Blasphemy!!!!!!

[PickelledEggs]

You've gotta be fucking kidding me....

An Everett, Pennsylvania, teenager is facing two years locked away over some offensive photos posted to his facebook account.

The photos depict him in mock sexual positions with a Jesus Statue.  The statue does not appear to have been harmed during the incident.

desecration

KRON4 reports that the photos were taken and uploaded in July in front of the “Love in the Name of Christ” Christian organization in his hometown of Everett.

The young man is charged with “Desecration of a Venerated Object.”, which is defined as “Defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise, physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action.”

This is a charge that was often used against people who burnt American flags in protest.

In Texas v. Johnson, Johnson was charged with Desecration of a Venerated Object for burning an American Flag during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas.

The case brought to light questions about whether or not expressive acts were protected under the amendment. The supreme court ultimately decided that the burning of the flag in protest was in fact, protected speech, since it was done in an expressive manner with obvious political intentions.

It is important to note that any act may be protected or not depending upon context and intention. For example, if a flag was burned in protest it is protected speech, if it was burned as an act of vandalism, it is not.

If the young man was expressing his distaste for the church, then legally, per our constitution, these charges must be dropped.


Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/teenager-facing-years-offensive-facebook-photos/#qyZ6c5j1Ww0yxo2W.99

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/teenager-facing-years-offensive-facebook-photos/

[Munch]

lets hope he gets the news that saying he was doing it in protest.

Maybe if they didn't have a jesus statue held perfectly in position for a BJ it wouldn't be so tempting.

[GrinningYMIR]

For some reason I'm reminded of old Varg Vikernes

[PickelledEggs]

lets hope he gets the news that saying he was doing it in protest.

Maybe if they didn't have a jesus statue held perfectly in position for a BJ it wouldn't be so tempting.

It actually doesn't matter if it was in protest or not. Even though it might make it easier if he was protesting or making a statement, freedom of speech is freedom of speech. Period. It's the first amendment of this country.

[Hydra009]

Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

[Minimalist]

Maybe if they didn't have a jesus statue held perfectly in position for a BJ it wouldn't be so tempting.

The priests probably insist.

[PickelledEggs]

Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

Also, blasphemy is protected under the first amendment on multiple counts.... freedom of religion, AND freedom of speech. Blasphemy is a statement. It's the same thing when you burn the american flag in protest. It's not illegal and it's protected by your right to freedom of speech. (plus the proper way to dispose of a flag is burning it, your technically not supposed to throw it in the trash... but that's besides the point.)

[Minimalist]

[stromboli]

Idiotic shit has been going on for millennia. Now we have videotape and the internet. Science has advanced, so now we can videotape the same old idiotic shit. There's probably a moral in there somewhere, but fuck all if I know what it is. 

[PickelledEggs]

Idiotic shit has been going on for millennia. Now we have videotape and the internet. Science has advanced, so now we can videotape the same old idiotic shit. There's probably a moral in there somewhere, but fuck all if I know what it is. 

I have no idea if this has any relevance to what you are saying, but technology, especially the internet and social media enables a major ripple effect of stupidity.

Some one tweets something moronic, then everyone of equal or greater stupidity shares it. Then, eventually there are so many stupid people sharing the same stupid thing that slightly less stupid people are tweeting and facebooking about it. Soon enough, you have people of reasonable IQs considering and some actually believing complete bullshit. And with enough time you have well educated people believing and sharing something that is absolute crap.

The internet is a great source of information, but there so much crap as well. In reality, most and probably all quality information the average person needs is on the internet. The problem is, if someone doesn't have the skill set to cross reference, they can talk themselves in to believing souls travel to another universe after death.... when there isn't even enough information to actually say there is such thing as a soul, what a soul is, and if there is another universe it can go to.

[hrdlr110]

Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

Sure,  if  you consider that the blasphemer goes to hell victimless! Hell would really suck!

[PickelledEggs]

Sure,  if  you consider that the blasphemer goes to hell victimless! Hell would really suck!

Pshhh no. It's a dry heat. AND Satan has hookers and booze.

[DunkleSeele]

Pshhh no. It's a dry heat. AND Satan has hookers and booze.

What, no blackjack?

[SGOS]

It sounds like some idiot judge in Podunk got carried away.  An appeal to a higher court should be the next step, if the kid can afford it.

[Desdinova]

It sounds like some idiot judge in Podunk got carried away.  An appeal to a higher court should be the next step, if the kid can afford it.

Hopefully the ACLU will get involved.  Desecrating a vernrated object.  That's bullshit for "you hurt our feelings for fucking with our belief system".