Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 61 total)
  • Do [s]libel / slander[/s] (lying) laws apply to evangelists??
  • rkk01
    Free Member

    Posted similar during the election re politicians…

    http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/do-libel-slander-laws-apply-to-politicians

    Anyway, same idea, but aimed at a different flavour of folks that use appealing and subversive oration to win over the gullible

    … but was being told (collectively) during lunchtime that I was misguided to think that I will die and that my body will then degenerate into it's constituent chemical parts.

    Apparently, I will be re-born, rise again and enter the everlasting world*
    .
    Is it not possible to sue the pepetrators for spouting lies in a public place – nuLabour must have made a law up about lying in public…….
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    .* Two versions available – apparently. One for good people, repentent bad people and hypocrites, the other exclusively the domain of the bad'uns (I suspect that it must be fairly well packed by now………..)

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    You have almost precisely no idea of what libel is, do you?

    Go away and read wikipedia for a bit. Sorry. 🙂

    Pook
    Full Member

    yeah that's not libel. Or slander. Or defamation.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    You could however call them deluded idiots and be safe from libel/ slander – defence of "fair comment"

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    you might be able to use employment law to suggest that either someone in a position of authority over you was bullying you by tryign to force you to accept their beliefs and you were afraid of the consequences of disagreeing or, if it it's someone beside/below you, that you fel that they are underminign your self-confidence by trying to convert you an that you need to go off sick with stress.

    rkk01
    Free Member

    Well, you've got me on a legal technicality….

    But in terms of principles, some groups seem to be able to get away with making what appear to be quite fanciful statements, whereas others are required to base what they say on facts or at least some convincing evidence

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    It's not a "legal technicality" at all. Laws of defamation protect people from harm to their reputations caused by the dissemination of untrue statements about them. It's fundamental to what such laws are about.

    You want a law which prevents people expressing views which you don't share. This is called "rabid intolerance" or sometimes "nazi-cock-monkeyery". Either way, a whole different thing to libel. HTH 🙂

    rkk01
    Free Member

    No desire for more laws…

    I just get the feeling that I'd be asked to "move along" if I went down the city centre at lunchtime and started talking at people through a big megaphone.

    Would the council tolerate the BNP giving a frank explanation of their true views on immigration?

    Jamie
    Free Member

    Incidentally calling someone a liar puts you in a ideal position to be sued for libel.

    Just ask Gillian McKeith.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Unless they are a liar? For instance you can call Archer and Aitken liars quite safely as they have been done for lying on oath

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    Just ask Gillian McKeith

    Or to use her full medical title Gillian McKeith :):)

    Jamie
    Free Member

    Or to use her full medical title Gillian McKeith :):)

    I saw Dr Goldacre at the SGP this past weekend and he used that line. Got big laughs from us assembled nerds :mrgreen:

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    it is true aitkena nd Archer are deceitful and convicted off it.

    Interestingly enough they cannot be prosecuted for calling me a sinner, saying I am infected by evil and that I will spend an eternity in hell for my impure actions on earth…which I find highly offensive.
    I need to be carefual about critcisng them though because we [ the eveil sinners off to hell] must be tolerant of all religions. Oddly they do not need to be tolerant of me, female priests, Israel or homosexuals they save their tolerance for kiddy fiddler priests , suicide bombers, and other good believing folk apparently.
    In case I can be sued for this it is simply satire or wrong or both and I do not mean to offend when I call you all a bunch of intolerant fools who believe in nonsense with no proof.

    Surely we can section them as we section other people who hears voices telling them what to do and feel the rpresence of non existent entities.

    rkk01
    Free Member

    Incidentally calling someone a liar puts you in a ideal position to be sued for libel.

    Unless they are a liar?

    Well, there's the rub. Religious groups seem to enjoy the protection of historical precedent.

    To my scientifically educated mind, being told that I will not die, but will rise again, would appear to run contrary to all the known facts on living organisms – ie, based on our (quite extensive) knowledge it is actually untrue.

    rkk01
    Free Member

    and Junkyard, yes, offensive

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    that linked explained that you need to prove they know they are a liar at the time they say the lie

    I can tell you from personal experience, is one word you can never use in England: even if you can show that someone was obviously wrong, even if you can show that they probably knew they were wrong, you still need to show that they deliberately distorted the truth, and that’s almost always impossible, without direct access to their thoughts.

    I dont think religous people are liars they do beleive what they say therefore clearly they are mad not liars 😉
    Not sure which camp Gillian falls into she may actually believe what she says or she may know it is bunkum I dont know which it is or which is worse.

