Leftist liberals are all frothing at the mouth about George W. Bush’s inauguration. They claim he is spending too much money on it; that it is unseemly during a time of war, that using the Bible and saying “so help me God” violates the first amendment. Of course this is all just a part of the newest leftist craze –bashing religious people like Bush. It’s now OK to bash Christians apparently. It is even OK for some so-called Christians to bash other Christians, as long as the other Christians being bashed are not the darlings of the left. In fact there is a blatant double standard which is very well illustrated by two similar events in the past couple of years.
In December of last year, four so-called Christian preachers were bound over for trial in Philadelphia for “preaching” at a gay-pride event. Most Christians wouldn’t call the confrontational style the “preaches” were utilizing a very prudent or effective method of evangelizing. They are not likely to win many converts among the homosexual community by calling them sinners with huge signs while yelling at them through bullhorns. In fact, they were disrupting the event. They were certainly not expressing the Golden Rule Jesus preached. They were obnoxious, loud, disruptive, and confrontational. But so what? In this country, don’t they have the right to be obnoxious and disruptive on the public square? It’s called free speech. The “gay pride” people were equally loud, vulgar, boisterous and obnoxious. So –we have a standoff of jerks yelling at each other. But that’s not the way the leftist activist judges saw it. They had the obnoxious “preachers” arrested and bound over for trial for exercising their free speech. They face up to 47 years in prison for exercising their free speech! The gays got off Scott free! The obnoxious homosexuals were allowed to escape without consequences! Double standard anyone? Where is the ACLU? Don’t they come to the aid of groups who get into trouble for free speech? That’s what they claim. Why aren’t they supporting the “preachers” this case?
Not that the so-called “street preachers” always get prosecuted for their hateful, obnoxious behavior. It seems to depend on which group they are attacking. If they are going after left-wing icons like the homosexuals or abortionists, they’re in big trouble. They effectively have no first amendment rights. However, if they go after Mormons, well that’s another story. When that happens, the Mormons get arrested and the “street preachers” get off. Their free speech rights are assiduously protected by the left.
Each April and October, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormons) hold their General Conference in Salt Lake City. Tens of thousands of the faithful flock to Salt Lake to attend these conferences. Conference also attracts the “street preachers”, who exhibit obnoxious, loud, rude, hateful and despicable behavior with the huge signs, bullhorns, etc. For example, they openly mock the religious, sacred religious vestments Mormons use in their private worship services by wearing them in public to hold them up to ridicule. They frequently accost young Mormon brides who are exiting the Temple on their wedding day to take pictures and greet well-wishers. They call these newlyweds harlots, whores, and other vulgar names. No matter how confrontational, hateful and disruptive their behavior, the leftist judges in Salt Lake City exonerate them totally, saying they are only exercising their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech. But when an outraged member of the Mormon church was moved to snatch away an article of sacred clothing a “street preacher” was waiving about and mocking, he was arrested and jailed. Nobody claimed the “preacher” had incited him to riot. No judge would ascribe any wrong to the “preacher” at all.
If this isn’t an example of a double standard, it’s hard to know what would be. The same obnoxious “street preachers” who are arrested for exercising free speech in Philadelphia, get off without so much as a reprimand while harassing Mormons in Salt Lake City. And the ACLU remains silent. Go figure.
2 comments:
The more I read your comments, the more I am convinced we are twins, maybe Dad was a traveling salesman.
Unfortunately, there is a difference between the behavior of the street preachers and that of the man who grabbed the garments being waved around by the street preacher.
According to the Constitution, free speech is guaranteed as long as we don't get physical with the other person. No amount of verbal aggression is considered a violation of another person's rights as long as that person is not physically assaulted or at least threatened with physical harm. Personally, I would have done the same thing, but since I'm stealing another person's property, I would be legally in the wrong, while the street preacher is simply exercising a twisted interpretation of his First Amendment rights.
As for Mormonism being a cult, what is a cult, really? The practices of Mormonism definitely contradict the modern view of cults, such as being brainwashed and forced to join and forbidden to leave. With all due respect, roseville, I think you consider us a cult simply because our beliefs are different from yours.
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