So it's open season now?

Interesting to know there's now judicial precedent that says I can physically attack someone who's denigrating my Christian faith:

It almost sounds like the makings of a joke: an atheist, a Muslim and the Mechanicsburg Halloween parade. But non-believers aren't laughing about an attack and insist what's really frightening is the way a district judge ruled on it.

The Atheists of Central Pennsylvania decided to walk in the Mechanicsburg Halloween parade. There was a zombie Pope and a zombie Muhammed. On YouTube, you can catch a scary moment. It's dark and distorted, but a Muslim man comes off the curb extremely offended at Muhammed being depicted in this way.

"He grabbed me, choked me from the back, and spun me around to try to get my sign off that was wrapped around my neck," said Ernie Perce, who donned the costume.
The Muslim man and Perce both called police to report a crime. Both kept walking, and a few blocks down found Sgt. Brian Curtis. He talked to both and came to this conclusion.
"Mr. Perce has the right to do what he did that evening, and the defendant in this case was wrong in confronting him," he said.

Talaag Elbayomy was charged with harassment, but District Judge Mark Martin threw it out after criticizing Perce, the victim, and even calling him a "doofus." The audio is also on YouTube. Martin, who has done several tours of duty in the Middle East, said Perce would be put to death in those societies for his crime, but Perce wonders why that's relevant in this country.

"He let a man who is Muslim, because of his preference of his culture and his way of life, walk free from an attack," Perce said. 

The judge is apparently none too happy with the publicity his ruling has drawn.  Is there ANY doubt that had a misguided Christian, in violation of the teachings of Christ, stepped off the curb and attacked the "zombie Pope," it would be headline news around the nation?  That we would be hearing dire warnings about the 'desire of militant Christians to establish a theocracy?'

As Glenn Reynolds (who appears to be a complete secularist) often points out, Western civilization really needs to understand the perverse incentive system that's being created.  Criticism of the Muslim faith is demonstrably muted, out of deference to the very real possibility of inciting riot.  Meanwhile, Christians' complaints about the direction of a society that was once permeated by the principles of their faith, are mocked with impunity and marginalized at every opportunity.

I pray that Christians will continue to be guided by the Spirit and the principles of the Prince of Peace, confining our battle with the "god of this fallen world" to the public conversation.  This side of eternity, though, it's a constant struggle to control the vestiges of the sinful nature... the one to which the fallacy of the "tu quoque" argument seems mighty appealing at times.  Fortunately, we're taught "do unto others as you would have them do to you,"  not "do to others as you've had done to you."