, with only Arkansas, South Carolina, and Wyoming lacking such laws.

For Bible believers, the scary part comes down to the definition of “hate.” Too often the Bible is the target.

The prominent Finnish parliamentarian, Paivi Rasanen, was dragged through courts for years over quoting the scripture about marriage in her writings.

Several believers have been jailed in the UK for publicly preaching Biblical truth or praying silently outside abortion clinics.

The survey of some 2,000 young people in the United Kingdom by Whitestone Insights found that 23 percent of people between 18 and 34 said that the Bible should be included in a list of books considered offensive hate speech.

Proposed legislation in Canada aims to remove the religious exemption from “hate speech” laws. If enacted, any religious or faith-based expression that refutes or condemns gender ideology, child sexualization, or similar topics could potentially be deemed as “hate speech” and lead to criminal prosecution for Christians and other religious groups.

Satan's focus has always been on the Bible.

This is just another familiar tactic to concentrate political power against God's words.

But gospel tracts can come in under the radar with an engaging story and simple presentation of the good news for a chaotic world. Chick Publication’s files contain so many testimonies from readers of Chick tracts that discovered the Bible is not hate literature but contains the only hope we have today.

Jack chick foresaw that hate crime laws would be used to silence Christians. He wrote about it in 2011 when he wrote the comic book, “Jesuits”.

"Jesuits"

$2.99

32-PAGE, FULL COLOR COMIC BOOK - The Jesuits... like so many things in this world, they are not what they appear to be.

"Hot Topics" by Jack T. Chick

$8.95

This book contains six tracts with commentary from Jack Chick and David Daniels. The reader will learn the facts behind the writing of these stories. There are facts and statistics that will absolutely astound the reader.

One of the tracts entitled, "The Trial" was written on the subject of hate speech laws. This tract is currently not available in print but can be read on our website or in the book, "Hot Topics".

With example after example, you will see how “hate crime” laws are being used to silence Christians. What about when non-Christians are hateful against Christians? The police look the other way.

Jack Chick tells about the first time he saw a coordinated effort to intimidate Christian speech. He tells how he saw Christians backpedalling, pacifying them. He thought, “If we don’t make a stand, we’re dead meat out there.” There is something we can do, if we don’t wait too long. Read a simple plan of action.