MaxedOutMama

16. GROSS!!! They are supposed to be Christians?!?
How come they didn't OFFER HIM FOOD or at least try to save his soul?

They had a perfect opportunity to proselytize while helping someone, yet they CHOSE PREMEDITATED VIOLENCE!!!
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67. Last time I checked assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping...
Are much more serious crimes than B & E.
I hope they are charged accordingly.
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27. Looks like Abu Ghraib.
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50. Even disregarding race, cameras would have worked as well as a good old Xtian beating. They didn't have to do it. They wanted to beat someone with bats.

IMO, the church has been stealing from the ignorant masses since the first Pope. A burglary here doesn't bother me any more than if he broke into RNC Headquarters. Whatever he would have taken had he succeeded was garnered by fraud in the first place.
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33. The dangers of vigilante justice far outweigh any simple application of punishment administered by the members. That sets a precedent that has far reaching disastrous repercussions. If you don't understand, I'm sorry. I'm not going to write a dissertation on the subject for your enlightenment.
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120. Good post. Further, had the burglars been armed, a massacre could have occurred, all for the price of a few objects and perhaps a sense of pride.

I have read all the posts in this thread. It alarms me to read the amount of anger that seems to be driving the posts. A lot of people are just looking for excuses to be brutal and a lot of people are living on constant fear that something is going to be taken from them.

Something has been taken from all of them. The Government of the U.S. has be captured by a band of thugs known as the Republican Party. Their right to vote in an honest election,to communicate without eavesdropping, to work at fair wages,to afford trans portion on other necessities and many more things have most definitely been "taken from them" by people infinitely more dangerous than the church burglars. I'd like to see their sense of territorial rights focused on the Bush administration with the same passion.

8. I don't see the problem.
If no one else is going to deal with the problem you have to do it yourself. No one told that guy to break into the church. He was trespassing and is lucky they didn't just shoot him. I'm guessing no charges will be filed against them.
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135. The church people could have installed a burglar alarm after the previous burglaries, or perhaps beefed up the window situation.
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91. Fine, then lets just eliminate our right to protect our home, family and property. I'm sorry but what you're saying is total BS. Next time someone breaks into my home, I'll be sure to hand him all of my goods, feed him dinner and then thank him fully for his fucking visit.

Don't fucking think so. Anyone breaking into my house is going to get shot at. It's my right to protect my family and property. The same as those people had the right to protect their church.
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110. you say "otherwise it would be better, in my opinion"
obviously your opinion is not the law.
and, as so frequently, the "law" doesn't do squat, except release the offender for yet more criminal acts.

we are going to go through a transition in this country with regards to "criminals getting away with just about everything". we, as citizens, have some responsibility in letting it get this far.

when the initial act results in immediate justice, the number of initial acts will decrease.
there will be people hurt in this transition period, both criminals, AND those who are defending their own.

we can let an overloaded court system continue to fail, or we can let lawyers continue to get criminals released on technicalities. or, we ourselves, can do something about it.
as i said, some people will be hurt in the process, but in the end, fewer will be in danger.
too bad it is has sunk to this.