Crazy Email - Armed Men in Church

[debrand]

I have an older relative that sends me religious email. Because I have little contact with this person, I ignore most of their posts. The email that I got today surprised me. Yes, this is an imagined scenario but how can anyone think that this is a good example of Christian behavior?

Ask yourself this question. Would you run?

IMagine this happening to you

On Sunday morning during service; a 2,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter

both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns

one of the men proclaimed, "Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ, remain where you are."

Immediately, the choir fled, the decons fled and most of the congregation fled.

Our of the 2,000 there only remained 20.

The man who had spoken took off his hood...

He then looked at the pastor and said, "Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hyprocrites. NOw you can begin your service. Have a nice day."

And then the two men walked out

My reaction to receiving this was that my relative and his friends were obviously a bit unhinged. Where in the bible does it say that you aren't supposed to physically leave a dangerous area.

[Alecto]

Wow, that's psychotic.

[Childless]

Yeah, because I'm totally supposed to stay and let two psychos kill my 9 month old baby just to prove I'm a better Christian than someone else. That email was the epitome of stupidity.

[debrand]

Wow, that's psychotic.

I'm pretty certain that my relative didn't write this, he might not have even read it. He tends to pass on chain emails to me. I ignore them but this one was just too weird not to share with you guys.

What is frightening is that some people really believe that "real" Christians shouldn't try to protect themselves from a gunman.

[Buzzard]

The concept of being a martyr isn't a new one, but that's just dumb dumb dumb. No one was forcing them to deny their religion/join another religion/cease believing etc. That's just dying for the sake of dying which, to me, is pretty close to suicide... Which is a sin!

The Jews who continued to practice in nazi Germany, martyr... The Christians in roman times... Martyrs... Idiots in hypothetical... Idiots!

[Cassandra]

No one let Steve Anderson get this email. I have no doubt that he would barge into a church with a gun and threaten people.

[Buzzard]

No one let Steve Anderson get this email. I have no doubt that he would barge into a church with a gun and threaten people.

And put it on YouTube!

[keeperrox]

This was pretty much the plot of a Criminal Minds (with guest star Dylan McKay).

[nutella addict]

I've seen this before, though I forget who it was from or which family member got it, probably my mom or myself. We had a good laugh over it. I don't think we'd actually have stayed in such a ridiculous situation, but I don't think it's psychotic/meant to be taken that way. I think it was just more of a comment on fairweather Christians or something. My family is quite normal and none of us thought this was a particularly ridiculous story.

[Alecto]

I've seen this before, though I forget who it was from or which family member got it, probably my mom or myself. We had a good laugh over it. I don't think we'd actually have stayed in such a ridiculous situation, but I don't think it's psychotic/meant to be taken that way. I think it was just more of a comment on fairweather Christians or something. My family is quite normal and none of us thought this was a particularly ridiculous story.

My cousin lost several friends in a church shooting in Texas. So yeah, when you look at it in those terms, it is sickening and psychotic.

[Guest Anonymous]

My cousin lost several friends in a church shooting in Texas. So yeah, when you look at it in those terms, it is sickening and psychotic.

Where in Texas? There was a shooting at my church...

I'm always disturbed by this "joke" or whatever when I see it because of that.

[Alecto]

Where in Texas? There was a shooting at my church...

I'm always disturbed by this "joke" or whatever when I see it because of that.

It was somewhere near Fort Worth, I believe. They were girls she went to camp with. She didn't attend the church.

[ladypuglover]

Isn't that akin to yelling fire in a packed theater? Whatever the orginal author thought of making his/her point wasn't very well thought out.

[MrsYoungie]

Well, I'd have to first imagine myself as a Christian in a church. But I think the response should be "I'd take a bullet for Christ - but not for you!" and run out of there ASAP.

I hate these made up scenarios and stories that Christians pass around. They are always some kind of parable thing - not a true story with names or anything. Just made up bullshit.

