A Florida man was arrested last week after he admitted smacking his wife “upside the head” because she “used the Lord’s name in vain.”

An arrest report obtained by The Smoking Gun indicated that Manatee County sheriff’s deputies were called last Thursday by a woman who alleged that her husband, 59-year-old Van Butler Perry, assaulted her.

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The victim asked her husband for help with a computer problem when they began to argue and she said he “hit her on the side of the head because out of anger she took the Lord’s name in vain.”

For his part, Perry admitted to deputies that he assaulted his wife.

“The defendant stated he had an argument with his wife because she was on a chat room,” the reported stated. “During the argument his wife used the Lord’s name in vain. He did not like what he heard and smacked her upside the head. He then went to the porch to smoke a cigarette.”

Perry was arrested for simple battery and was being held in lieu of $750 bond.

The Christian Bible’s Third Commandment states, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

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Most of the Facebook comments on The Smoking Gun’s page condemned the attack.

“There’s a prime example of the Religious Right,” Kevin Kittleson observed. “Smack anyone who disagrees with you for whatever bullshit reason, then start quoting scripture to justify your bloody deed.”

But several members of the conservative forum Free Republic defended Perry.

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“What was he supposed to do? Let her take the Lord’s name in vain in his own house?” Zuben Elgenubi wondered.

“I say smack the devil out of her,” BipolarBob agreed.

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“He forgot… he’s not muslim,” ScottinVA wrote. “For non-muslims to strike their spouse legally, they need permission first.”

Photo: Manatee County Sheriff’s Office