Everyone has probably already heard about the ruling against the Westboro Baptist Church ordering the organization to pay $10.9 million to the relatives of a Marine killed in action. Now, I believe I may be the only atheist who views this as a bad idea. I don’t know all the exact facts on the subject, but do know that the jury said that the church “invaded the privacy of the dead man’s family and inflicted emotional distress.” Which, of course, they did. But, even so, the First Amendment still protects freedom of religion and the right to peacefully assemble. Granted, the organization's posters and slogans can be viewed as being "not peaceful"--but these are just words. Hideous words, but still, just words.
If we allow the government to curtail the rights of religious organizations, we begin walking down a dangerous path. Where do we draw the line for what religious organizations are allowed to do? Do we start writing laws making certain religious practices illegal on the grounds that they offend the majority? For some reason I can’t help but think of the poem “First they came…” by Pastor Martin Niemoller.
Is my thinking flawed? Am I not seeing the bigger picture?
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