In fact, he was so obsessed with his beliefs that he took the New Zealand Transport Bureau to court. So he quoted a thousand-year-old papyrus, including part of the New Testament of the Bible written in ancient Greek. Religious discrimination.
His main discussion focused on the fact that he should be able to hold a valid New Zealand driver’s license without the need for his own photo, his signature, or barcode.
However, the Human Rights Court disagreed with this and rejected Butcher’s request this week.
Butcher quoted aspects of the Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion, and Freedom of Belief in his submission to court in September 2020. This includes the right to adopt and retain opinions without interference.
He also argued that having a photo ID has no attractive road safety benefits and that foreign drivers visiting New Zealand do not need to have a photo on their temporary license. ..
But at the heart of his religious dissent was his understanding of the specific instructions of the apocalypse. The number is 666. “
Butcher argued that a computer could digitize a driver’s license photo, signature, and barcode into binary code, creating a pattern that could be added to create the 666, also known as the “Number of the Beast.”
Butcher’s reading of this passage is based on the remains of Papyrus 115 held at the Oxford Ashmorian Museum in England, including excerpts from the New Testament written in ancient Greek.
Butcher reads the papyrus “XIC” as a Roman numeral rather than a Greek numeral.
He also believes that this is consistent with the instructions in the apocalypse, so instead of subtracting them, he adds or aggregates the numbers until he reaches 3 (1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 0). .. The third he believes is the identity of the Antichrist.
The court asked Professor Paul Trebilco, a religious studies expert at the University of Otago, who specializes in apocalypse, to submit evidence.
Trevilco said there was a historical contradiction as to whether the number of the beast was “666” or “616” due to an error in copying the New Testament for hundreds of years.
However, he said that the reading of the butcher in the papyrus text as a Roman numeral is meaningless because it is written in Greek.
He further pointed out that even if the letters were read as Roman numerals, they were not in the correct order to mean “666” or “616”.
Professor Trebilco described Butcher’s interpretation as “unique” and the premise behind his view as “unique.”
The court has broken down the issues raised by Butcher into three main areas. The meaning of religious beliefs and whether there is an obligation to respond to religious beliefs. Whether those beliefs are discriminated against. And if there was discrimination, was it justified under the law?
Also, representatives of Wakako Tahi NZTA and the New Zealand Police were called in to submit evidence.
Inspector Peter McKennie, chief inspector of the National Police Center, said it was relatively easy to convince police that he was someone else before the introduction of a photo driver’s license.
He goes on to make sure that someone is providing false details, which is labor-intensive for the police, and the investigation is to match police records of scars and tattoos, or to take fingerprints. He said it could involve taking the person.
He said all of this was improved with immediate access to driver’s license photos on the roadside.
Dan Jenkins, director of analysis and modeling at the Ministry of Transport, acknowledged that there is no direct link between the driver’s ability and having a photo on his driver’s license.
However, it was his evidence that there was a percentage of recidivists who pose a serious risk to themselves and other road users. In his view, identifying these high-risk drivers in a more timely and reliable way can prevent crashes.
In 2014, a photo of a Cantabrian named Russell was circulated around the world after getting a New Zealand driver’s license with a pasta trainer on his head.
Russell belonged to the Flying Spaghetti Monster Church. This is a popular god on the internet as a way to emphasize some of the exemptions given to members of other religious groups.
As for Stephen Butcher, he first obtained his driver’s license in 1972, but was replaced in 1985 with what is known as a “lifetime” or “synthetic” license.
However, this was canceled in 1999 and replaced with the current format. This format includes photos, barcodes, organ donor status, and one or more license classes held by the driver.
For the past two decades, Butcher has relied on the discretion of the Masterton police and has stated that he has resorted to a pledge of allegiance to the Queen, who is also a defender of the Faith.
The ability to rely on police discretion ended in 2015 when Butcher’s wife was issued an infringement notice for driving without a license. Her policeman who stopped her demanded that she hand over her key.
Butcher said the incident was traumatic and there was a risk of confiscation of the car if he drove further.
Ultimately, the court found that the law that Butcher claims to be discriminatory consists of neutral terms.
“Other people who disagree with the requirements for a driver’s license in the photo but do not share his religious beliefs are treated in exactly the same way.”
They said Butcher couldn’t prove that he was at a disadvantage by having to have a photo on his driver’s license.
-Jeremy Wilkinson
Open Justice Multimedia Journalist, Palmerston North