They'll go nuts after homosexuality, but look the other way and pretend child abuse does not warrant their full concern.
Wait a minute!
They're NOT pretending. . .
Catholic Church investigates lesbian nuns.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
to the blogger's of Jacksonville
My hat's off to you! You've got First Baptist Church using city detectives to discover your identity so they could kick you out of the church, even if you already left. LOL!
That happened to Thomas Rich of fbcjaxwatchdog.com.
Article: Unmasked blogger blames First Baptist/Sheriff's office.
A few years ago, I championed the idea of someone within an abusive church to start a blog but NOT be anonymous about it. A church, which is non profit, cannot keep you from attending their meetings because of your opinions. If they keep you out, then their meetings are not really open to the public. Their non profit status can now be put at risk.
No one did that. Not until now, that is.
We have Thomas Rich.
Thomas was already leaving FBC when they had a detective, who happens to be a member of their church, use his position with the city to get google to unmask the identity of Rich. Now, even though he's left, they're making it look like they're the ones who kicked him out.
Tom, you need to make a U-Turn and STAY at First Baptist Church and keep blogging. Don't pretend you just want to go away and worship the Lord in peace. You did this to make a point, now go back and make it.
You have a court case, Tom! Go for the jugular and put their non profit status at stake! And take it to the Federal level, not the state.
FBC has now created by-laws to deal with members who are bloggers.
Thomas, you want them to intimidate more bloggers?
Get back to FBC!
Let them know if they keep you out, their tax exempt status is at risk.
It's the only language they understand.
Watch the video of FBC adopting a resolution to deal with bloggers within their midst:
FBC's response to blogger's criticism.
Here is a transcript of the motion that passed. For the life of me, I can't exactly make out what they are resolving to do. Deal with things in a scriptural manner? Confront rebellious members? They need a resolution to do that?
It's all a bunch of 'whereas', but little 'action'. Mainly smoke and mirrors:
Whereas it has come to the attention of the deacons of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville that the ministry, staff, leadership, pastor, and people of the church have come under severe but false criticism and ridicule by means of a blog site on the internet which publishes to the world.
And whereas a current blog site owned and administered by an immediate past member of the church calling and advocating for the dissemination of such harmful opinions, false statements, and doctrine to all members of the church by using whatever contact means that are available including Sunday School rolls, with home and e-mail addresses, and phone numbers.
And whereas said member within the last three weeks has requested his letter be transferred to a sister church in Jacksonville, Florida but only after being advised that the discipline committee of the deacons would recommend to the deacon body that disciplinary action be taken against him for such conduct which the deacons find is contrary to Scripture and the bylaws of the church.
And whereas such opinions and false statements have the potential of causing financial and spiritual risk and damage to the church and its personnel, ministries, reputation, and good will however and by whatever means communicated as well as having the intent to be divisive and cause strife and disgruntlement among church members against the ministries, staff, leadership, pastor, and people.
And whereas the deacons believe it is in the best interest of the church that a policy be adopted by the deacons, trustees, and the church body condemning such action and conduct both now and in the future by any person or persons who are then members of the church whether such action and conduct is done, advocated, or communicated to other members of the church by whatever means is available to them.
And whereas members who participate or actively pursue a course of conduct like that described above will be confronted with their sin and approached in accordance with the biblical pattern for the purpose of reconciliation, restoration, and/or scriptural discipline.
And whereas it is not the intent of this resolution to suppress thought or freedom of expression in casual or official encounters but those which have a manifest aim and intent to cause a mood of disgruntlement, strife, and/or division among members of the church toward any person, ministry, operation, leadership, and/or pastor of the church.
And whereas the trustees of the church are charged with managing the legal and financial affairs of the church and are an integral part of the deacon body for the purpose of organizational and scriptural unity for the work and ministry of the church, and said trustees have likewise unanimously adopted such a resolution as this on February 18, 2009.
