From WorldNetDaily.com: Friday,
February 11, 2005 · Last updated 9:55 a.m. PT Swedish
pastor is acquitted on appeal
The Goeta
Appeals Court said that while Aake Green's views of gays can be "strongly
questioned," it was not illegal to offer a personal interpretation of the
Bible and urge others to follow it. "The
purpose of making agitation against gays punishable is not to prevent arguments
or discussions about homosexuality, not in churches or in other parts of society,"
the court said. Green,
63, was the first clergyman convicted under Green
said he was pleased with the verdict, but called it a "partial
victory," saying he expects the case to move on to the Supreme Court. "We'll
see how far this gets me," Green told The Associated Press. "But
right now I'm very happy." Green
gave his sermon the same year, telling a congregation on the small southeastern
"Homosexuality
is something sick," Green said. He compared it with pedophilia and
bestiality, saying gays were more likely to rape children and animals. He was
convicted in June and sentenced to 30 days in jail but the sentence was
suspended pending the appeal. In an
interview with the AP, Green said it was not the month in jail that worried
him, but "the freedom to preach God's word." The
appeals court shared that concern, saying statements during sermons rarely
qualify as racial agitation. Green's
acquittal brought a sigh of relief from some ministers who saw the case as a
challenge to freedom of religion and _expression_. "This
indicates that the justice system works, and that it gives a certain amount of
protection to us who preach God's word," said Ralph Toerner, a priest from
the Swedish branch of the British-based Holy Catholic Church. "But
at the same time, I think this should be a warning signal to preachers overall,
that they shouldn't use such coarse language when talking about something
sensitive. The Christian faith is not about judging people," he said. Green
said he was being bombarded by phone calls from supporters Friday. "They're
calling from the Others
were angry over the acquittal, saying it was an invitation to attack gays and
other groups. "Would
we have seen this verdict if his sermon had been about Jews or some other
group? I hope not," said Katarina Lindahl, secretary-general of the
Swedish Association for Sexuality Education. Lindahl
said Green's sermon was a call to action against all homosexuals, by saying
that "If
that's not agitation, I don't know what is," Lindahl said. Hans
Ytterberg, the government-appointed ombudsman against discrimination on grounds
of sexual orientation, said he also disagreed with the verdict, and criticized
the court for saying that Green's rhetoric wasn't harsh enough to be criminal. "I
think that's pretty hard to believe, because it can't get much harsher,"
Ytterberg said. "This means you can say just about anything." |
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