[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot are sad and bad!

[mindlight]

Everybody paints them as the voice of freedom when actually they were convicted for blasphemous singing in a church. They moan at how grey their prison experience was but what do these ladies actually stand for.

Loose women for gay rights and the right to kill your baby and blaspheme in church seems to be the sum of it really.

I actually respect Putin for taking a stand against them. releasing them seems politically clever and defuses one potential source of criticism before the Russian Olympics but really he did not have to do this.

Jailed [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot member describes Russian prison camp 'anti-life' - Telegraph

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[seashale76]

He didn't have to release them, you're right. And, yes, what they did was considered blasphemous in my faith. However, the Russian Orthodox Church asked for these women to be forgiven of their actions in pulling this stunt and to not be imprisoned in the first place.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

I don't think that anyone would argue that the band didn't commit the crime they were accused of ("hooliganism", basically being a public nuisance). You're not allowed to go onto property that belongs to someone else and stage a protest. That's one of the limits of free speech, and it needs to be. What they did was annoying, disruptive, and offensive, although obviously being offensive shouldn't be enough to block speech on its own.

That said, I doubt that they would have gotten more than a slap on the wrist if they hadn't insulted Putin or the Orthodox Church, to which he is pretty intimately connected. If they had just walked into an evangelical ministry and done this, they would have possibly gotten a fine, or more likely, they would have just been escorted out and asked not to come back.

Two years in a Russian prison is too much for being a minor public nuisance. They were just a minor public nuisance in a way that was offensive to a man who rules his country with an iron fist.

 

[mindlight]

He didn't have to release them, you're right. And, yes, what they did was considered blasphemous in my faith. However, the Russian Orthodox Church asked for these women to be forgiven of their actions in pulling this stunt and to not be imprisoned in the first place.

Well hopefully their release is not only an answer to Orthodox prayers but also removes any empowering factor to the causes they espouse and to which the Orthodox church is opposed. I think the closer relationship between Putin and Orthodoxy is a good thing for Russia. Putin is a man of power , but if Orthodox believers in Russia stand fast to their faith then they can be a moderating influence of immense benefit to the future of Russia. [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot by contrast have nothing to say of any substance.

 

[Saleena]

I don't think that anyone would argue that the band didn't commit the crime they were accused of ("hooliganism", basically being a public nuisance). You're not allowed to go onto property that belongs to someone else and stage a protest. That's one of the limits of free speech, and it needs to be. What they did was annoying, disruptive, and offensive, although obviously being offensive shouldn't be enough to block speech on its own.

That said, I doubt that they would have gotten more than a slap on the wrist if they hadn't insulted Putin or the Orthodox Church, to which he is pretty intimately connected. If they had just walked into an evangelical ministry and done this, they would have possibly gotten a fine, or more likely, they would have just been escorted out and asked not to come back.

Two years in a Russian prison is too much for being a minor public nuisance. They were just a minor public nuisance in a way that was offensive to a man who rules his country with an iron fist.

Whoa apparently my dream as a kid to play Dimmu Borgir cover songs in a band at my church was a crime :x glad I didn't go through with it.

 

[mindlight]

I don't think that anyone would argue that the band didn't commit the crime they were accused of ("hooliganism", basically being a public nuisance). You're not allowed to go onto property that belongs to someone else and stage a protest. That's one of the limits of free speech, and it needs to be. What they did was annoying, disruptive, and offensive, although obviously being offensive shouldn't be enough to block speech on its own.

That said, I doubt that they would have gotten more than a slap on the wrist if they hadn't insulted Putin or the Orthodox Church, to which he is pretty intimately connected. If they had just walked into an evangelical ministry and done this, they would have possibly gotten a fine, or more likely, they would have just been escorted out and asked not to come back.

Two years in a Russian prison is too much for being a minor public nuisance. They were just a minor public nuisance in a way that was offensive to a man who rules his country with an iron fist.

They were playing the political game when they walked into the church. If you are going to take on a man like Putin then do it for something worth dying for. What do [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot stand for that is actually worth dying for? Please do not say freedom of speech cause that is vacuous if they have nothing of any value to say.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

Whoa apparently my dream as a kid to play Dimmu Borgir cover songs in a band at my church was a crime :x glad I didn't go through with it.

It's not really that they were playing music in a church. It's more that they went in unannounced during a time that was supposed to be for quiet prayer and reflection, threw on masks, and danced around for a minute straight. If you can't do it at the local mall without getting ushered out, you probably shouldn't expect to be able to do it in a church. That said, you also shouldn't expect two years in prison, because that's beyond ridiculous.

What do [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot stand for that is actually worth dying for? Please do not say freedom of speech cause that is vacuous if they have nothing of any value to say.

The rights of women? Free and fair democracy? Also, free speech is pretty valuable. There are some things that people value their right to say more than they value their life. Otherwise, history would have very few martyrs. If you want to say one of those things, unless it's legitimately dangerous (ie., telling people that they should start a riot right here and right now) you should be able to say it.

 

[Saleena]

That sounds kind of douchy, a fine at most seems reasonable.

 

[mindlight]

That sounds kind of douchy, a fine at most seems reasonable.

If you bet the house why would you be surprised when you lose it. They were directly challenging the right of the ruler to govern. That's not just hooliganism its a kind of revolution and treason. Such actions might be justifiable with truth on ones side but what truthes do these ladies stand for?

 

[Saleena]

If you bet the house why would you be surprised when you lose it. They were directly challenging the right of the ruler to govern. That's not just hooliganism its a kind of revolution and treason. Such actions might be justifiable with truth on ones side but what truthes do these ladies stand for?