And whereas it is the belief and expression of the deacons herein that division, strife, and discord caused to church members and unjust criticism and ridicule of the ministry, staff, leadership, pastor, and people expressed to the general public at large in any form and by any means by any member of the church should be viewed as an attack against the Lord's church contrary to scriptural truth and confronted aggressively in accordance with Scripture and the disciplinary provisions of the bylaws of the church.
And whereas in such circumstances it would be detrimental to the ministry of the Lord and His church not to take any action or to defer taking action or to simply maintain and update a responsive website or to attempt to resolve any such issue in a court of law.
Now therefore be it resolved by the deacons of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville that the foregoing policy of biblical confrontation and restoration as stated above is hereby adopted and approved for the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville and requests this resolution be presented to the church body at its regular monthly business meeting to adopt, endorse, and encourage a policy strongly dealing with discipline and issues such as described above but in strict accordance with scriptural authority and the bylaws of the church by voting on this resolution.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Religious Right concedes defeat, but refuses to state 'why'.
If you consider James Dobson the living embodiment of the religious right, you have to take into account how he referred to the Mark Foley scandal as 'silly'. Foley, you might remember, championed a ruling that forbade drawings (not photos) of children in compromising positions. He was then caught soliciting sex from a minor in D.C. Although, in D.C. the age of consent is 17. Still, that was enough to cause a scandal since Foley proved he was no different than those he was fighting against.
What was Dobson's response? He called it 'silly'.
Dobson said this while the drama of preachers, being caught for child molestation, and deacons covering them up, occurred all across the nation. And he wonders why he lost moral credibility?
This man, who spent his life 'breaking the will' of children and fighting the rights of consensual adults, suddenly revealed his morals are as situational as the Humanists he opposes.
This isn't the first time they conceded defeat, though. The last time was after Clinton won re-election. It didn't take them long to give us George W. Bush, even though some are trying to distance themselves from his legacy.
Funny evangelists! They all apologize, but for the wrong reasons.
Article: Religious Right concedes defeat.
What was Dobson's response? He called it 'silly'.
Dobson said this while the drama of preachers, being caught for child molestation, and deacons covering them up, occurred all across the nation. And he wonders why he lost moral credibility?
This man, who spent his life 'breaking the will' of children and fighting the rights of consensual adults, suddenly revealed his morals are as situational as the Humanists he opposes.
This isn't the first time they conceded defeat, though. The last time was after Clinton won re-election. It didn't take them long to give us George W. Bush, even though some are trying to distance themselves from his legacy.
Funny evangelists! They all apologize, but for the wrong reasons.
Article: Religious Right concedes defeat.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
More 'Citizen of the Year'
NOTE: Both links appear to have been removed.
Here is a link from Lancaster's official site that mentions Paul Chappell being named 'Citizen of the Year' by Mayor Perris:
from: Citizen of the Year.
excerpt:
“I am honored to present to Pastor Paul Chappell a donation from me and my wife Carrol in the amount of $10,000 to continue the good service he provides to the community.”
The article often quoted from the Antelope Valley Press does not appear to be coming up. Fortunately, Paul Chappel printed the entire article on his blog.
Here is the link that does not work:
Link to AV article that does not work.(now removed)
Link to Paul Chappell's blog that reprints the article:
http://www.lancasterbaptist.org/citizen_of_the_year.asp(now removed)
Excerpts (from removed articles):
>"A lot more can be said about the greatness of who you are," Baca told Chappell.
>Other dignitaries at Sunday's ceremony included Lancaster Vice Mayor Ron Smith, Councilwoman Sherry Marquez, and City Manager Mark Bozigian, plus Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Field Operations Region 1 Chief Neal Tyler, Cmdr. Carl Deeley, and Capt. Axel Anderson, Lancaster Sheriff's Station commander.
