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I'm sorry, WHAT century is this??? From Alternet...
Texas Supreme Court: Beat a Teen for Jesus
By Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon
Posted on June 30, 2008, Printed on June 30, 2008
https://www.alternet.org/bloggers/https://pandagon.blogsome.com/89885/
From PZ, a story that’s horrifying both on its own and for its implications for
the rights of all people, but especially women, whose bodies that the
churches claim spiritual ownership over in the name of god. A bit of
background: A number of fundamentalist churches believe that sin is
caused by literal demons that are invisible but that cling to your
body, and need to be expunged by regular exorcisms that are satisfying
dramatic to suit their own beliefs that they’re waging war.
Unsurprisingly, this tradition drifts over to sadism towards the
sinners themselves, especially if the sinners are the young women that
absorb so much of fundamentalism’s fascinated hostility. Which has, in one case at least, caused what sounds like a version of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Laura
Schubert testified in 2002 that she was cut and bruised and later
experienced hallucinations after the church members’ actions in 1996,
when she was 17. Schubert said she was pinned to the floor for hours
and received carpet burns during the exorcism, the Austin
American-Statesman reported. She also said the incident led her to
mutilate herself and attempt suicide. She eventually sought psychiatric
help.
But leave it to the Texas
Supreme Court to decide that physical assault, kidnapping, and
generally traumatizing young women is a-okay if you say Jesus told you
to do it.
Justice David Medina wrote that finding the
church liable “would have an unconstitutional ‘chilling effect’ by
compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious
beliefs.”
This sort of logic chills
me. I quickly can see the implications for women’s rights outside of
just the basic right not to be assaulted during a bout of make-believe
over demons that people have convinced themselves is real. Most of
these churches are anti-choice---what if they argue that their
religious freedom gives them the right to kidnap and contain women that
they suspect of being sexual active or of seeking abortion or
contraception? Is there a time limit on how long a church can restrain
a woman because they believe their god gives them ownership over her
body?
I joked the other day about Romanian churches that think they have some legal rights over the bodies of random girls
and women in Romania. Maybe they should set up shop in Texas, where
the reactionary court will give them license to abuse citizens.
Now you have the nutcases like this you posted about along with the Fred Phelps, David Koresh, and Jim Jones. I don't believe these people had anything to do with being a Christian or Jesus or God. Believe m not all Texas people are that way. Just like not all Kentucky people are back woods and still have an out-house. It is kind of funny because hubby's relatives on his Dad's side in Pennsylvania was asking us if we still traveled by horse and wagons out here and fought the Indians and carried guns everywhere when we visited there years ago. Lol
A shocking tale... you are a fine and determined campaigner for human dignity and i applaud you.