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Posted on 12/16/2004 5:51:20 PM PST by ChristianDefender
Four Christian protesters who demonstrated at a Philadelphia homosexual event face a possible 47 years in prison if convicted of felony charges filed against them, while a prosecutor referred to Scripture verses they read as "fighting words."
The four are part of 11 demonstrators who went before the Philadelphia Municipal Court in a preliminary hearing this week. Judge William Austin Meehan Tuesday ordered four of the Christians to stand trial on three felony and five misdemeanor charges. If convicted, they could a maximum of 47 years in prison.
As WorldNetDaily reported, on Oct. 10, the group was "preaching God's Word" to a crowd of people attending the outdoor Philadelphia "OutFest" event and displaying banners with biblical messages.
After a confrontation with a group called the Pink Angels, described by protesters as "a militant mob of homosexuals," the 11 Christians were arrested and spent a night in jail.
Eight charges were filed: criminal conspiracy, possession of instruments of crime, reckless endangerment of another person, ethnic intimidation, riot, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and obstructing highways.
None of the Pink Angels was cited or arrested.
A video of the arrest, provided by the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy can be seen here [Windows Media].
"First, symbols of Christianity are removed from the public square; now, Christians are facing 47 years in prison because they preached the gospel in the public square. Stalin would be proud," Brian Fahling, AFA Center for Law and Policy senior trial attorney, said in a statement.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia denied emergency relief earlier this week despite video footage Fahling calls "undisputed evidence" that shows the Christians cooperating with police and being harassed by the Pink Angels.
Fahling's group says the Philadelphia city prosecutor in the case, Charles Ehrlich, attacked the defendants as "hateful" and referred to preaching the Bible as "fighting words," a characterization, the law group says, with which Judge Meehan agreed.
Charges were dropped against the remaining seven Christians, apparently because they were not seen quoting Scripture on the videotape.
The ethnic intimidation charge stems from Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" law – to which the newest "victim" category of "sexual orientation" was recently added.
Amen! These people have not a clue when Jesus arrives of what they are in store for....
iT'S EASY TO PICK ON ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER. WE BROUGHT THIS ON OURSELES BY THINKING THE ANTI-AMERICAN,ANTI-RELIGION, ANTI-GOD, ABORTION LOVING LEFT WAS HARMLESS.
And the left believes that if we would juet be more understanding of them, they would love us. The freaks and perverts that were seeking to block God's word were EXACTLY what Islam hates most.
I agree with your sentiment, but I disagree on a technicality. I think God cries when his children decide to burn in hell.
I think there is something missing from this story. This is from the Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/10381186.htm
"Fahling said a video of the Oct. 10 confrontation showed Marcavage speaking through a bullhorn while he and his supporters were being shouted down by irate gay activists.
City officials said the video did not show the start of the confrontation, when they said Marcavage tried to interrupt a performance with his antigay preaching and then disobeyed a police order to move to the perimeter of the Outfest to avoid the potential for violence."
***I think God cries when his children decide to burn in hell.***
...are you referring to the christians or the gays?
....will God cry if He sees gays shouting "ouch" in the hell?
and often
***iT'S EASY TO PICK ON ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER. WE BROUGHT THIS ON OURSELES BY THINKING THE ANTI-AMERICAN,ANTI-RELIGION, ANTI-GOD, ABORTION LOVING LEFT WAS HARMLESS.***
...And now that we know it, i think America should clean up the country from these "rotten tomatoes"... and make all expression of Christianity legal wherever and whenever we choose so... especially during Christmas...
Time to stand and be counted. Any protests planned? (I'm in the Philly area).
I thought that they looked like large penises with crowns on them. I could be wrong.
Goodness, I have been saying that same thing for years.
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Is this a Second Amendment thread?
Sixty years ago in Russia, Stalin sentenced the Christians to prison camps and confiscated their Bibles.
Actually it is legal. But, if no one pony's up to help these people, they will be made examples to the rest of us. Keep you mouth's shut OR else.
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"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth." -Omar Ahmad, Co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, aka CAIR President and CEO of Silicon Expert Technologies A Palestinian who grew up in a refugee camp in Jordan. |
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