Also making presentations were Lew Stults, field representative for Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; Vince Fong, field representative for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield; Larry Grooms, district director for Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and Norm Hickling, field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Shaking Chappell's hand and sharing a hug, Parris said he has no doubt that Lancaster's efforts will go far and that current achievements are only the first step.
"Lancaster is changing the world. In a short period of time we are going to become the model of how America is supposed to run," Parris said.
There is a video attached to Chappell's article where the mayor talks about going to China with Chappell.
My favorite quote is when the mayor says, "It's not about holding people accountable, it's about holding us accountable."
LOL! Yeah, we all trust our elected officials to hold themselves accountable. Isn't that how it always worked?
He talks about how bible college students were 'terrorized' and had people following them from the parking lot. He does not talk about how some appointed students are sitting in trucks and monitoring the strangers visiting their town. That happened to me the last time I was there.
LANCASTER - Lancaster Baptist Church Pastor Paul Chappell was called an "inspiration, a blessing to the city and a man of great vision" as city officials honored him Sunday as Lancaster's Citizen of the Year.
City Councilmembers, law enforcement officials, lawmakers and their representatives, plus thousands of congregation members, joined Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris on Sunday evening in recognizing the pastor's efforts to fight crime and improve the community.
"No one deserves it more than he does," Parris said. "Our lives are richer in so many ways, tangible and intangible, due to the services provided by Pastor Chappell's ministry. I am very proud of what his organizations have contributed to Lancaster and I am excited about the good work he continues to do for our citizens. He is undoubtedly a citizens who leads by example."
Parris said the Citizen of the Year award goes to a person who performs exemplary service and helps promote business and community growth by enhancing programs that improve the community.
"The idea of Citizen of the Year is discussed with many of us. We talked about many potential people that would be worthy and it kept coming down to Pastor Chappell," the mayor said. "And every time it came down to him, I kept saying 'No, we can't do that. The pastor and I are friends.' So we discussed it more and discussed it more and it still came down to Pastor Chappell. And it came down to Pastor Chappell for a every good reason; it's because he deserves it more than anyone."
Speaking during the church's Sunday evening service, Parris and other dignitaries praised Chappell's work through the church ministry, the West Coast Baptist College, and the Antelope Valley War on Gangs and Crime, a grass-roots efforts he started with Parris in 2007.
In 2008, Palmdale and Lancaster officials reported a 10% overall decrease in crime from 2007, in addition to a 33% drop in gang-related crimes. Sheriff's officials calculated Lancaster's 2008 crime rate as 398.4 serious crimes per 10,000 residents, down from 449.4 in 2007. Palmdale's rate was calculated at 329, down from 371 a year earlier.
On Sunday, Parris reported an almost 30% drop in crime in the last three months and added, "It's still dropping."
"He is a man of great vision," state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said of Chappell. "It is good to be here tonight to congratulate and also to recognize and to agree and to affirm the wonderful selection of Pastor Chappell as Citizen of the Year. You know, one of the issues that is still key to making community work Ö is individuals that have vision for what it is they like to contribute and then bring people along with them in order to see that vision fulfilled and that certainly is what we have here."
Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca agreed.
"A lot more can be said about the greatness of who you are," Baca told Chappell. "It's a privilege to be here today with all of you. I like the principle of him being the visionary in all of us. I want to be that plow for him: the person that plows the soil to create new life, to create new opportunities for more life and secure life needs some help. I want to join and continue to help this man to find strong plows, so we can make the garden of effective life here something that everyone will envy."
Other dignitaries at Sunday's ceremony included Lancaster Vice Mayor Ron Smith, Councilwoman Sherry Marquez, and City Manager Mark Bozigian, plus Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Field Operations Region 1 Chief Neal Tyler, Cmdr. Carl Deeley, and Capt. Axel Anderson, Lancaster Sheriff's Station commander.
