"Sect accused of marrying pubescent girls"

[Teh Donut]

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080409/ap_on_re_us/polygamist_retreat

All I can say is...I knew some moran was going to use the "religious persecution" defense. Sorry, good sir, but your religious rights and freedoms end once they infringe upon the basic human freedoms and rights of others, regardless of what your backwards "religious" tenets say...

[Ninmast]

And in the process of claiming to be a Christian denomination, they give all the real Christians a bad image.

[TrueBlue©]

Them's Mormons, Nin. They's differ'nt.

Yeah, this was all over CNN this morning, as was that thing about the two-faced baby...

It's very sad. D=

[EJP]

The two faced baby was strange. Even more so since both faces work fine. I wonder, will both faces be one person or two?

While staying on topic. Yes, these religous nuts give you other religous people a bad image.

Then again...
exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/comics/20080405.jpg

[LotusBlackfire]

Actually they were claiming to be mormon but the representative for their main church says they arent actually mormon, so right now its just a claim

[Ninmast]

And in the process of claiming to be Mormon, they are claiming to be Christian.

EJP, your link isn't working.

[The Silent Orator]

People claiming to be Christian who aren't really Christian? I thought Shirley Phelps Roper had enough media time.

In all seriousness, though... this is... just messed up. Then again, it's all perspective, because something like this could be legal in another country. We get riled as Americans (or whatever country you are from), but I'm sure in other countries, they'll be like, "I don't see what's wrong with that."

EDIT: "HAY GAIZ! I RAEP GURLZ 4 FUN, BUT J00 KANT PURSECUTE MII BEKUZ MAI FAYTH ALLOWZ MII 2 DO IT! RELIGIOUS PRIVACY, PLZ! KTHXBAI!"

That's what that first paragraph of that article screamed at me.

[Son of Marth]

I thought mormonism was skightly different from christiantity?

lol @ flame. i agree. that defense is bullshit anyway. right to religious freedoms act doesnt protect religious practices that violate human rights or acts prohibited by the constitution (such as arranged marriages)... so what exactly is the point to the right to religious freedoms act? just a question, because it seems that it contradicts itself since the constitution can prohibit acts, meaning that either which way, with or without it, the only legally practicable religious acts are the ones that were never outlawed in the first place? someone wanna clarify for me, cause i kinda confused myself...

[Thy Masked Tragedy]

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

-----
The first amendment, as you see, allows the right to be what ever religion a person chooses--without penalty for it, or it’s practices. But because it says “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” it forms a gaping hole where dirt bags like the guy above can slip through cleanly. People like that, suddenly see that to be some kind of immunity that allows them to take advantage of things like this. As American citizens, whether you come here, or were born here, your rights to some small extent are infringed upon by our laws. Yes, you can be whatever religion you want, yes you can practice that religion--UNTIL you go against our law system. Just like you have the freedom to say what you wish--yet, somehow, if something you’ve said is offensive toward a race or religion, you can be trialed for a “Hate Crime”.

And, to what you said Marth, the constitution has flaws, everything has flaws, but there has to be some sort of foundation that says where to draw the line, even if it can’t balance all sides of an argument.

(I probably just said a bunch of bologna that doesn't go with any of the arguments above, but I wanted to rant anyway. Guys like that shouldn't be allowed to get away with those acts. With the freedom and rights we are given as citizens, there also comes some form of punishment.)

[Son of Marth]

Is that the right to religious freedoms act?

[Beanybag]

That the first amendment to the constitution...