Outrageous: Right Wing Supreme Court Justice Scalia Says ‘Religious Beliefs Aren’t Reasonable’

[KamaAina]

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/10/21/outrageous-right-wing-supreme-court-justice-scalia-says-religious-beliefs-arent-reasonable/

On October 7th, the Supreme Court of the United States heard a case which was filed against the Arkansas Department of Corrections, by a Muslim inmate. In an unbelievable display of hypocrisy, during oral arguments, Justice Antonin Scalia told the petitioner:

“Religious beliefs aren’t reasonable.”

The man who filed suit, Gregory Houston Holt, AKA Abdul Maalak Muhammad was asking that the court overturn a ban on beards in Arkansas state prisons. As a Muslim man, Holt says that the ban substantially burdens his ability to exercise his religious beliefs, something the Supreme Court just ruled the government cannot do, in the Hobby Lobby case.

In a total departure from his earlier stance when hearing the Hobby Lobby case, hypocritical right wing Supreme Court Justice Scalia burdened the plaintiff with proving the ‘sincerity’ of his religious beliefs.

And if that doesn’t piss you off enough, during oral arguments Scalia actually said:

“Religious beliefs aren’t reasonable.”

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Unless they're his religious beliefs, of course.

Then they get to be the basis of Supreme Court decisions.

[liberal N proud]

6. ^^^^ THIS RIGHT HERE! ^^^^

Nails it!

[Myrina]

9. + A brazillion

SMFH, Scalia.

[The Magistrate]

2. One More Nail In The Coffin Of This Wretch's Long Sold-Off Integrity, Sir

Particularly since the 'religious beliefs' he said earlier had to be taken as they came were in fact beliefs that were demonstrably false to fact on questions of biological processes....

[bluesbassman]

3. Hypocrisy, thy name is Scalia.

One of the worst human beings drawing air at this point in time.

[hifiguy]

4. His dementia and final break from reality

are more apparent every day.

[RKP5637]

5. Alzheimers testing should be mandatory. n/t

[shenmue]

7. Scalia the dragon

A fire-breathing creature who destroys all in its path.

[knownow]

18. two headed

one for each opinion

[Gore1FL]

8. While I agree that “Religious beliefs aren’t reasonable,”

I wish Scalia had that view consistently.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Can't someone counter Scalia's opinion based on the breach from stare decisis

and the Hobby Lobby case?

[LondonReign2]

11. Scalia is laughing his faat ass off because he knows

no matter how outrageous contradictory his asinine "judgments" are, he can't be touched.

[sadoldgirl]

12. It seems weird that

this case came up to the SCOTUS at all after the Hobby Lobby decision.

On the other hand it gave Scalia the opportunity to approve of double speak.

[Initech]

13. It's way past time to impeach his ass. And let's get Thomas out of there, too.

[notrightatall]

17. Maybe there is an amendment that could get us some relief.

[notrightatall]

14. I own scalialaw.gop

any ideas what I should do with it?? I also own pissonthe.gop

[KamaAina]

15. There's a .gop top-level domain?!

[notrightatall]

16. yup.

Buy some at join.gop

[awoke_in_2003]

19. Scalia is an ass...

but I do find it funny how people find Jesus (or Allah, in this case) AFTER they make it to prison.

[UtahJosh]

20. It makes perfect sense when you think about it

It's not so much people 'finding' religion, more like the other way around. Religious charlatans have historically preyed upon the downtrodden and hopeless - what better fishing grounds than a prison?

[awoke_in_2003]

23. True, and it looks good for the parole board

welcome to DU

[Nye Bevan]

21. Here is the full exchange:

But the justices wrestled with just how far they might have to go.

"If the prisoner wanted to have a full beard, would the law require that?" asked Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"That would be a different case," Laycock replied.

"Isn't the religious requirement here that your client grow a full beard?" interjected Justice Antonin Scalia.

"It is," conceded Laycock, but the prisoner offered the half-inch length as a "reasonable compromise."

"Religious beliefs aren't reasonable," Scalia thundered back, "Religious beliefs are categorical!"

Chief Justice John Roberts was also skeptical about the half-inch compromise, for a different reason. It resolves little, he said, since the next case would involve a full beard.

Scalia agreed, adding, "I don't want to do these cases half-inch by half-inch."

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/07/354371719/justices-skeptical-of-beard-rule-in-inmate-religious-rights-case

[Skinner]

22. Feeling a little embarrassed that I find myself in agreement with Scalia.

I think some religious beliefs are more reasonable than others. But pretty much the defining characteristic of religious beliefs is that they are based on faith.

To be clear, I'm not trying to mock anyone's religious belief or call anyone stupid or unreasonable. But if you claim to believe things that cannot be objectively demonstrated to be true, you are not dealing in reason.

I don't think it makes a religious person a hypocrite to state plainly that religion is not based on reason.

[RedCappedBandit]

24. Well they're not. It's his hypocrisy that's laughable.