Also making presentations were Lew Stults, field representative for Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; Vince Fong, field representative for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield; Larry Grooms, district director for Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and Norm Hickling, field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Shaking Chappell's hand and sharing a hug, Parris said he has no doubt that Lancaster's efforts will go far and that current achievements are only the first step.
"Lancaster is changing the world. In a short period of time we are going to become the model of how America is supposed to run," Parris said.
Here is a link from Lancaster's official site that mentions Paul Chappell being named 'Citizen of the Year' by Mayor Perris:
from: Citizen of the Year.
excerpt:
“I am honored to present to Pastor Paul Chappell a donation from me and my wife Carrol in the amount of $10,000 to continue the good service he provides to the community.”
The article often quoted from the Antelope Valley Press does not appear to be coming up. Fortunately, Paul Chappel printed the entire article on his blog.
Here is the link that does not work:
Link to AV article that does not work.(now removed)
Link to Paul Chappell's blog that reprints the article:
http://www.lancasterbaptist.org/citizen_of_the_year.asp(now removed)
Excerpts (from removed articles):
>"A lot more can be said about the greatness of who you are," Baca told Chappell.
>Other dignitaries at Sunday's ceremony included Lancaster Vice Mayor Ron Smith, Councilwoman Sherry Marquez, and City Manager Mark Bozigian, plus Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Field Operations Region 1 Chief Neal Tyler, Cmdr. Carl Deeley, and Capt. Axel Anderson, Lancaster Sheriff's Station commander.
Also making presentations were Lew Stults, field representative for Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; Vince Fong, field representative for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield; Larry Grooms, district director for Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and Norm Hickling, field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Shaking Chappell's hand and sharing a hug, Parris said he has no doubt that Lancaster's efforts will go far and that current achievements are only the first step.
"Lancaster is changing the world. In a short period of time we are going to become the model of how America is supposed to run," Parris said.
There is a video attached to Chappell's article where the mayor talks about going to China with Chappell.
My favorite quote is when the mayor says, "It's not about holding people accountable, it's about holding us accountable."
LOL! Yeah, we all trust our elected officials to hold themselves accountable. Isn't that how it always worked?
He talks about how bible college students were 'terrorized' and had people following them from the parking lot. He does not talk about how some appointed students are sitting in trucks and monitoring the strangers visiting their town. That happened to me the last time I was there.
LANCASTER - Lancaster Baptist Church Pastor Paul Chappell was called an "inspiration, a blessing to the city and a man of great vision" as city officials honored him Sunday as Lancaster's Citizen of the Year.
City Councilmembers, law enforcement officials, lawmakers and their representatives, plus thousands of congregation members, joined Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris on Sunday evening in recognizing the pastor's efforts to fight crime and improve the community.
"No one deserves it more than he does," Parris said. "Our lives are richer in so many ways, tangible and intangible, due to the services provided by Pastor Chappell's ministry. I am very proud of what his organizations have contributed to Lancaster and I am excited about the good work he continues to do for our citizens. He is undoubtedly a citizens who leads by example."
Parris said the Citizen of the Year award goes to a person who performs exemplary service and helps promote business and community growth by enhancing programs that improve the community.
"The idea of Citizen of the Year is discussed with many of us. We talked about many potential people that would be worthy and it kept coming down to Pastor Chappell," the mayor said. "And every time it came down to him, I kept saying 'No, we can't do that. The pastor and I are friends.' So we discussed it more and discussed it more and it still came down to Pastor Chappell. And it came down to Pastor Chappell for a every good reason; it's because he deserves it more than anyone."
Speaking during the church's Sunday evening service, Parris and other dignitaries praised Chappell's work through the church ministry, the West Coast Baptist College, and the Antelope Valley War on Gangs and Crime, a grass-roots efforts he started with Parris in 2007.
In 2008, Palmdale and Lancaster officials reported a 10% overall decrease in crime from 2007, in addition to a 33% drop in gang-related crimes. Sheriff's officials calculated Lancaster's 2008 crime rate as 398.4 serious crimes per 10,000 residents, down from 449.4 in 2007. Palmdale's rate was calculated at 329, down from 371 a year earlier.
