Dutch Town Bans Blasphemy

Current events or Religion forum?
Either way... this is interesting.
Surprising reading for me ... that
ANY Dutch are Fundamentalist Christians.
I don't have an opinion on the issue of
free speech vs right to live as majority rules.
I'm just posting this because I thought it
was interesting that there are Fundamentalist
Christians in Amsterdam and that they are
influencing local politics.

www.religionnewsblog.com...

Excerpt

Reuters, June 3, 2005

AMSTERDAM - The name of the Lord may no longer be taken in
vain in the Dutch village of Staphorst.

Staphorst, in the so-called Dutch "bible belt" of eastern towns
where religion holds sway, approved a ban on swearing by
13-4 council votes.

Past swearing bans in bible-belt villages were declared in violation
of the right to free expression in 1986. One other town has such a
ban -- Reimerswaal, in the southwestern province of Zeeland.

The Dutch association against swearing, which runs national billboard
campaigns to admonish the bad-mouthed Dutch, says the Bible outlaws
swearing.



[edit on 6/6/2005 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Current events or Religion forum?
Either way... this is interesting.
Surprising reading for me ... that
ANY Dutch are Fundamentalist Christians.
I don't have an opinion on the issue of
free speech vs right to live as majority rules.
I'm just posting this because I thought it
was interesting that there are Fundamentalist
Christians in Amsterdam and that they are
influencing local politics.

www.religionnewsblog.com...

Excerpt

Reuters, June 3, 2005

AMSTERDAM - The name of the Lord may no longer be taken in
vain in the Dutch village of Staphorst.

Staphorst, in the so-called Dutch "bible belt" of eastern towns
where religion holds sway, approved a ban on swearing by
13-4 council votes.

Past swearing bans in bible-belt villages were declared in violation
of the right to free expression in 1986. One other town has such a
ban -- Reimerswaal, in the southwestern province of Zeeland.

The Dutch association against swearing, which runs national billboard
campaigns to admonish the bad-mouthed Dutch, says the Bible outlaws
swearing.

I think you have misread the report. It was filed at Amsterdam, but refers to events outside the city in a rural area.

Most of Holland is conservative. Those who gravitate to Amsterdam are the misfits. The other Dutch tolerate them there, on the basis that otherwise they'd be a nuisance in society locally. Or so I understand; anyone know better?

All the best,

Roger Pearse