Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Pennsylvania Boy Charged With Desecrating Venerated Object After Facebook Photo of Simulated Sex With Jesus Statue
In Everett, Pennsylvania last week police charged a 14-year old boy with violating Pennsylvania's ban on desecration of venerated objects (18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5509) after he posted photos on Facebook showing him simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus. According to a Pennsylvania State Police Report, the incident took place in July, and charges were filed in Juvenile Court on Sept. 9. Queerty reports that the statue belongs to the Christian organization Love In the Name of Christ. An organization spokesman says it does not believe the boy should be prosecuted, and asked instead "for prayer for the young man."