In Baldwin, Pa., Carl Behr has decided to wage a one-man crusade against unseen atheists in his neighborhood. His solution? Erecting a 25-foot lighted cross on his yard facing his neighbor and another on his roof. I saw this on Reddit and it makes for an interesting nuisance case.
Behr calls it “a measurement of my faith” while the neighbor would call it a nuisance. He insists “[t]he way the world’s coming with all these atheists, it makes me sick to my stomach. If I can turn one soul towards the Lord with my sign, it was well worth all my efforts.” That goal appears to be achieved in this case by depriving his neighbor of the use and enjoyment of her property — and sleep.
City officials have asked Baldwin to turn off the lights. He seems to have skipped Luke 10:25-28 in his Biblical studies:
25And one day an authority on the law stood up to put Jesus to the test. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”
26What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you understand it?” 27He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength and with all your mind.’(Deuteronomy 6:5) And, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ” 28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do that, and you will live.”
However, Behr’s faith does not include treating one’s neighbor as you would have them treat yourself: “I’m measuring my faith to the Lord, that’s basically all I’m doing. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
A fight on the question could pit free speech against nuisance protections. Presumably, the only basis for a nuisance would be the actual lights. However, he could cite the fact that Christmas light are not treated a nuisances absent the most extreme lighting. His cross is actually illuminated by Christmas lights.
It still remains unclear how many atheists have been converted by seeing Behr’s lighted crosses or whether he has been able to show that the difference between an atheist and a Christian is usually the absence of a lighted cross.
Source: CBS
It’s Ernie, Wendy!
This WestboroMan is a troll. I guarantee it. The actual Westboro folks NEVER say they’ll pray for you. They don’t believe it’ll do any good. They don’t go around protesting to try to save people – they do it because they think the Bible tells the saved to delight in the punishment God metes out onto the damned. They don’t care if you’re going to hell or not; it’s how they get their rocks off.
Alright!,U’ve got all these otherwise intelligent super-gifted assholes that could turn the tide(obviously not by listening 2 O’Really)but,they choose 2 booze n’ lose or drink n’ church or both never figuring out the myth-o-god cuz the poor bastards were brainwashed,glad I said this on Darwin Day.We’re so far ahead-o-those imbeciles,ignoramuses,knuckle heads why I aughta’….
Created in his goddamn image aye? Why the fuk ain’t we invisible then mate?
RE: tomdarch, February 11, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Dr. Harris – I think that people who act in good faith are put at a fundamental, unfair disadvantage when dealing with people who are disingenuous. I think that out of respect for yourself and the folks who choose to participate with the Westboro activities, it is better to simply not engage them.
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As I have no issue with your belief that, for you, it is best to not engage someone who may be affiliated with Westboro Baptist Church, it may similarly be in accord with my conscience that I do as I do in a world in which there is sometimes terrible violence and tragedy.
Were I to tell you what I think “you should do,” I may deny to you, by interfering with the work of your conscience, the opportunity to do something of significant worth.
In the presence of danger, it is always wise and good to sound an alarm, provided that, in sounding the alarm, the presence of danger is not only imagined and provided that the one receiving the alarm has the right to do as befits the alarm-hearing person’s situation.
I sounded the alarm when it became clear to me that my brother was at grave risk of cancer, and my sounded alarm was only heard a couple years later, after my brother was found to have developed terminal cancer between the time I sounded the alarm and he and his physicians heard it. All it was given to me to do was to sound the alarm so my brother would have the chance to hear the alarm. What he did after I had sounded it was not within my purview…
I have heard your sounded alarm, and will heed it as my conscience directs.
Thank you for sharing your concern.
Buddha,
Of course you could always god for a Russian Imperial Stout, which is my favorite style of beer.
My favorite is a Norwegian brew called “Odin’s Tipple.” The Head was darker than some porters.
http://haandbryggeriet.net/Odinstipple.html
A very close tie for second is Left hand’s “Oak aged Wake up Dead” and North Coast’s, “Old Rasputin.”
AY,
Westboro may be a neighborhood. I’m not sure as I’ve never lived in Topeka. However, living in Topeka would be enough to drive most people insane. By the way, I invite everyone to simply Google Westboro Baptist Church.
You’ll find their homepage’s domain name (which I won’t propagate) quite amusing and indicative of their primitive behavior.
Gyges,
Thanks for the beer lesson. When I’m looking to get a good load on from stout (which usually fills me up before I get a really good buzz going)? I now know there are options.
Dr. Harris – I think that people who act in good faith are put at a fundamental, unfair disadvantage when dealing with people who are disingenuous. I think that out of respect for yourself and the folks who choose to participate with the Westboro activities, it is better to simply not engage them.
I suspect that my belief is rooted in a sort of irrational, un-provable faith in humanity, but I believe that they know that they are full of crap. Something about their style is different than other true-believers. Based on this, I think they are disingenuous, and as such, it isn’t beneficial to anyone to give them your time or attention.
(OK, some of this is also rooted in dog training. When a dog craves attention and misbehaves, the best thing is usually not to verbally correct them (and certainly not any correction beyond a single, quick “NO!”) Engaged correction is just a form of attention, which ends up rewarding the undesirable behavior. The best thing is to fold your arms up, turn your back and walk away from the bad behavior. When the dog decides to behave in an acceptable manner, then they get attention.)
Buddha,
Oh and there are Dortmunder Exports, and Scottish Export Ales. Which are their own styles
Buddha,
Nope, exported beer was taxed differently so they were able to make it stronger. Plus beers with higher alcohol content ship better. Foreign Export stouts sort of share a category with Tropical stouts (which are based on them). The main difference is tropical stouts tend to be sweeter, like Lion Stout (which is a great beer).