On Sunday, Parris reported an almost 30% drop in crime in the last three months and added, "It's still dropping."
"He is a man of great vision," state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said of Chappell. "It is good to be here tonight to congratulate and also to recognize and to agree and to affirm the wonderful selection of Pastor Chappell as Citizen of the Year. You know, one of the issues that is still key to making community work Ö is individuals that have vision for what it is they like to contribute and then bring people along with them in order to see that vision fulfilled and that certainly is what we have here."
Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca agreed.
"A lot more can be said about the greatness of who you are," Baca told Chappell. "It's a privilege to be here today with all of you. I like the principle of him being the visionary in all of us. I want to be that plow for him: the person that plows the soil to create new life, to create new opportunities for more life and secure life needs some help. I want to join and continue to help this man to find strong plows, so we can make the garden of effective life here something that everyone will envy."
Other dignitaries at Sunday's ceremony included Lancaster Vice Mayor Ron Smith, Councilwoman Sherry Marquez, and City Manager Mark Bozigian, plus Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Field Operations Region 1 Chief Neal Tyler, Cmdr. Carl Deeley, and Capt. Axel Anderson, Lancaster Sheriff's Station commander.
Also making presentations were Lew Stults, field representative for Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; Vince Fong, field representative for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield; Larry Grooms, district director for Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and Norm Hickling, field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Shaking Chappell's hand and sharing a hug, Parris said he has no doubt that Lancaster's efforts will go far and that current achievements are only the first step.
"Lancaster is changing the world. In a short period of time we are going to become the model of how America is supposed to run," Parris said.
Tiffany Croft's blog, and others, investigated by Jax Sheriff's Department.
from the article:
"In an age of church shootings and other violence, he said, they simply wanted to determine if any of the events were related."
Hmmm, now why would First Baptist even assume people critical of their past cheerleading of Daryl Gilyard would want to shoot anyone? Besides, aren't they a big Second Amendment church? If they had their way, wouldn't we be packing heat on the way to the grocery store?
Paranoia reigns in the city of Jacksonville, Florida. Good thing I don't live there! They probably would have investigated me, also. Actually, they did and the best they could do was get me kicked off an internet forum. I know, I read the stats. LOL!
The best they can do is intimidate you.
Separation of church and state? Not in Jacksonville!
Article: Jacksonville Sheriff's office investigates bloggers critical of church child abuse cases.!
"In an age of church shootings and other violence, he said, they simply wanted to determine if any of the events were related."
Hmmm, now why would First Baptist even assume people critical of their past cheerleading of Daryl Gilyard would want to shoot anyone? Besides, aren't they a big Second Amendment church? If they had their way, wouldn't we be packing heat on the way to the grocery store?
Paranoia reigns in the city of Jacksonville, Florida. Good thing I don't live there! They probably would have investigated me, also. Actually, they did and the best they could do was get me kicked off an internet forum. I know, I read the stats. LOL!
The best they can do is intimidate you.
Separation of church and state? Not in Jacksonville!
Article: Jacksonville Sheriff's office investigates bloggers critical of church child abuse cases.!
Monday, April 6, 2009
The movie they're afraid to show in Lancaster, CA.
Paul Chappell, one of the friends of the late Bob Gray, my former pastor who was on trial in Jacksonville, Florida for multiple accounts of child molestation, is the pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, CA. His church and college dominate the city of Lancaster, and the mayor, who is a member of his church, named him the 'Citizen of the Year' about a week ago. I believe they've even had city council meetings in the church.
Here's the article about him being named 'citizen of the year':
Paul Chappell, Citizen of the Year.
This personally incensed me as Chappell did not preach, or make one comment, regarding the Bob Gray situation. If I am mistaken, please let me know.
