Five years in prison for quoting Scripture
Human Rights Commission a Grave Threat to Religious Speech
If you have never heard the name Jessica Beaumont, you are in good company. She is not a politician, a lawyer, or a judge, but she is at the centre of a legal proceeding that could well affect your right to quote the Bible.On October 27, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a precedent-setting cease and desist order which forbids Jessica Beaumont from posting certain Bible verses on the Internet. If this 21-year old woman posts the wrong Bible quotation online - even if it is on an American website - she could face up to 5 years in prison.
Five years in prison for quoting Scripture.
Even if you are not a Christian, those words should chill your blood. But, incredibly quietly, under our very noses, a legal precedent has been set that can be used to put Canadians in prison for quoting the Bible.
With this precedent, Canada will likely begin even more prosecution of more Christians for quoting "unapproved" Bible passages. Given the thirst for so-called "hate crime" laws in the United States, it's not hard to see something like this happening in the United States, the First Amendment notwithstanding.
Hat Tip: The Curt Jester
Comments
There are quite a few priests, monks and nuns in Jail in America too- for protesting the School of the Americas and other aspects of political and the violent life we too often fall into as a matter of expedience. I am wondering, exactly how many priests we have in jail for the right reasons?
Posted by: Brian | November 26, 2007 10:09 PM