Religious Concerns
American Pastor Explores Faith & Spirituality In Scandinavia – “The Norden”
|
| US Pastor Marty McLain (R) in an awkward moment with Scandinavian humanist |
American pastor Marty McLain visits the secular Nordic countries. What role does religion have in the Nordic society? How do the Nordic people relate to God, faith and spirituality? How does it differ from the US?
The answers surprise the Georgia pastor.
From Addicting Info:
McLain, who’s favorite expression is “wow,” is wowed a lot. Almost no one he talks to on the street seems interested in God. One guy puts it bluntly: “If there is no god, why should I believe in him?” Ouch.
A few highlights:
• While interviewing several members of a church in Copenhagen, McLain makes the mistake of assuming that, given their faith, they must be homophobes like he is. After he laments the fact that the oppressive government made Denmark’s churches perform same-sex marriages, the Reverend had to awkwardly tell him that neither he nor anyone else at the church had a problem with gay people. McLain’s pained expression is priceless.
• He runs into a man on the street who (finally!) says he believes in God. Excited, McLain asks if he is a Christian. The man tells him, no, a Muslim. McLain: “A Muslim!”
• An excruciating discussion with a humanist over coffee ends with the humanist telling McLain, “In short, I have no need of a god. To put it bluntly.” McLain stares off into space, his mind melting.
Tampa church that cancelled gay man’s funeral sees online backlash
|
| New Hope Baptist Church near Tampa, Florida |
Yesterday I reported on a small Tampa-area church that cancelled funeral services for 42 year old Julion Evans after learning he was gay and married to another man.
Evans’ mother received the call canceling the service standing by her son’s casket at the wake a day before the funeral. The pastor said it would have been “blasphemous” for the church to host the funeral service.
Now, New Hope Missionary Baptist has been forced to take town their website and contact information after the internet rose up to condemn the clearly “un-Christ-like” behavior of the church and pastor.
Just a sample of the 300+ one-star reviews on the Church’s Facebook:
• Discriminatory practices that Jesus would never approve. Complete lack of Christian behavior. Shame on then.
• Using your misunderstanding of faith in a Divine and Loving God as a reason for turning away the funeral for one of God’s beloved children is a perversion of the Gospel. God calls us to love and reach out to all persons. You have once again made Christianity look badly. Shame on you.
• Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful and unforgivable. There are no “Christians” attending or acting as Pastor at this church. To cancel a man’s funeral, simply because you and your “flock” do not agree with or like Homosexuals is beyond evil. A persons life before they have died has no baring on their right to a funeral. Do you refuse to hold funeral services for murderers? Adultors? Unwed mothers? People who have pre-maritial sex? All of these are also “sins” in the Bible but you don’t refuse to grant these people a funeral at your church. You are all hypocrites and you disgust me.
• Christian = Christ like; There is nothing Christ like about what this Church just did. I am appalled that this should occur in a place were the compassion of Christ should be seen most. Shame on this place!
• True evil. So glad that I don’t call myself a christian anymore, because churches like yours that are so exclusive and show none of God’s love.
American Family Association: The First Amendment only applies to Christians
|
| Hate group leader Bryan Fischer |
Hate group leader Bryan Fischer is in a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of mood today.
He has single-handedly decided that the First Amendment’s protection to religious liberties only applies to Christians.
From his blog post today on the American Family Association website:
“I have contended for years that the First Amendment, as given by the Founders, provides religious liberty protections for Christianity only. Most attorney types, befuddled by years of untethered Supreme Court activism, think it covers any and all religions you can name.
“The results of this expansive but badly misguided understanding of the First Amendment have not been too costly to this point. But with Islam growing in America like a noxious weed, some of the more troublesome aspects of this distorted view of religious liberty are becoming evident, when it comes to things like school curricula, halal food, and Christian evangelism at Muslim street fairs.”
Halal food must be very troubling to Bryan Fischer.
Fischer goes on to say that the Founding Father’s never, ever, ever, never meant to say that “religion” meant all religions when writing the First Amendment.
