THE DARK AGES CONTINUE

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that it’s quite alright to abuse and torment people as long as it’s done in the name of religion. In an appeal of a bizarre case of a woman who sued her former church for conducting an exorcism on her, the court overturned a previous $300,000 claim for damages against the church. The woman had won the settlement for physical damages and psychological distress caused by an exorcism performed on her at the age of 17, but the judges on the Supreme Court ruled that holding the church liable for the abuse and imprisonment of the girl "would have an unconstitutional 'chilling effect' by compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious beliefs." (Associated Press)