ELMIRA, N.Y. — A man who had been arrested after praying in 2007 at a public park was suddenly arrested again last week by Elmira police while his case is still on appeal. The arrest of Julian Raven came suddenly on March 15 while he was at his office. According to his wife, police escorted him out of a court hearing Tuesday in handcuffs in front of his crying children to begin serving his 9-day jail sentence.
“Christians shouldn’t be punished for expressing their religious beliefs. It’s ridiculous to consider the act of peacefully exercising one’s faith in a public park to be ‘disorderly conduct’ worthy of a jail sentence,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. “We are surprised at how eager the city was to arrest Mr. Raven again in light of his appeal. Now he will serve time in jail; however, we will continue to aggressively pursue his appeal in court.”
Raven’s original arrest in the case People of the State of New York v. Raven is currently on appeal to the New York Court of Appeals. In 2007, Raven and other Christians entered Wisner Park in Elmira with their heads bowed to pray for the participants of a “gay pride” event. Materials advertising the event stated that it was open to the public and that all were invited.
The group made their way to an area in front of the stage and began to pray silently while lying prostrate in the grass. A police sergeant had earlier informed Julian Raven that he could not enter the public park, walk through the park, or talk to anyone in the park about his religion. After the group began to pray silently on their faces, all were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Since then, the charges have been dismissed against everyone but Raven.
Apparently the police in Elmira are being used as brownshirt thugs...
Say, since when is it a crime to offend people by simply being who you are, as protected by your Constitution?
What about the "gay" folks? What if their presence nearby offended someone? Then why shouldn't they be arrested, too, for "disorderly conduct", stemming from their public display of their "gayness"?
Double standard here. "Gays" are first-class citizens, whereas Christians are something less... at least in the eyes of the Leftist State Apparatus.
Leftists won't have a problem with arresting Christians. Leftists think it's fine to forbid Christians from being themselves peacefully in a public park where it's already been declared that "all are welcome" for the duration of the nearby "gay" event. Leftists are fine with coming up with any lame, invalid "reason" for persecuting Christians. Why? Because Leftists, including militant "gays", hate Christians.
When's the last time you heard about Muslims being arrested for praying in public? Hmm? No way in hell will they arrest Muslims, even if said Muslims happen to be praying near a "gay" event. Oh, no... can't do that to the very special Muslims, who are obviously superior to both Christians and "gays"...
This bigoted state-apparatus shit happens all the time everywhere.
So who's persecuted and who's not, NOW?
Next time a bunch of hateful "gays" gather in front of a Church to picket and demonize Christians and the Church, I want to see THEM get arrested! Because only then will the state apparatus prove that it treats people equally!
I believe that "gay" folks are getting unfair favoritism from the state apparatus. The preponderance of evidence I've seen over the years is why... When's the last time you ever heard of "gays" getting arrested for either peacefully or even aggressively and hatefully offending Christians? Hell, the "gays" get protected, not arrested! I say arrest the "gays" if you believe they need "protection", and protect the feelings of the Christians in so doing, just like you protect the feelings of the "gays" by arresting Christians...
To be arresting Christians for peacefully praying, merely exercising their constitutional/human rights in the spirit of liberty, equality and fraternity, is to admit that "gays" hate Christians and is to endorse this "gay" hatred of Christians. And this is wrong, and hateful. And the ANTI-CHRISTIAN POLITICIANS RESPONSIBLE for ordering the police to violate the Christians' rights are the ones who must be held accountable for HATE CRIMES!
Equal is equal. If the state apparatus is going to take rights away, then it should take rights away from all groups equally, or take no rights away from anyone at all!
2 comments:
This is what Raven should address the court:
" Judge I was aressted for peacfully exercising our love to God.
For my witness, who knows me, loves me and cares about me and you is GOD, may you tell Him what you think of Him and why I can't pray to Him in public."
CS, I wonder if the judge will call on God to chat with Him of the dos and don'ts when it comes to praying to HIM.
You're fibbing again, Scenty, and you know better than that. I patiently provided you with links last time you brought this silly case up.
He was not arrested for "praying in a public place". He was arrested for deliberately disrupting an event by refusing to follow police orders, by lying face down in front of the stage where the event was being held, and refusing to leave.
Do you want the links to the original coverage of the story? Or is that too much honesty and accuracy for you? ;)
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