[formergothardite]

God's daughter posted something like this, but in the end it was only her family left(I guess they are the only true Christians around) and then they were killed. I thought it was a sick thing to post. My thoughts are, that you aren't going to be able to do a great deal for God if you let crazy people kill you and your kids.

[nutella addict]

I'm so sorry that happened at your cousin's/your church(es), Alecto and sydney36! I apologize, if I'd ever been in such a situation, I definitely would be more sickened by this email. I don't think that these stories are actually good/useful/productive, I just think that a lot of the people who get them may not find them psychotic, at least not on the surface, as was the case with my family.

MrsYoungie, I like that, I think I'd do the same.

I don't think these fundie types are sensitive enough to others I guess, or well not the bad fundies anyway, because they think we're all going to hell anyway.

[maybeizfundie]

It is icky as a joke. yuck.

However, there are reports of something similar happening in areas of the world where Christianity is violently suppressed. It wasn't a joke or an outing of hypocrites, but a way for someone who was supposed to be doing the suppressing to find out who he could trust with the knowledge of his interest in becoming a Christian. Someone willing to die for their faith would be unlikely to turn him in as a convert.

[Guest Anonymous]

It is icky as a joke. yuck.

However, there are reports of something similar happening in areas of the world where Christianity is violently suppressed. It wasn't a joke or an outing of hypocrites, but a way for someone who was supposed to be doing the suppressing to find out who he could trust with the knowledge of his interest in becoming a Christian. Someone willing to die for their faith would be unlikely to turn him in as a convert.

Yeah, sounds like one of the many Christian urban legends to me. Citation or it didn't happen.

[Deleted03]

ok I'm very fuzy on the details of the Bible, but isn't there someone called Abraham who was told to sacrifice his son for God and then was chastised for it? Maybe I'm wrong....

[Patsy]

He wasn't chastised. He was rewarded for being faithful enough to be willing to do it.

[Kaylee]

I think I've read or heard that before. There are several things wrong with that whole scenario, besides being tasteless to send out considering the church shootings that have happened in recent years. It's also sort of ironic that Peter and the original disciples would be hypocrites by that email's standards - they fled and even lied to avoid being associated with Christ around the time of the crucifixion. I guess it makes Dr. George Tiller a saint, despite many fundies' view of him, since he was shot in church.

Like Patsy said, Abraham was rewarded for being willing to sacrifice his son. God stopped him, but he was totally going to go through with it, and it was presented as a good thing because he was willing to give up what meant the most to him.

[jenny_islander]

Or possibly--people have been kicking this one around for ages, literally--Abraham was supposed to tell God to jump in the lake and God stuck the ram in the thicket when it sank in that Abraham was actually going to go through with it. Or maybe Abraham knew all along that God couldn't actually mean that he was going to lose Isaac. Or maybe he did think he was going to lose Isaac and did decide to follow God's instructions in trust that God had reasons. Or . . .

And but so anyway, the stunt in that e-mail, if it actually happened, was definitely a dick move. Terrifying a bunch of people and almost causing a stampede, so that a few people could feel righteous? We're supposed to be ready for real situations in which we need to stand for what we believe in, not make up fake ones.

ETA: The real situations are generally considerably more banal than men in black with Uzis.

[Cassandra]

Well, I'd have to first imagine myself as a Christian in a church. But I think the response should be "I'd take a bullet for Christ - but not for you!" and run out of there ASAP.

I hate these made up scenarios and stories that Christians pass around. They are always some kind of parable thing - not a true story with names or anything. Just made up bullshit.

A thousand times this.

[Turtle]

I'm from Texas, and if someone tried that here they'd probably be shot by someone's grandad in the pew with a concealed handgun before they made it to their punchline.

I've seen the email before and it's sickening. I can't imagine finding that "inspiring".

[defrauding]

Well, I'd have to first imagine myself as a Christian in a church. But I think the response should be "I'd take a bullet for Christ - but not for you!" and run out of there ASAP.

I'm picturing Taliban Tony running out, fake tallit and kippah in hand. "Man, it's a good thing I'd only take a bullet for Yeshua!"

Seriously, though, this e-mail is awful for so many reasons.