Crazy Email - Armed Men in Church

[Cassandra]

There's also the fact that the majority of the people who read this email would like to believe that they would stay.

I would like to believe that if I were ever in an out of control gun situation I would be calm and rational, but you can't say that will happen.

[chaotic life]

One of the defining moments of my childhood was the day a man strung out on drugs entered my father's church and attacked the choir with a knife. A man lost his life in that attack, one of them died in my father's arms. I never forgot his tears nor the blood he carried home that night. I never forgot the usher who wasn't there to greet me every Sunday afterward.

I don't find this scenario anything but repulsive. However, I see it circulate every once in awhile after Columbine. There was a report that one of the girls in Columbine was killed because she refused to deny her Christian faith. The story is not fully credible and tbh I suspect the shooters would have killed her no matter she said. But, the really tasteless "you must be willing to die like she was" stuff got worse afterward.

(ET correct childhood memories, 3 men were stabbed and only one died.)

[doggie]

What I want to know is how would taking a bullet benefit christ? I mean really he does not benefit he just gets to see your butt earlier then usual.

[pamplemousse]

I say it wouldn't. I also say God gave us brains so we would be able to discern (right word?) when we need to run from dangerous situations. So, IMO, running from someone trying to kill us IS honoring Him.

[JesusFightClub]

This is a story from a Chick Tract, so if you're not sure where you saw it before, it would have been there. If memory serves it was the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) in that story. Why they would do this is not altogether clear. But the punchline is that they're so impressed with the faith they spare the lives of the church members who stay.

Knowing Sendero Luminoso, this seems a somewhat unlikely scenario.

[Patsy]

Hang on, JesusFightClub, you're going to have to explain this one to me. Are you saying that a Chick tract featured unrealistic plot points?

[debrand]

Modern American Christians, for whatever reason, romanticize persecution. They invent situations in which they are being persecuted(the war on Christmas anyone?) In our society being a Christian is difficult, not because there is any persecution but because there is the freedom to concentrate on what Jesus actually taught. Apparently, being kind, helping the poor, loving people, turning the cheek etc is too difficult.

I think a lof of the fault lies with the evangelical movement. They put a lot of emphasis on converting others at the expense of actually being a Christian. Its easy to be outraged by what's on tv and the radio, but not so easy to love the downtrodden who might not smell good or be appreciative.

[JesusFightClub]

Hang on, JesusFightClub, you're going to have to explain this one to me. Are you saying that a Chick tract featured unrealistic plot points?

:oops: That sounded stupid, I know. But I am interested in the history of Sendero Luminoso and he claims it was a true story so I spent quite some time being irritated as I recall.

[Patsy]

:) Nah, not stupid. I have to admit I am a huge fan of Chick tracts, and I just can't get annoyed. Normally the amount of bullshit that comes up in their creation screeds, for instance, would make me furious. But it's them! So dear! So stupid!

[debrand]

:) Nah, not stupid. I have to admit I am a huge fan of Chick tracts, and I just can't get annoyed. Normally the amount of bullshit that comes up in their creation screeds, for instance, would make me furious. But it's them! So dear! So stupid!

There are people who collect Jack Chick tracts, not because they agree with them, but because they are so strange and stupid.I found one at the zoo and would have sent it to you, if I'd known you liked them.

I reread my post and thought that I should clarify. I do NOT think that the people who collect the tracts are stupid. The tracts are stupid. :shock: :oops: Hopefully, no one felt insulted

[JesusFightClub]

Nah, not stupid. I have to admit I am a huge fan of Chick tracts, and I just can't get annoyed. Normally the amount of bullshit that comes up in their creation screeds, for instance, would make me furious. But it's them! So dear! So stupid!

I went to have a look and I can't find the right one. It may be among the discontinued (I hope so.)

I did find one which I remember amusing me. It's called "You Have a Date". There are two things which greatly puzzle me about this story, one is at the woman's funeral where everyone's saying how nice she is apart from one bloke saying "I didn't think so!" or words to that effect. Why? We are not told.

Secondly is the bit where the angel calls her spirit from the grave by shouting "Arise!" Due to an unfortunate effect of layout it looks at first like he's shouting "Arse!"

I also like The Poor Revolutionist which is his anticommunist tract. I have no clue why he felt it necessary at this point in history to create/revise this one. But anyway, if you gave it to any communist you would actually be guilty of sending a soul to Hell because he or she would probably die laughing. (How many communists does he think fundie Americans generally know anyway?)

[Patsy]

Secondly is the bit where the angel calls her spirit from the grave by shouting "Arise!" Due to an unfortunate effect of layout it looks at first like he's shouting "Arse!"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[notsocommon]

I HATE that email with a passion! I have friends who were at Wedgwood Baptist church when a crazy man came in and killed several people. Several of them have had this land in their e-mail and it was triggering for them.

Nevermind that fleeing would not make you a hypocrite by any means....remember the story of Peter when Jesus was caught?

[notsocommon]

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

This is the one I was talking about. It was a Se You At The Pole event that involved youth from several area churches. http://www.wedgwoodbc.org/content.cfm?id=2010

Our youth group was there.

[Wolfie]

I also like The Poor Revolutionist which is his anticommunist tract. I have no clue why he felt it necessary at this point in history to create/revise this one. But anyway, if you gave it to any communist you would actually be guilty of sending a soul to Hell because he or she would probably die laughing. (How many communists does he think fundie Americans generally know anyway?)

Everybody knows that Obama is a closet communist! :roll:

[emmiedahl]

Is it God asking them to choose or some mentally ill guy? Really, this makes no sense.