Will law silence the church?

Christian leaders in Canada fear that a new law might de facto condemn portions of the Bible as hate literature, an Anglican online service reports.

Bill C-250, which is currently before the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, proposes the proscription of public statements condemning homosexual behavior.

This could lead to a prosecution of the church for teaching that "sexual conduct between people of the same sex is morally wrong," warned the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in a letter to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, according to Virtuosity Digest, a conservative Anglican online publication.

Janet Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, said senators told her they are "getting a ton of phone calls and e-mails opposing the bill."

Still, "there is quite a bit of momentum for the bill to pass," she added.