(Thanks to David Flanders for this one….)
A Pennsylvania teen may face up to two years behind bars for allegedly taking a photo of himself simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus…. The photo was taken in front of Love in the Name of Christ, a Christian organization in Everett, Pennsylvania, and posted on Facebook back in July. [T]he 14-year-old — whose name has not been released by police — was charged with desecration of a venerated object, the Smoking Gun reported. If convicted, he could wind up spending two years in a juvenile jail[.]
If there’s one thing that never ceases to amaze me, it’s the devotion of so-called Christians to what Jesus once referred as “craven images.” There are those who fervently believe that a statue of Jesus is the moral equivalent of the Savior His Own Self, sort of like transubstantiation that supposedly transforms an unleavened wafer into the body of Christ. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t believe in God…so what do I know, eh?
I’ll grant that there’s no disputing that what the teenager in question did was immature, stupid, and offensive to the segment of the population that reveres and worships Concrete Jesus…but what damage was done? A picture was taken of the boy (poorly) simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus…and someone got their panties in a wad. HOW DARE HE DESECRATE A STATUE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR??
DAMNED KIDS!!!! GET OFF MY CONCRETE JESUS!!!!
Except that there was no desecration involved, because Pennsylvania law defines “desecration” 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.” By that definition, it would seem difficult to argue that the statue was “desecrated”…especially given that no physical damage was done. Interestingly enough, the teen is facing the possibility of a two year sentence, when a vandalism conviction normally results in a maximum one year penalty. YOU DON’T MESS WITH CONCRETE JESUS!
So let’s say an adult (subject to harsher penalties than minors) elected to spray paint “Jesus loves dicks” on the side of this boy’s school. That guy, at most (and the “at most” comes in to play for people with previous criminal records, which this boy doesn’t have), would serve a year in jail - and that’s assuming the cost of having the wall re-painted exceeds $150, otherwise the penalty would be less.
But a 14 year-old does something stupid that causes literally zero property damage and he could face two years in juvenile jail because it’s a “venerated object”? That’s insane. That’s really ludicrous.
To call it ludicrous seems a horrific understatement. The teen did no physical damage to the statue, and while no reasonable person would condone his actions as mature or reasonable, they hardly rise to the level of criminal. Simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus Christ may offend the tender sensibilities of the faithful, but an argument could be made that what the boy did was protected free speech/expression. As we all know, and as I’ve said here a few thousand times, free speech can be, and very often is, offensive and repulsive speech. Creating offense is not a crime in a country whose Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. It’s not “freedom of speech…until someone offends my tightly held and inflexible religious beliefs.” It’s not “freedom of speech…until a brain-dead teenager simulates oral sex with a concrete statue of Jesus Christ and posts the picture on social media.”
The teen’s original Facebook post garnered 124 Facebook comments, ranging from “Amazing” and “this is heaven” to “this is repulsive, even if you don’t believe you could at least have respect for those who do and those who ARE going to Heaven…you discusting [sic], disturbed, disrespectful little punk ass bitch.”
Right; you’re going to Heaven, but you’re willing to spew bile and hatred toward a teenage boy who happened to do something that offends your devotion to Concrete Jesus. Man, there’s some finely-tuned Christian love, eh?
Sometimes God’s fan club can be hilariously lacking in self-awareness…while simultaneously suffering from a surfeit of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. But they’re absolutely convinced they’re going to Heaven.
There’s no doubt the boy could have saved everyone a lot of aggravation by simulating oral with…say, a statue of Ronald McDonald. Yes, some people were highly offended, but most of those folks have long since forgotten what it’s like being a teenager and seeing nothing wrong with disrespecting sacred cows. Most of us had no real claim to anything resembling maturity during our teenage years, so for so many so-called “Christians” to react with such bile and self-righteous outrage seems hypocritical at the very least.
I suspect that once the boy grows up, matures, and learns to respect the beliefs of others, he may well experience a twinge of regret and/or remorse. Anyone who’s led any sort of life at all can look back and find things they wish they’d done differently…or not at all. If you can’t…well, I feel kinda sorry for you.
Next time, kid, just so spray-paint a school; at least you’ll only be looking at a year in jail. If you really must post a photo on Facebook of you simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus…at least do it right, knowhutimean??
