Anti-gay pastor “promoting hatred” - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community

Anti-gay pastor "promoting hatred"

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • September 13, 2006 - 0:00

Ake Green delivered a fiery anti-gay sermon that triggered a legal battle testing the limits of Sweden's freedom of speech

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Gay groups have expressed concern at a controversial Christian pastor who is currently touring the country holding debates on Christianity and sexual ethics.

Pentecost Ake Green was convicted of hate crimes in 2004 after referring to gay people as a tumour on society in a sermon in Kalmar, Sweden, he was later acquitted but is now drawing criticism for a series of talks with Evangelical charity The Christian Institute.

One of his stops so far has been St George's Tron, in Glasgow, where he highlighted the perceived clash between free speech and sexuality in a talk titled Faith Under Fire, Mr Green told The Herald: I'm here to talk about sexual ethics from a Christian point of view, I believe homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle, as stated in the Bible."

Calum Irving, director of gay charity Stonewall Scotland, accused Mr Green of "promoting hatred," he told the paper, "Christians should have a right to state their belief that homosexuality is wrong, but it is not acceptable for them to promote hatred.

"We support freedom of speech wholeheartedly, but not the freedom to incite hatred."

Mr Green delivered a fiery anti-gay sermon in 2004 that triggered a legal battle testing the limits of Sweden's freedom of speech. Mr Green told the Supreme Court that his sermon was meant to warn gays that their lifestyle will result in an ?eternal divorce? from God.

"If two men sleep with each other, or if two women do so, it is abnormal, just like paedophilia," Green said in his testimony.

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