Can someone get Pastor Locke to show me the passage in the Bible that says that “acting stupid” is an abomination worthy of death, so says the Lord?
Better yet, can’t someone get a terroristic threat filed against him/this church for this?
Or at least notify the IRS this is a GOP promotion agency cosplaying as a religious group in order to evade taxes?
Barring either, can we at least get a few Covid-positive carriers to swing by and sing a few hymns and kiss a few babies, maybe sneeze in the offering plate a few times?
Nope. There is no legal threat here.
“We simply ask that you not wear a facemask in our church as it goes against our faith.”
Can I bring my conceal carry? Or perhaps open-carry (local laws allowing)?
“Sure! As long as you don’t transgress on our congregation. We will defend ourselves if called to though.”
See how that works? No threat at all. I’m good so far.
Aight. I need a 6’8" brown brethren to walk in with me wearing a tactical vest, loaded with 6x 30-round mags of 5.56 green-tip, JHP. For self-defense. Sounds like the kinda place a man like that would need such a rig, and I’m not joking. And imma stand behind him…
What’s everyone shitting about? Ain’t we here to be bathed in the blood of the lamb? I came here to learn about eternal peace.
And this part is real. Listen.
Hell, I’m a middle-aged white boy, atheist you might call me. Finest service I ever attended was a mix of white and black folk in the back woods of Mississippi. That church ain’t even on a map. Kinda country you can really see the Milky Way, really see it. Surrounded by cotton fields in bloom. And if you ain’t seen something like that, I’m truly sorry. It’s a sight to see. But your cell phone won’t work, have to get home to upload those pics.
Fine folks, gettin’ along, truly praising their Lord, singing and waving flags. Weird to me, but whatever, they were good people, and they were happy. Huggin’ and kissin’ each other, before and after the service. Again, not joking or making fun. Those folks were kin, black or white, didn’t matter.
If you got a mixed message from all that, you were meant to. Because the truth is all mixed up when you get down to Earth and have a close look at it.
In the name of our lord and saviour youre entitled to do as you please, including denying that lord and saviour at every turn. Jesus died so you just go ahead and get yours and then declare that youre forgiven. “Yours” can include killing others to be viciously petty, just be an “american christian”.
Its so enticing, I just cant see how or why religion and faith is in its death throws…/s
I agree, but just going to be grammar pedantic and point out it’s “throes”.
but just going to be grammar pedantic
…but I’m just going to be a spelling pedantic…
While it’s not spelled out in explicit language, there are actually a number of examples we can infer from. 🙂 Fairly well-read ex-Christian. A lot of “FAFO” material, fittingly, is found in the Old Testament & the way God dealt with Israel. I’m only going to briefly touch on these, religion took 25 years of my life & I’m not up for hours-long debates over nothing anymore.
There were lots of rules surrounding the ark of the covenant. It was being transported via cart, and it was about to fall. Uzzah reached out & touched it to steady it; the anger of the Lord burned against him & he died on the spot.
Uzzah did nothing wrong per se; he was trying to be helpful. But the AotC was designed to be carried with 2 poles that fit through rings on the side, so as not to be touched by human hands. Especially non-priests. Uzzah died in the same way as a child playing with a downed power line because it looks like a big, black snake. Lack of knowledge. He fucked around & found out.
Moses was instructed to speak to a rock & water would come out. He disobeyed & struck the rock instead. Though he did not die immediately as a result, he was denied entry into the Promised Land. He fucked around & found out.
New Testament: A couple landowners sold their field & made a big show about how they were donating the money to the church, disciples. Husband & wife were questioned individually & asked if the amount donated was the price the field got, in full. Both lied, both died, they fucked around & found out.
…all that to say, Christianity isn’t to be labeled as a purely pacifist religion. That’s not correct. And when people “act stupid”, consequences are administered. Yes, even sometimes death, sometimes God would kill them himself or order the killing. Obedience is very highly valued in Christianity, do what is right, do it correctly, do not lie (with some notable exceptions), do as I say…or else.
Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them.
~ Psalms 55:15
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
~ Romans 13:4
I’m pretty sure neither of those says ‘acting stupid’ is an abomination worthy of death…
I’m not sure “act stupid” is an idiom that existed at the time the scriptures were written. But “do wrong” comes close enough. And the implication of the term is that you’re engaging in some kind of threatening behavior, which would qualify you as one of “my enemies”.