Actually, LBC is in the same situation Trinity was in before Bob Gray's arrest. All talk and ambiguous internet postings until someone was brave enough to speak out about the abuses.
Soooo, after he was awarded the Citizen of the Year title, I contacted the only freethought group I could find to host a public screening of both DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH and BIBLE MADNESS. I want to do something in Lancaster similar to what I did in Jacksonville on February 9, 2008. That screening, you recall, became the lead story on WTLV-12's 11:00 news.
Here is what I received last night:
Hello, Mr. Walker,
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I've actually
been giving your offer a lot of thought, but I don't think
we're ready for a screening, at least at the moment. Mr.
Chapell is very politically powerful in our town, having played
a large part in getting our currect mayor and at least one
council member elected. Confronting him publicly with your
film could have very serious consequences for our relatively
small group.
I hope you understand our situation, and I wish you all the
best.
----
I'm withholding the name and organization so I won't put anyone in 'danger'.
I understand where they're coming from. I felt the same sense of 'danger' when I went to Jacksonville. Between the anonymous e-mails containing lengthy scriptures threatening judgement, and victims canceling out, there was enough reason to be hesitant.
The fear was just an illusion, though. The meeting went fine. A small contingent of brave people showed up to help shine a light on a grim social problem most would prefer to keep under wraps.
I will still pursue a screening in Lancaster. If there is anyone in Lancaster interested in helping to sponsor a screening, please get in touch with me by writing info@christianschoolconfidential.com.
To check out the movies, visit hereticsofhollywood.com
Here is DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH, which was screened in Jacksonville, Florida:
Here is the news report of the event where DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH was screened:
This time, I promise not to hold a bottle of creme soda in my hand while the media is present!
Here's the article about him being named 'citizen of the year':
Paul Chappell, Citizen of the Year.
This personally incensed me as Chappell did not preach, or make one comment, regarding the Bob Gray situation. If I am mistaken, please let me know.
Actually, LBC is in the same situation Trinity was in before Bob Gray's arrest. All talk and ambiguous internet postings until someone was brave enough to speak out about the abuses.
Soooo, after he was awarded the Citizen of the Year title, I contacted the only freethought group I could find to host a public screening of both DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH and BIBLE MADNESS. I want to do something in Lancaster similar to what I did in Jacksonville on February 9, 2008. That screening, you recall, became the lead story on WTLV-12's 11:00 news.
Here is what I received last night:
Hello, Mr. Walker,
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I've actually
been giving your offer a lot of thought, but I don't think
we're ready for a screening, at least at the moment. Mr.
Chapell is very politically powerful in our town, having played
a large part in getting our currect mayor and at least one
council member elected. Confronting him publicly with your
film could have very serious consequences for our relatively
small group.
I hope you understand our situation, and I wish you all the
best.
----
I'm withholding the name and organization so I won't put anyone in 'danger'.
I understand where they're coming from. I felt the same sense of 'danger' when I went to Jacksonville. Between the anonymous e-mails containing lengthy scriptures threatening judgement, and victims canceling out, there was enough reason to be hesitant.
The fear was just an illusion, though. The meeting went fine. A small contingent of brave people showed up to help shine a light on a grim social problem most would prefer to keep under wraps.
I will still pursue a screening in Lancaster. If there is anyone in Lancaster interested in helping to sponsor a screening, please get in touch with me by writing info@christianschoolconfidential.com.
To check out the movies, visit hereticsofhollywood.com
Here is DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH, which was screened in Jacksonville, Florida:
Here is the news report of the event where DON'T GO IN THE CHURCH was screened:
This time, I promise not to hold a bottle of creme soda in my hand while the media is present!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The End of Christian America.
Joe Meacham wrote this insightful article in Newsweek concerning the fact that the number of people identifying themselves as Christian has fallen 10 points over the last two decades. He tries to soften the blow by writing, 'rumors of the death of Christianity are greatly exaggerated. Being less Christian does not necessarily mean that America is post-Christian.'.