    EDIT:

    rkk01 – Member
    and Junkyard, yes, offensive

    Me the believers or both ❓

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Junkyard – Member

    In case I can be sued for this it is simply satire or wrong or both and I do not mean to offend when I call you all a bunch of intolerant fools who believe in nonsense with no proof.

    Well, you can't be sued, but certain observable entities hereabouts will probably accuse you of "personal attacks" and proceed to chase you through the Forum displaying a supreme grasp of irony, by doing exactly that… :mrgreen: 😉

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    Untrue (to your scientifically educated mind) and "offensive". But how is it measurably harmful to you that they think and say these things?

    Hooray. Woppit is here. The "religion thread" can proceed to its usual business. 🙂

    anotherdeadhero
    Free Member

    I think it just comes down to how you define 'sin' and whether you credit 'life' with states other than the purely physical.

    I rarely get offended by people who have different definitions or views on these two, the more rabidly insane their views on the matter the more I'm inclined to feel a bit sorry for them. Life is complex enough without inventing more complications, or thinking that some metaphysical deity wants you to go about harrassing other people.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    There used to be, in my home town, a religious fanatic who took to standing in the middle of the market area on Saturdays loudly singing hymns and proclaiming the "gospel", albeit in his own words.

    All around, people displayed that typically English purse-lipped dissapproval but unwillingness to do anything about something that was pissing everybody off. I suppose because we are supposed to feel tolerant of irritating nutters because they are "religious".

    So I called the police and had him moved.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    Hooray. Woppit is here. The "religion thread" can proceed to its usual business.

    Surely it needs Mr E. Lynch to turn up as well to get the party started?

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    So I called the police and had him moved

    I was enjoying myself that day amasing what you can get away with in public if people think you are both religous and nuts

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    Gosh. You saved your home town from irritation. Have a medal.

    🙂

    rkk01
    Free Member

    In truth, the street evangelists annoy rather than offend – but that is down to me, rather than their message.

    But I do take offence at my kids' primary school constantly pushing Christian teachings to the exclusion of everything else. And yes, in my view that could be measurably harmful (in terms of a child's eductaion)

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    [Incidentally. This is a "lacrosse smiley". I cannot imagine a single instance in which this could even possibly be useful. ]

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    is it a chrsitian school? my kids went to the mosque this year and not to church

    rkk01
    Free Member

    Ok, thanks to everyone for answering my question.

    So, the answer lies in the meaning of lies – ie there being the intent to deceive etc, therefore they are not actually lying. I retract.

    They can't be lying if they don't know the difference between truth and untruth, or if there is no unequivocal validation of what is true.

    rkk01
    Free Member

    is it a chrsitian school?

    not supposed to be…

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    BigDummy – Member
    Gosh. You saved your home town from irritation. Have a medal.

    Bugger my home town. I did it for me. 8)

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    Surely it needs Mr E. Lynch to turn up as well to get the party started?

    Well I'm not sure I really want to…….on account that some people are rather touchy. Poor old Woppit if criticised, comes out with stuff like : "but you haven't even met me" !

    He's a sensitive little soul are Woppit is………he doesn't take to criticism too easily – gawd bless him 8)

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Patronising pillock.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    Oh dear……..you are touchy 😐

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    are you really calling someone patronising …..considering how you address christians you cannot rally talk can you 🙄

    Jamie
    Free Member

    you cannot rally talk can you

    F1 on the other hand is fine.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    I'm reserving my spite for ernie. Never having excercised "personal attacks" before, I'm finding it newly liberating.

    Spelling and punctuation are a bit same old, mind…

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Never having excercised "personal attacks" before

    FFS you really do have no self awareness…. you think your posts on christains were neither taken personally or attacks…thta is at leats as daft as believing in an imaginery friend as the evidence is there for all to see

    Spelling and punctuation are a bit same old, mind…

    Qexceelent attck there on those grounds 🙄

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Oh, self-evidently they were taken personally. They weren't ACTUALLY personal, though…

    Generally, I'm with Pat Condell: "I despise your religion and I don't care if that offends you."

    I never said "I despise YOU…"

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Obviously, that doesn't apply to ABSOLUTELY everyone, now…

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    see post above re self awareness you may be comfortable with that rational over offence but it is poor* clearly you offended people and seemed to rejoice in like you were preaching at an alter. Just more of your BS and reminds me why I left all the religious threads alone once you got stuck in …arrogant, unaware, cocky , overly sure of your own intelectual abilities , patronising, rude and insensitive it is a lovely combination in any human and you wear it well… clearly I am only insulting your beliefs there and not you…. apparently

    * given post after it is clear it is not even accurate you seem to enjoy offending people does it make you feel better to belittle other people? All rather pathetic

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Eats shoots and leaves

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