I agree. However I can't help but think that if this were a Muslim symbol during Ramadan, the girls could have ended up with a hate crime charge as well.

But doesn't Islam have different standards for things like that overall?

Lack of intent is a defense to theft in most jurisdictions. It's up to the trier of fact to decide whether the person is telling the truth or lying. In this case, they left Baby Jesus and the rest of the Nativity in plain sight on the front lawn of the school president's house. It's pretty obvious that they don't have intent here. They didn't have the things in their possession when they were discovered, unlike your thief.

I completely agree with this. It's bad form to mess with stuff that the town owns. It won't hurt them to pay a fine or spend a few Saturdays picking up trash or cleaning the courthouse. It will make the town happy. A misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace seems very fair. On the other hand, it's a bit much to charge them with theft, which will negatively effect their applications to professional licenses and professional school is a bit much.

And this seems like a repeat of when a fraternity which shall remain nameless removed a statue of a Greek god from the president's garden and boosted it through a window(without breaking the window) into his office for Greek Week, except these ladies messed with something that belonged to the town, rather than something that belonged to the school. It's really part of MC's culture (less so than MIT's culture, but still there), but people need to learn to leave the townies alone.

Yes, if the students were not Muslim.

That is because it would probably be a hate crime. College students who want to do silly pranks have tons of "Christian symbols" all over the place to use for their pranks. Finding the relative few Islamic symbols where they are would be much more calculated and for a purpose beyond a student prank.

No.

Even if Islam did, no one should be arrested based on Islamic standards. The perspective of this being a crime is based on (whether it is reported and) the law.

That logic would make more sense if these college students were using their own figures for the prank rather than stealing figures. When you steal, you are not able to say "well, this is JUST a plastic figure that would go in a garage."

As for what people worship:
Faith-bases worship whatever they worship as symbolized by certain images regardless of whether those images are stuffed in a garage. If people would not be thrilled if graffiti was placed on these images, it is not ridiculous for people to not be thrilled if these images are used for pranks.

I don't take it personally. I know everything you're saying. It's cute that you think I'm young and lacking in experience, though. I type young for my age.

I still always think "please don't be Kappa" whenever I see a headline that reads "sorority + negative stuff."

And here it's not just Kappa -- isn't this Kappa's Alpha chapter?

oh NOES. My bad; my tone sucked in that post! I am NOT that kind of person (at least I try not to be unless it's intentional and then it's a lot more subtle), so please accept my apology for the condescension that the post suggested! (been reading far too much Jane Austen lately, I fear, and am channeling Lady Catherine DeBourgh, apparently?). Oh my, my, my.

So you are saying you are old? *ducks and runs for cover*

LOL.

I thought AzTheta's condescension was aimed at the silly college students who stole the Sweet Baby Jesus. I did not think AzTheta was saying "don't fret, amIblue, when you grow up, you will understand." LOL.

:p AzTheta is so condescending and hurts my feelings at least once a day. I logon to GC praying she has me on ignore as to avoid being condescended. She is the bane of my GC existence. :p

I thought exactly the same as amIblue? "Please Don't Be Kappa"

My heart sunk slightly when I read the article :(

I was going overboard a bit in reply to the poster who was going overboard a bit and acting like they were Satanists or something.

Considering we laugh about the "shepherds" wearing towels on their heads and the Virgin Mary farting when little kids have Christmas pageants, I just don't think this is that big of a deal.

I think there is a big difference between children being children in a Christmas pageant and college students taking, for whatever reason, a nativity scene that doesn't belong to them as a joke. Apples and oranges.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

Yes, it's our Alpha chapter.

Sorry if I misread you. I wasn't too upset about it. You don't have a thing on Lady Catherine DeBourgh. You know, because she was condescending AND delusional. She thought Darcy would want to marry her boring sickly stick of a daughter. I mean, what is that all about?