What is on the rise is the acceptance of other religions and 'other gods'. Okay, not 'post Christian', but in the eyes of most politically minded fundamentalists, might as well be. If you are a teen growing up in this internet society, it's common place to see a few people on myspace claiming to be wiccans, pagans, or atheists. Many decades ago, you could not do this, hence it was a novelty to meet someone who claimed to be a wiccan, pagan, or atheist. Today, thanks to the internet, it's commonplace.
Reason also dominates on the internet. YOU CAN TYPE IN ALL CAPS to emphasize shouting and to manipulate your 'congregation' into a frenzy of guilt, but most will turn you off. You can type snide comments, but most will type an equally snide comment before reading the more reasonable argument and making their decisions. It's not just the beliefs, but the style in which an argument is presented, that is winning the next generation for freedom, liberty, reason and tolerance.
It has been the political involvement of fundamentalists that ultimately helped lead to the corruption we've been seeing. In the case of Trinity Baptist Church, of Jacksonville, Florida, the reason this blog came into existence, politics has been the main reason the powers that be were silent about the accusations of child molestation against Bob Gray.
Trinity was always a church married to the Republican party. When I first came to Trinity during the seventies, Anita Bryant was the guest of honor with her anti-gay crusade. A year later, Jerry Falwell was introducing his Moral Majority to the nation and the congregation of Trinity.
After Bob Gray was arrested, Tom Messer led Trinity into an even more pronounced political crusade. Perhaps he felt if he did so, people would interpret the attacks on Trinity's silence as politically motivated?
Mike Huckabee was invited to speak at Trinity. Lindsey Graham, the representative from South Carolina, also made an appearance that same day. Huckabee cancelled, probably because of the backlash started by SNAP, but gave his speech via TV monitor.
Daniel Davis was the President of the Jacksonville City Council during this period. Davis was a deacon of Trinity who issued a 'no comment' after Bob Gray's arrest, which was ironic considering the highly moralistic stances he took against adult businesses in order to protect Jacksonville's children.
Question: how many children accidently wander into adult establishments?
Answer: Nearly zero.
Question: how many children wander around churches inhabited by predators of children?
Answer: You don't want to know!
If the first amendment is the 'last refuge of the scoundrel', then politics is the last refuge for corrupt church officials. They always run to the politician when their dirty secrets are made public!
The beast, in Revelation, was always interpreted as a combination of the political and religious. We certainly saw the effects of 'The Beast', as it manifested to protect predators, enablers, and con artists in general, during the election season.
The defining point for me was when McCain attacked Obama for allegedly wanting to teach sex education to kindergarten students. The reality was the program Obama endorsed was specifically designed to warn children about sex predators and how to stand up for yourself when confronted by them.
I blogged about this, but did not notice one single Christian based, victim defending webpage, devoted to child advocacy, taking McCain to task for his exaggeration.
This told me a lot. It told me that, in many ways, Christians, fundamentalists or not, are so entwined in politics that the fear of being labelled a 'liberal' is so great they would never stand for common sense approaches to stop pedophiles.
It was the politics that motivated them to convince victims not to go public with accusations. If Trinity, one of the most politically influential churches in Jacksonville, failed to protect their children, wouldn't that give the liberal groups a Christmas present? Better to stay silent than give the liberals one more thing to laugh and brag about!
The sad thing: most of 'the liberals' are hooked into the same political machinery that Christians are in. They won't reveal their dirty secrets because of fears the right wing Christians will have a hay day with it! So, you have both groups, on polar opposites, keeping quiet, refusing to address this controversial issue, while the victims are on their own.
In the end, it just doesn't matter. Both sides are silent. Still, it's a good thing we're becoming a post-Christian society, as opposed to a post-religious,society. It means more people are thinking for themselves and not opting for easy answers.
Article: The End of Christian America.
