US church votes to ban interracial couple

[Cleon]

there are no hate crime laws in america?

On a state level, but those involve crimes motivated by racial (sexual, hetero, etc) bias. No crime has been committed here. The church has the right to believe whatever silly/racist/hateful thing they want.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Pretty rich for a religion founded by someone who was not only mixed-race, but claimed to be mixed-species as well!

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

And raise their children to do the same? And indoctrinate new converts do think the same?

Mesays, they should be convicted for racism, so they would know their place among criminals, not among law-abiding respectable people.

In the US, being a racist isn't a crime, though acting on racism in some instances can be a crime or a factor in punishing a crime. Apparently, several posters wonder if simply being a racist is a crime where you are?

 

[MontagK505]

there are no hate crime laws in america?

It's not against the law to hate someone. The state's interest in this matter is legitimate if their civil rights are impacted. (life, liberty etc.) Membership in a private church is not a civil right.

I find the church's attitude disgusting, but they have the right to be disgusting if they want.

 

[MontagK505]

Double post

 

[Tricky]

For some reason, I'm reminded of a joke that I heard back when I was, at least nominally a Christian.

***
A black couple moves to Alabama and wants to join the most prominent Baptist church in town. They try to go to a service, but a man at the door sees them and says, "Sorry. Members only." They apply for membership and they are denied. They try to call the pastor and he is never "available to take their calls". So they hang around outside the church one Sunday trying to befriend the members entering, only to find them mostly ignoring them. Except for one guy. It is a bearded, hippy-looking guy wearing a white robe, and they do a double-take when they see the scars in his palms.

"Jesus!" they cry, Is that really you?
"Yes, it is I," says Jesus. "Are you having a problem?"
"Well," they say, "We've been trying for the longest time to get into this church but they still won't let us in.
"Don't feel too bad, children," Jesus says, "I've been trying unsuccessfully to get into that church for years."

 

[WildCat]

there are no hate crime laws in america?

We have hate crimes, we don't have thought crimes. And I'm glad we don't.

 

[WildCat]

Pretty rich for a religion founded by someone who was not only mixed-race

How do you know this?

 

[shadron]

How do you know this?

The Bible emphasizes that he is born of Mary and God the Father, and that he is both God and man. Nicht wahr?

 

[phildonnia]

The Bible emphasizes that he is born of Mary and God the Father, and that he is both God and man. Nicht wahr?

That's not mixed-race; that's not even mixed-species. That's... I don't know what that is but it ain't natural.

 

[shadron]

That's not mixed-race; that's not even mixed-species. That's... I don't know what that is but it ain't natural.

Uhhhhhh......... you're right.

 

[Naive1000]

That's not mixed-race; that's not even mixed-species. That's... I don't know what that is but it ain't natural.

Technically, that would be a demigod. Same as Hercules, (Link & Link).

 

[Gazpacho]

That's not mixed-race; that's not even mixed-species. That's... I don't know what that is but it ain't natural.

It's not unusual in Kentucky for a man to be his own son.

Mesays, they should be convicted for racism

This always surprises me from foreigners. They do realize, don't they, that US has freedom of speech and association, and that in some areas racism is still endemic? Both of these make it a little inconvenient to put people in prison for "racism" per se.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Blacks and whites mixing will always be a grey area.

 

[Ziggurat]

So what the US needs is thought crimes?

Yeah, that response from JJM was... unexpected. Perhaps what he meant was "discrimination" rather than "racism", but still, the casual authoritarianism he displays is troubling.

 

[SezMe]

Shouldn't this be in the Religion forum with all the other "here's a silly extreme example so let's hate on all 'religious people' " BS?

bigred is no bigot but he is an extreme extrapolationist.

 

[JJM 777]

So what the US needs is thought crimes?

There can be no thought crimes as long as we cannot even read anyone´s thoughts.

I am not sure how this incident would end up in Finland. The offence against human rights here is discrimination based on race. Not the mere thought of it (unless it publicly targets a specific person), but the act of it -- the act of allowing or forbidding something based on a person´s race. A bit like if WalMart published a job advertisement: "White females wanted as cashiers in our shops. No blacks or hispanics." How would that end up? Or what is Greyhound bus service installed a 1940s German style "Not for Jews" sign at the door of their buses, how would that end up?

There is a difference between campaigning for legalization of marijuana (an opinion that contradicts with existing legislation) and acting as if marijuana already were legalized (a crime for which a punishment has been determined in legislation).

Similarly, there should be a difference between campaigning for legalization of racism (in a universal sense, without targetting any specific person) and acting as if racial discrimination were legal now as we speak (a crime for which a punishment should be determined in legislation).

 

[KoihimeNakamura]

1. Crimes based on opinions are considered thought-crimes. Deeds are required.

2. Jobs are considered different than private/membership clubs.

 

[TragicMonkey]

How do you know this?

Others have covered it, I was referring to Jesus purportedly being half-human, half-divine. I was classifying God as a separate species and assuming that he would therefore necessarily be of a different race as well.

Although according to the mythology, Mary wasn't entirely normal human, either. Certain tampering with her genes was necessary at conception to prepare her as a suitable vessel for the alien "God" to impregnate later on. We can only guess at how many other women were similarly altered, and how many were discarded as unsuitable. Or perhaps the other experiments were successful and managed to escape the publicity that ultimately doomed the one we know about.

 

[David Swidler]

Others have covered it, I was referring to Jesus purportedly being half-human, half-divine. I was classifying God as a separate species and assuming that he would therefore necessarily be of a different race as well.

Although according to the mythology, Mary wasn't entirely normal human, either. Certain tampering with her genes was necessary at conception to prepare her as a suitable vessel for the alien "God" to impregnate later on. We can only guess at how many other women were similarly altered, and how many were discarded as unsuitable. Or perhaps the other experiments were successful and managed to escape the publicity that ultimately doomed the one we know about.

The entire Neanderthal race, come to think of it. Consider that "neander" means "new man". I think you're on(to) something, TM.