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Iraq Factsheets Taboo At Church
I was kicked out of a church this morning in Alamo, one of the richest areas of California. My crime: handing out factsheets on deaths & reasons for the war in Iraq.
This morning, I attended Creekside Community Church. The church is set in Alamo, an affluent neighborhood in the East Bay Area. Then I was promptly commanded to leave the grounds.
I had brought with me factsheets containing the number of Iraqi civilians killed since US invasion, number of US soldiers killed, number of WMD found (none), number of links between Hussein and Al-Qaida (none), and evidence for an imminent threat (none). At the bottom, I hand-wrote, "Jesus, my sweetest friend, what have we become?"
I didn't expect the fliers to be met with cheers or encouragement, but neither did I expect the severity of the reaction.
I was only able to hand out seven fliers. Two were thrown back at me. Another man threatened me, saying he would report to the church because what I was doing was "wrong."
Then, two church reps came over to me. One stood by with his arms crossed as if I was a physical threat. The other told me that my actions were completely inappropriate. "This is a place where we worship God," he said.
I asked, "Don't you think it's important to acknowledge the suffering in the world?" to which he replied that it was not the time or place to have this conversation.
I was not able to gather when or where he felt it WOULD be appropriate to discuss the terrible bloodshed of innocents in Iraq. He said I would have to talk to the Board of Elders who meet weekly. I asked when to go to the meeting. He replied that I was not welcome at the meeting and had to go through the church office who would get me in touch with an Elder representative.
I was escorted to the parking lot as he asked if I was "affiliated" with the church. I told him I grew up going to the church which was true. He nodded vaguely and steered me toward the parking lot.
I know the Right does not want to acknowledge they voted for a person who is willing to kill hundreds of thousands of people even as he is portrayed as a man of "moral values." But I was shocked by the intensity of animosity that these "Christians" displayed. Was intolerance a moral stance of Jesus?
I had brought with me factsheets containing the number of Iraqi civilians killed since US invasion, number of US soldiers killed, number of WMD found (none), number of links between Hussein and Al-Qaida (none), and evidence for an imminent threat (none). At the bottom, I hand-wrote, "Jesus, my sweetest friend, what have we become?"
I didn't expect the fliers to be met with cheers or encouragement, but neither did I expect the severity of the reaction.
I was only able to hand out seven fliers. Two were thrown back at me. Another man threatened me, saying he would report to the church because what I was doing was "wrong."
Then, two church reps came over to me. One stood by with his arms crossed as if I was a physical threat. The other told me that my actions were completely inappropriate. "This is a place where we worship God," he said.
I asked, "Don't you think it's important to acknowledge the suffering in the world?" to which he replied that it was not the time or place to have this conversation.
I was not able to gather when or where he felt it WOULD be appropriate to discuss the terrible bloodshed of innocents in Iraq. He said I would have to talk to the Board of Elders who meet weekly. I asked when to go to the meeting. He replied that I was not welcome at the meeting and had to go through the church office who would get me in touch with an Elder representative.
I was escorted to the parking lot as he asked if I was "affiliated" with the church. I told him I grew up going to the church which was true. He nodded vaguely and steered me toward the parking lot.
I know the Right does not want to acknowledge they voted for a person who is willing to kill hundreds of thousands of people even as he is portrayed as a man of "moral values." But I was shocked by the intensity of animosity that these "Christians" displayed. Was intolerance a moral stance of Jesus?
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TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
No more unnecessary death
Fri, Nov 12, 2004 4:59PM
WWJD?
Wed, Nov 10, 2004 10:10AM
From a local newspaper's "letters to the editor"
Tue, Nov 9, 2004 7:36AM
Jesus died for your money and thier oil
Mon, Nov 8, 2004 2:28PM
Good for you
Mon, Nov 8, 2004 11:55AM
the real question:
Mon, Nov 8, 2004 11:17AM
jesus and intolerance
Mon, Nov 8, 2004 10:08AM
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