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It would take a far more knowledgeable person than I to figure out what the law says, or ought to say, about the border between free speech and criminal misuse of authority. I certainly place a greater share of the blame on the idiots who receive such "wisdom" and put it into merciless practice. It is also alarming to learn that this couple had plenty of supporters at their hearing, people who, on hearing about this tragic event, jumped to the defense of the abusers, all the while citing a bronze-age text that they have been told they must believe on pain of eternal torment.
Whenever faith-based behavior takes the lives of young children, it's time to loudly and publicly decry irrationality, and pointedly question the value of adhering to ancient texts, no matter how venerable and dearly loved. (I'm glad that many religious people cherry pick the nice parts out of their religious texts, but I hope they will start to see the value of bravely decrying the horrible parts in equal measure.)
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