Faith-hate legislation is being tackled in a humorous way

[Kire]

Britain

August 29, 2005

Joke is on religion as Christians laugh at themselves
By Ruth Gledhill
Faith-hate legislation is being tackled in a humorous way

RELIGIOUS jokes will be told to hundreds of Christians today in an attempt to determine whether they would fall foul of the Government’s religious hatred legislation.

In “The Laugh Judgment” competition, more than 4,000 people voted on 700 religious jokes sent in to the satirical Christian website ShipofFools. The ten funniest and ten most offensive will be performed today at the Greenbelt Christian arts festival at Cheltenham racecourse by the comic James Carey, a scriptwriter for radio comedy shows.

Some of the jokes were so offensive that they do not bear reproduction.

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The contest was started to highlight potential problems with the Government’s new religious hatred legislation.

Religious leaders from churches across the denominational spectrum, as well as secularists and comics such as Rowan Atkinson, are united in opposition to the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, which had its third reading in July.

The Bill, which will now go to the Lords, where it is expected to arouse strong opposition, recommends a maximum seven-year jail sentence for anyone convicted of intending to stir up religious hatred. More than 1,000 church leaders have petitioned Downing Street urging Tony Blair to abandon it.

More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1754775,00.html

[Kipling]

1. There are some good ones...

The "Pissing in Coke" one is always a classic.