The Christian Broadcasting Network

"Cool" charity, Scientology debates, strange birds and body slams!

Sorry for the delay in posting last week. Things are starting to slow down a little with some projects we've been working on, so posting should be back to normal this week. Here's today's edition of the Morning Five!

1. Charity is “Cool” …
... That’s according to this New York Times story (a free registration is required to read it). The article basically looks at how $10 mosquito nets, which can help prevent the spread of malaria in Africa, have united denominations and attracted to young people to humanitarianism.

2. Interfaith body slams!
I have to admit; I was really disappointed when I read this story “Algeria Muslim body slams Christian evangelists”. Call it poor syntax, but I was really hoping to read an article about wrestling.

3. For the birds
The nation of Israel has named the Hoopoe its national bird. Despite a biblical ban on eating the bird (along with other “unclean” fowl like eagle and vulture), the bird won a competition to name a new patriotic symbol that coincided with Israel’s 60th birthday.

4. & 5. Scientology Protests and Unlikely Alliances
A boy, who the media only reports was “a minor”, was arrested in London for holding up a sign that read, “Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult.” According to this report from a London-based paper, police officers order him to remove the sign, and when he didn’t, they arrested him for a breach of public order. A police spokesperson said that the boy’s sign violated a law that prohibits signs that are "threatening, abusive or insulting".

The boy was with a group of activists protesting outside the scientology headquarters in London.

The message boards on one newspaper’s website have garnered some interesting discussion, but I think the real argument isn’t really about Scientology. The “religion” that counts several Hollywood superstars in its ranks, has received plenty of criticism for its practices and beliefs, which were started by sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard. But really, the debate isn’t about the status of The Church of Scientology or the creditability of its members—it is really a matter of free speech.

What if a group of protestors met outside of a Christian church or a mosque with the same the signs? Would the police still be criticized for arresting the protestor, or should all protestors be reserved the same rights to express their feelings toward other people’s beliefs?

The incident brings to mind another recent court case which made strange allies out of conservative legal groups and traditionally liberal groups like the ACLU. The Alliance Defense Fund, the Christian Legal Society and the Justice and Legal Society all filed briefs along with the ACLU to defend a student who faced suspension for displaying a sign that read, “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” at a high-profile school event.

The student, who held up the poster at a school-sponsored outing to see the Olympic torch being brought through their town, said the senseless sign should be protected by free speech. Despite all the legal help from both religious and liberal free speech advocates, the student lost his lawsuit against the school. But the case, much like the one against the scientology protestor, sparks an interesting discussion about what should be covered by free speech when it comes to religion.

Print      Email to a Friend    posted on Monday, June 02, 2008 9:09 AM