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gridlore| Psalm 109 Imprecatory Prayer Case to Go Forward in Texas
Fascinating case. Gordon Klingenshmitt is a well-known right wing loony who was thrown out of the Navy for failure to obey lawful orders. He keeps telling people it was because he "refused to stop praying in Jesus' name" even when confronted with the actual paperwork showing differently.
But does imprecatory prayer rise to the standard of incitement? If I stand in front of a group and shout "bring me the head of Tommy Lasorda, and burn Dodger Stadium to the ground!" I can (and should) be arrested for inciting the orange & black mob in front of me to commit felonies. However, if I happened to say "it would be so sweet if I could sit here with my feet up on Lasorda's severed head watching Dodger Stadium burn." have I done anything to encourage or suggest to my theoretical listeners that I want them to do these things?
Will no one rid of this troublesome priest? Henry II knew how to phrase things to avoid direct responsibility.
Do constant imprecatory prayers directed at a fairly public figure, broadcast to an audience that can be described as far more devout and fanatical than the average Christian in America rise to the level of a credible threat? Or are they protected free speech?
I have my opinion. What's yours?
Fascinating case. Gordon Klingenshmitt is a well-known right wing loony who was thrown out of the Navy for failure to obey lawful orders. He keeps telling people it was because he "refused to stop praying in Jesus' name" even when confronted with the actual paperwork showing differently.
But does imprecatory prayer rise to the standard of incitement? If I stand in front of a group and shout "bring me the head of Tommy Lasorda, and burn Dodger Stadium to the ground!" I can (and should) be arrested for inciting the orange & black mob in front of me to commit felonies. However, if I happened to say "it would be so sweet if I could sit here with my feet up on Lasorda's severed head watching Dodger Stadium burn." have I done anything to encourage or suggest to my theoretical listeners that I want them to do these things?
Will no one rid of this troublesome priest? Henry II knew how to phrase things to avoid direct responsibility.
Do constant imprecatory prayers directed at a fairly public figure, broadcast to an audience that can be described as far more devout and fanatical than the average Christian in America rise to the level of a credible threat? Or are they protected free speech?
I have my opinion. What's yours?
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Date: 24 Mar 2011 02:07 (UTC)I have a minor daydream about getting one of them on trial and forcing them to choose between admitting they attempted to incite a presidential assassination* (with the appropriate penalty), or publicly admitting that they don't believe prayer works.
Not that this would ever happen, even if it had a legal basis.
*OK, they were attempting to incite the Great Sky Fairy, who isn't American. Would it be treason to ask a non-American to kill the president?