Among the posters, one image showed a smiling crucified Christ next to an advert for a brand of ''no nails'' glue. In another, a cartoon depicted two Muslims holding a placard demanding equality with the caption: ''Not for women or gays, obviously.'' Islamic suicide bombers at the gates of paradise were told in another: ''Stop, stop, we've run out of virgins.''
Taylor, of Griffin Street, in Higher Broughton, told jurors he was sexually abused by Catholic priests as a youngster. But he said he bore no grudge against people of faith and claimed he was merely trying to convert believers to atheism. Some of his cartoons went far beyond exercising freedom of expression, prosecutor Neville Biddle said.
One image showed a pig excreting sausages with insults to Islam, and others linked Muslims to attacks on airports. The chaplain at the airport was "severely distressed" by the discoveries, the court heard. Taylor's Asbo bans him from carrying religiously offensive material in a public place. He was convicted of similar offences in 2006.
7 comments:
How can anyone be banned from "carrying religiously offensive material in a public place"? Just about ANYTHING is offensive in some religion or another.
Obviously Mr Taylor isn't that bright if he thinks he can stop believers from believing by insulting their beliefs, but it is a terrible thing that he has been convicted for it.
The offense is in the mind of the offended. No "remorse" is called for. The three described cartoons are funny, and the last two are political.
Zhoen: Sure, but he wasn't putting them up in his own home or publishing them in his own newsletter/blog. He was putting them up in an airport chapel.
I find it curious that athiests get in quite a bit of trouble when voicing their views while I get people every other week knocking at my door trying to "save my soul" and join so and so church...
I agree what he did was rude and unproductive, but I wonder if he had been convicted if his leaflets had had a Christian message like: "All atheists and Muslims will burn in Hell and deserve it." (Like it or not, that is one way of interpreting the Christian faith.) Would that also be "religiously aggravated intentional harassment" or just plain old proselytizing?
Someone knocking on your door offering you 'good news' is very different from going to someones site of worship and deliberately putting content there which is designed to offend and grieve people.
This looks like a case of bad judgment and a lack of respect. But it is kind of hypocritical.
Isn't the whole basis of Christianity "religiously aggravated intentional harassment"? They're supposed to evangelize and convert people, after all.
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