Fake fellatio with Jesus statue lands teen 2 years in Juvi

So a teenager faces two years in Juvenile Hall for taking a picture that simulated fellatio with a statue of Jesus. He posted his idiocy to facebook because of course you want pictures like that for anyone to see. According to the article they used a law that makes criminalizes "defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action." Sort of an anti-trolling law I guess....

Also according to the article the teenage did not deface or otherwise harm the statue. I would post the picture, but I'm not sure the mods would be particularly happy with me. Anyways what do you guys think? Is this an appropriate punishment or overly harsh?

Personally I think it's way to harsh.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/09/pennsylvania-teenager-hump-oral-sex-jesus-statue-prison

Sounds way too harsh. Sounds like it shouldn't even be a crime.

@Serraph105:

Someone is in the comment section said it will cost $156,000 to have him in juvi for 2 years. That's crazy.

As it should be.

wtf, thats crazy. what he did may be dumb/immature, but its harmless

You can't be serious.

This seems like a bad decision

So being disrespectful to an inanimate object is illegal, but going to a persons funeral and shouting to his grieving family that he's a *** and is burning in hell is protected by law?

so they actually have a "that offends me" law on the books?

that's fucked up.

What's the actual law even behind this? Seems like total bullshit.

"mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action"

Oh that sounds like it won't hold up in any reasonable court, after all do they even have a legal definition for "mistreating"?

@toast_burner: welcome to america. enjoy your stay.

Well what did he think would happen? But yeah that is way to harsh. I also agree with toast_burner. It's just so backwards.

Is it bad that I actually laughed when I saw the photo? The kid is an idiot but jail for that? Seriously?

These pathetic moron will suffer very much in life, disrespecting a god. Serves him right in prison, he should be hanged ... imo. Sorry i get very angry when dumb fvcks make fun of religion or gods.

LOL that is amazing.

Land of the free

Not worth the money to keep him in juvi for that "crime" at my local McDs as a kid they had a life size Ronald statue sitting on park bench. People did stuff like that all the time...

Did you participate?

but that's a clown statue and this is Jesus.

Come on vacation leave on probation.

Yeah. Both are fictional characters.

@indzman: no n no no no no no no no no no no

@deeliman: "wtf, thats crazy. what he did may be dumb/immature, but its harmless"

Yeh it's harmless.... Maybe harmless to you because you dont respect people's beliefs and religions.

@Serraph105: in the "land of the free" what's the difference? We mock middle eastern intolerance of making fun of Mohammad

@xeno_ghost: regardless, offending people's beliefs and faith should be something everyone supports the right to do

You guys are acting like he went to your house and did that to the statue of Jesus you have in your room. He wasn't disrespecting you guys, he was just dicking around (I'd say no pun intended, but who am I kidding?). And that isn't Jesus either...Yes, it was stupid but aren't Christians supposed to turn the other cheek? Wanting a kid in jail for 2 years seems like the opposite of that philosophy...

So? Not everyone believes Jesus was even a real person. It's not a scientifically/historically accepted fact. The majority of the humans on this planet are not Christian (2.2b out of 7.243b).

It's a statue. We should be then prosecuting anyone who simulates a sexual act with any statue if the religious connotation isn't the reasoning behind this grossly overblown application of "justice".

So should it be illegal for Christians to say other people are going to hell?

Respect goes both ways. What you're talking about is not respect.

*begins listening to Rotting Christ*

@toast_burner: yea really. People have come up to me and my wife and told us if she put her faith in Jesus she would be able to walk (she is in wheelchair)

I wish I lived there, I'd totally go typical teen prank of capture and release, take that statue to a basement and do a photo set recreating the basement scene from Pulp Fiction, then I'd upload the photos with faces blurred to an anonymous photo hosting account from a McDonald's or Starbucks, then go to my Facebook all like "look what I found, hahaha".

And if she says she has, they would respond: "You obviously haven't put your full faith in Jesus".

Oh man, sorry that you have to deal with assholes like that...I remember being in the hospital with a friend of mine once...her kid was terminal (brain cancer) and some asswipe stopped by and asked her if she's been praying for the kid and that he would, and she replied "I'm not a Christian but I appreciate your prayers" and the **** had the nerve to tell her "Then the death of your child is on you"...took all my restraint not to deck the dude, yet he didn't do anything against the law...now if he had pretended to have sex with a statue of Jesus...

What he did was disrespectful and he's obviously an asshole but a 2 year sentence? That's just too strict.

I think maybe a small fine and some community service would fit the crime. I didn't know "sacrilege" came with such a steep penalty.

I never thought "sacrilege" was a crime. I thought things like that were protected under the freedom of religion.

It's not. That was my point, albeit a sarcastic one. :D

Oh well. Sucks to be him.

I don't know why some teens here have a tendency for such things. In Turkey, the teenage son of a US serviceman made lewd gestures at a portrait of Ataturk. The Jandarma (Turkish constabulary?) caught him and hauled him off to jail. His father probably had a lot of explaining to do and his son was probably deported after some jail time.

In Japan, a couple of US teens (again US servicemen dependents) vandalized a sacred statue at the municipal building of a Japanese town. They too were caaught and their parents had some apologizing to do.

What the ****

Heretic should be castrated.

The issue is the blatant antagonizing of a religion. Religions have rights in America against such a thing, so it makes sense that the charged individual is being issued a punishment. That is how it is.

@BranKetra: nnnnnnaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

Non-religious people also have the right to make criticisms or even take humourous jabs at other religions (a comedian does it, it's okay, a kid does it, he goes to jail). It's called the freedom of speech and expression. Put this picture in an art gallery and it would probably find a market of interested buyers who would see artistic merit in it.

@foxhound_fox: Yeah, I'm gonna say freedom of expression should take priority over whether some religious folk get butthurt.

you know I'm kidding right?

That's funny as hell. He seriously got sent to juvenile hall for that?

That is true. If the youth's attorney can argue it was an act of free speech and expression rather than antagonism, I imagine he will be absolved of his charges.

@dave123321: "regardless, offending people's beliefs and faith should be something everyone supports the right to do"

Why do you feel it's necessary to offend people that you disagree with, why should it be a "right" to offend people? Can't people respectfully disagree anymore?

@toast_burner: "So should it be illegal for Christians to say other people are going to hell?"

Well that is part of their religious belief, and most christians don't go around saying that, maybe the more extreme Christians do but I have never come across any in my long years of life. What this guy did is not any kind of belief at all, it's sole intention is to offend.

@xeno_ghost: I don't think it's necessary to offend those you disagree with. I value the right to express views and opinions through words or actions. Now obvs that needs to be done within established laws but laws such as the one used in this case shouldn't be upheld. I may not like the views people express but I have to except that that is a part of the right to free speech.