Except, they did.
Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, which was ratified unanimously and without debate by the US Senate in 1797 and signed by President Adama, reads as follows:
“As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, – as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,- and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”
Bolding is mine. Clearly unequivocal in it’s clarity. “The United States of America is not IN ANY SENSE founded on the Christian Religion.”
Bryan Fischer, take a history class. And stop misleading folks for your own purposes.
Today’s statement of love from God’s gentle people
Pastor James David Manning of the Atlah World Missionary Church in Harlem posted this message spreading God’s love today.
I’m not an expert, but this doesn’t come across very “Christ-like.”
Pastor Bert Ferias: Gays are possessed by putrid-smelling demons even pigs don’t like
Pastor Bert Ferias has written a particularly vicious op-ed for Charisma News.
Apparently, Charisma News is a very popular website among the Christian crowd.
Check out his loving, Christ-like words:
“Here’s the raw, naked truth: Homosexuality is actually a demon spirit. It is such a putrid-smelling demon that other demons don’t even like to hang around it.
“A genuine prophet of God told me that the Lord allowed him to smell this demon spirit, and he got sick to his stomach.
“And yet as humans, many embrace this demon. Yes, you heard me right: Being gay is demonic.
“There is an account in the Bible where Jesus casts 2,000 demons out of a man. The demons came out screaming and begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. The pigs didn’t want them, so they ran down a steep hill and were drowned in the sea.
“Pigs have more sense than some humans. Some people embrace homosexual demons, but the pigs would rather die than be possessed with demons.”
Pastor Larry Tomczak: Men are “effeminate” as punishment for being gay
According to conservative Tennessee pastor and media pundit Pastor Larry Tomzcak, gay men are “effeminate” because God.
Or something.
Not sure what that means for bears or the leather community, but, whatever…
Transcript:
“I have watched people go into a lifestyle, and all of a sudden they become…a man starts to become very effeminate — mannerisms, speech. I’ve seen the reverse, I’ve seen the same thing with women start becoming mannish. What’s going on? They’re taking in their bodies a penalty for deviating from God’s loving design and plan.”
(via JMG)
Maine: State House votes down religious-based “license to discriminate against gays” bill
Today, after hours of debate, the Maine House rejected LD 1428, “An Act to Protect Religious Freedom,” following similar activity by the Maine Senate.
The vote was 89-52.
Rep. Andrew J. McLean, told the House that the legislation, LD 1428, “An Act to Protect Religious Freedom” actually denies religious freedom.
Rep. Justin Chenette, who at 22 is the youngest openly-gay legislator in America, talked eloquently and vehemently about how the bill would affect him. “Religious freedom is important, but this bill makes me feel like a second-class citizen… Name me an issue in Maine — I still haven’t heard one.”
“There isn’t an issue. This is a bill searching for a problem, rather than solving one,” Chenette told his colleagues. “This wastes taxpayer money… It’s fiscally responsible to oppose it.”
More at The New Civil Rights Movement
South Carolina: Columbia police officers defy orders to march in Pride parade
Based on “religious beliefs,” two Columbia, SC, police officers defied orders and went over their police chief’s head:
Santiago had ordered a lieutenant and sergeant to join eight other officers in last Saturday’s parade even though they cited religious beliefs in their opposition. On the day of the parade, City Manager Teresa Wilson and her assistant met with Santiago and reached an agreement to make participation in the parade voluntary since there were then enough officers to march.
The police chief says not following direct orders and going around the chief sets bad precedent.
“An officer cannot choose their assignments based on their religious beliefs. When you have a police department that really values strict discipline and adherence and obedience to directives, the Chief of Police is the person they look toward for that direction. Any department that expects to instill public trust, must demonstrate that by being visible to the public.”
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott agrees:
“A chief or sheriff has to be able to make the decisions, a person that works underneath him are not going to respect them if they don’t have the ability to make decisions, and I think that’s a problem with the Columbia Police Department, not just now but for many many years/”
Simple philosophy
|
| (Source) |