Monday, Feb. 07, 1927

Blasphemy

Atheist Editor Ernest V. Sterry of the Christian Enquirer went to jail at Toronto last week, as he expected he would do when he called God "an irate old party," "this touchy Jehovah"; snorted at His preference "for roast cutlet to that of boiled cabbage" (competitive sacrifices of Abel and Cain), "His whims, freaks and fancies," "His frenzied, megalomaniac boastings." This constitutes blasphemous, indecent and profane libel against the Christian religion and the Bible, said Crown Attorney (prosecutor) E. J. Murphy of Toronto, at last week's preliminary trial. He would not have been so provoked if Editor Sterry had kept to the "decencies of controversy," for "if the decency of controversy is observed, even the fundamentals of religion may be attacked without the matter being blasphemous." Editor Sterry's stay in jail is but technical, until through his lawyer, Lionel Cross, able Negro, he can make appeal to the higher Canadian courts.