Your complacency is frightening but not surprising.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

If you bet the house why would you be surprised when you lose it. They were directly challenging the right of the ruler to govern. That's not just hooliganism its a kind of revolution and treason. Such actions might be justifiable with truth on ones side but what truthes do these ladies stand for?

What truths does Vladimir Putin stand for? Frankly, there's some dishonesty involved in their sentence. It's not illegal to criticize Putin, so they're being punished with a severe prison sentence for doing something that was kind of annoying. Obviously their real "crime" is insulting Putin.

This is pretty much equivalent to running into a mall and shouting angry things about the president. You should get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again, and if you've done it before and been told not to repeat your past actions, you should pay a small fine for not respecting the right of someone else to decide how their property is used and for being disruptive (that's the crime they actually committed, after all). I think that most people would be up in arms if someone received a two year prison sentence for that in America, though. Just because someone is a psychotic strongman who stifles all criticism doesn't make it right to be a psychotic strongman who stifles all criticism.

 

[Cearbhall]

Loose women

I've never actually heard anyone use that phrase outside of an old movie. I guess it's more polite than some of the alternatives.

 

[Gadarene]

Nice for Christians who think offending them should be punishable with jail time to identify themselves for us so clearly.

 

[wing2000]

Loose women for gay rights and the right to kill your baby and blaspheme in church seems to be the sum of it really.

...yea, they certainly deserved to be shipped off to Siberia : 0

 

[jazzflower92]

I don't support lewd behavior or morals but I agree their sentence was unjust. Plus their criticism against Putin is valid in my opinion because he is just a dictator who is wishing to remake the Soviet Union in his own image.

 

[mindlight]

Nice for Christians who think offending them should be punishable with jail time to identify themselves for us so clearly.

So I should not speak the truth for fear of what you might do- No! Nor should the opinions of atheists, harlots, murderers and perverts generally be silenced. Freedom of speech is essential in the fight against corruption of many forms. But there is a time, manner and a place and [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot were trying to make a name for themselves by insulting the powers that be. That was not wise and they, much like you in this OP, had nothing of any substance to add to the discussions about Putins government.

 

[Gadarene]

So I should not speak the truth for fear of what you might do- No!

On the contrary, please state more gibberish of that kind. It is very helpful for everyone that you identify yourself as having such a troubling opinion

Nor should the opinions of atheists, harlots, murderers and perverts generally be silenced.

Thanks for lumping us in with those. Your bigotry is showing.

Freedom of speech is essential in the fight against corruption of many forms. But there is a time, manner and a place and [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot were trying to make a name for themselves by insulting the powers that be. That was not wise and they, much like you in this OP, had nothing of any substance to add
to the discussions about Putins government.

You simultaneously proclaim you are for free speech and then condone a decision made by someone like Putin to squelch people who were criticising him.

Can't have it both ways, champ.

 

[Oafman]

Everybody paints them as the voice of freedom when actually they were convicted for blasphemous singing in a church. They moan at how grey their prison experience was but what do these ladies actually stand for.

Loose women for gay rights and the right to kill your baby and blaspheme in church seems to be the sum of it really.

I actually respect Putin for taking a stand against them. releasing them seems politically clever and defuses one potential source of criticism before the Russian Olympics but really he did not have to do this.

Jailed [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot member describes Russian prison camp 'anti-life' - Telegraph

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you truly believe that people should be locked up for blasphemy, then I hold you in even greater contempt than I thought I did.

 

[ewells36]

Everyone across the world is crying out, or was - Free [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot! Free [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot! etc, but that fact of the matter is that they broke a law in their own country and they were found guilty and sentenced.

While I may not agree with the laws of other countries, the fact is this: If I go to another country and break one of their laws, then I deserve to be punished for it. Who am I to think that I am above any other laws in other countries because I am an American. That seems to be the thinking of some of those in society today that they are above others and that is really sad

While I also do understand that the church did forgive them and they did ask for clemency for them - Russian Orthodox church forgives punk band [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot – USATODAY.com - what they did was against a law in their own country and they broke it, so why shouldnt they be punished? Should they be above the law because they are in a band? What do they actually stand for? Do their lyrics really speak of anything? This, I do not know. I attempted to listen to a few of their songs and they should of had extra time given to them - for making horrible music (I hope people can see sarcasm in that

They broke a law and they were punished for it. When they get out, they will probably do something like this again and keep on doing it. Even before Nadezhda Tolokonnikova - one of the members of the horrible punk band [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot were in the news, she was a member of a troupe who did some other kind of stunt, but not like this. This one was very odd - Voina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - She was involved with this group as well and they did, what they called this - F*** for the heir Puppy Bear which turned out to be this - Five couples had public sex in Moscow's Timiryazev State Museum of Biology. They filmed it and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and her now husband (not sure if they were bf/gf at that time or not) and you can see it on the net. They also did very other odd ones as well

UPDATED
But, dont worry about them now - They have been freed. See below

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot bandmember Maria Alyokhina, who has been freed from prison under a Kremlin-backed amnesty, has slammed the measure as a mere publicity stunt and says she would have preferred to remain in prison.

Jailed [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot punk Alyokhina freed

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been freed from prison under an amnesty that allowed for her early release from a two-year sentence for a protest in a church against Vladimir Putin.

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova freed from Russian prison | World news | theguardian.com

Will they be seen again on the news in regards to something else? Only time will tell if they continue on with their [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Riot! troupe, but I have a feeling they will get right back at it and continue whatever they do

 

[HonestTruth]

He didn't have to release them, you're right. And, yes, what they did was considered blasphemous in my faith. However, the Russian Orthodox Church asked for these women to be forgiven of their actions in pulling this stunt and to not be imprisoned in the first place.

All too often professing Christians fail to realize that forgiveness is the true hallmark of Christianity.