I wonder how assiduously they go after people having sex in the park.
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Especially if they're gay. |
Oh, excuse me...Public gay sex is now considered an educational field trip for elementary school children...
Posted on 06/02/2004 9:41:22 AM PDT by zechariah
Public baptism sparks controversy
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Posted: 8:31 AM EDT (1231 GMT)
Pastor Todd Pyle baptizes Mark Maynard in the Rappahannock River at Falmouth Beach in Virginia.
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- The Rev. Todd Pyle thought it was the perfect spot to baptize 12 new members of his church. The river was calm and shallow, and there was a shaded area offshore for people to stand.
"It was a very serene place," he said. "It was special."
But officials at the Falmouth Waterfront Park, a public park just outside Fredericksburg, weren't pleased. They tried to break up the ceremony, claiming it might be offensive to nearby swimmers or other people using the park. Pyle was able to finish the baptism, but then he was asked to leave.
The incident has outraged free-speech advocates.
"These people are being discriminated against because of the content of their speech," said the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who heads the Christian Defense Coalition. "It's one of the most egregious violations of the First Amendment I have ever seen."
Mahoney's group has threatened to file a lawsuit if the park refuses to allow future gatherings by religious groups, something for which the park admits it has no written policy.
Pyle said he chose to hold an outdoor baptism, still common in parts of the South, because his Cornerstone Baptist Church in Stafford lacks an indoor baptismal pool. He said few people seemed to notice the small congregation during the 30-minute ceremony May 23.
But park officials said religious groups seeking to perform a service in the park still need to apply for a permit or else gather under a shelter or inside.
"We don't want to tread on anybody's First Amendment or constitutional rights," said Brian Robinson, director of the Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority. "What we try to discourage is anything not formally permitted that just sort of occurs spontaneously."
John Whitehead, director of The Rutherford Institute, a Charlottesville, Virginia-based civil liberties organization, said that's a clear violation of the church members' constitutional rights.
"Could a church have a picnic in the park and sing hymns? Of course they could," he said. "Parks have been forums since time immemorial to do these types of things."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia also said in a statement: "If the park rules allow people to wade and swim in the river, then they must allow baptisms in the river."
Robinson said the park's board has formed a special committee to examine its policy and to put it in writing. If the church applies for the proper permit, he said it's "certainly possible" they would be allowed to use the river for another baptism.
Meanwhile, Pyle said he will find another place to hold outdoor baptisms.
"We're disappointed," he said. "Every single person that was baptized thanked me afterward, saying [the river] made their experience more meaningful."
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
So9
ping.
[z]
This is so obvious, even the ACLU can't weigh in on the wrong side.
I wonder how assiduously they go after people having sex in the park.
Maybe the Park Service is afraid of Holy Water....
Somebody put these "officials" in touch with the city officials of Hamtramck, MI.
"All that is not mandatory is forbidden."
Scary choice of words from the spokesperson.
I wonder how assiduously they go after people having sex in the park.
|
Especially if they're gay. |
Oh, excuse me...Public gay sex is now considered an educational field trip for elementary school children...
Jackass authoritarian bozo...
Yeah, you have to watch out for those spur of the moment baptisms.
Well, 1984 is now long past and the Thought Police are taking their positions of authority.
"claiming it might be offensive to nearby swimmers" Can someone tell me just where in the constitution this right not to be offended is before I have an anurism? How about my right not to be bombarded daily with their girls gone wild culture.
this coming Sunday our church (which meets at the local high school) will be holding baptisms in a rented hot tub out in the school's quad area right after service... usually we gather at somebody's swimming pool... the hot tub thing should be interesting...
Yeah, that's why I go to the park, lots of formally planned activity.
I see people babtized all the time at the Kern River here in CA. We'll be playing in the water at the park and they will be dunking person after person across the river. I've never heard anyone complain.
Yep. The current governor of Virginia hands out pardons to folks who are convicted of indecent acts in public. Gay sex in public is ok with Gov. Warner.
Do you people know how outraged a normal person can get seeing some right-wing whackos "washing" their old selves and rising as a child of Christ??? Huh? Huh??? Its disgusting!!
You have to keep these freaks in control or they will start talking to you in God-speak...
</sarcasm for those who think im serious>
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