Related Article: A Religious Right Crack Up?
What is on the rise is the acceptance of other religions and 'other gods'. Okay, not 'post Christian', but in the eyes of most politically minded fundamentalists, might as well be. If you are a teen growing up in this internet society, it's common place to see a few people on myspace claiming to be wiccans, pagans, or atheists. Many decades ago, you could not do this, hence it was a novelty to meet someone who claimed to be a wiccan, pagan, or atheist. Today, thanks to the internet, it's commonplace.
Reason also dominates on the internet. YOU CAN TYPE IN ALL CAPS to emphasize shouting and to manipulate your 'congregation' into a frenzy of guilt, but most will turn you off. You can type snide comments, but most will type an equally snide comment before reading the more reasonable argument and making their decisions. It's not just the beliefs, but the style in which an argument is presented, that is winning the next generation for freedom, liberty, reason and tolerance.
It has been the political involvement of fundamentalists that ultimately helped lead to the corruption we've been seeing. In the case of Trinity Baptist Church, of Jacksonville, Florida, the reason this blog came into existence, politics has been the main reason the powers that be were silent about the accusations of child molestation against Bob Gray.
Trinity was always a church married to the Republican party. When I first came to Trinity during the seventies, Anita Bryant was the guest of honor with her anti-gay crusade. A year later, Jerry Falwell was introducing his Moral Majority to the nation and the congregation of Trinity.
After Bob Gray was arrested, Tom Messer led Trinity into an even more pronounced political crusade. Perhaps he felt if he did so, people would interpret the attacks on Trinity's silence as politically motivated?
Mike Huckabee was invited to speak at Trinity. Lindsey Graham, the representative from South Carolina, also made an appearance that same day. Huckabee cancelled, probably because of the backlash started by SNAP, but gave his speech via TV monitor.
Daniel Davis was the President of the Jacksonville City Council during this period. Davis was a deacon of Trinity who issued a 'no comment' after Bob Gray's arrest, which was ironic considering the highly moralistic stances he took against adult businesses in order to protect Jacksonville's children.
Question: how many children accidently wander into adult establishments?
Answer: Nearly zero.
Question: how many children wander around churches inhabited by predators of children?
Answer: You don't want to know!
If the first amendment is the 'last refuge of the scoundrel', then politics is the last refuge for corrupt church officials. They always run to the politician when their dirty secrets are made public!
The beast, in Revelation, was always interpreted as a combination of the political and religious. We certainly saw the effects of 'The Beast', as it manifested to protect predators, enablers, and con artists in general, during the election season.
The defining point for me was when McCain attacked Obama for allegedly wanting to teach sex education to kindergarten students. The reality was the program Obama endorsed was specifically designed to warn children about sex predators and how to stand up for yourself when confronted by them.
I blogged about this, but did not notice one single Christian based, victim defending webpage, devoted to child advocacy, taking McCain to task for his exaggeration.
This told me a lot. It told me that, in many ways, Christians, fundamentalists or not, are so entwined in politics that the fear of being labelled a 'liberal' is so great they would never stand for common sense approaches to stop pedophiles.
It was the politics that motivated them to convince victims not to go public with accusations. If Trinity, one of the most politically influential churches in Jacksonville, failed to protect their children, wouldn't that give the liberal groups a Christmas present? Better to stay silent than give the liberals one more thing to laugh and brag about!
The sad thing: most of 'the liberals' are hooked into the same political machinery that Christians are in. They won't reveal their dirty secrets because of fears the right wing Christians will have a hay day with it! So, you have both groups, on polar opposites, keeping quiet, refusing to address this controversial issue, while the victims are on their own.
In the end, it just doesn't matter. Both sides are silent. Still, it's a good thing we're becoming a post-Christian society, as opposed to a post-religious,society. It means more people are thinking for themselves and not opting for easy answers.
Article: The End of Christian America.
Related Article: A Religious Right Crack Up?
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