Can the title of this thread be changed?
"Convicted" means "convicted" of a crime.
This was a civil lawsuit and the more proper way to phrase it is: "UPC Pastor Found Legally Liable for Slander in Pulpit!"
As for the notion that separation of church and state would preclude a finding of libel or slander against a pastor, that conclusion just boggles my mind. The First Amendment isn't an exemption from the law. To quote from the Supreme Court case Reynolds v. US (1879):
"Suppose one believed that human sacrifices were a necessary part of religious worship, would it be seriously contended that the civil government under which he lived could not interfere to prevent a sacrifice?"
Or, in other words, "good luck with that."
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