An Incident In New Orleans Shows How Religious Freedom Can Become Religious Tyranny

[SecularMotion]

Freedom is defined as having the power or right to act, worship, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, and in America it is regarded as a sacred and Constitutional right. As Americans have witnessed over the past few years, freedom, particularly religious freedom, is reserved exclusively for evangelical Christians who drove home the point this week that their religious freedom supersedes every other Americans’ liberty, and empowers them to barge into a place of worship, interrupt a sacred service, and demand repentance and compliance to evangelical tyranny; with praise from city leaders.

This week evangelical anti-choice activists congregated in New Orleans to protest a woman’s right to choose, and took their religious tyranny into the sanctuary of a church, interrupted a service, and loudly informed congregants they do not worship according to the “true faith” and warned them to repent; all during a moment of silence for a recently deceased church member. It is the new definition of religious freedom Americans better get used to and understand that religious tyranny is entering a militant stage.

The group responsible for what can only be labeled religious terrorism is Operation Save America; the group tied to the assassination of Dr. George Tiller during another church service. The group targeted the First Unitarian Universalist Church in New Orleans because it regards it as a “synagogue of Satan” and warned worshippers to “repent” and worship according to the “true faith;” Christian fundamentalism. If the language sound like that expressed during the Crusade and Inquisition, it is because that is precisely where evangelicals are taking America. This is America’s new religious freedom, and if any American thought Taliban-like militants abridging other Americans freedom to worship would never happen in america, what happened in New Orleans should disabuse them of that idea.

Displaying decidedly Christian tolerance, the guest speaker at the Church service, the Reverend Deanna Vandiver, lovingly invited the evangelical interlopers to either join the worship service respectfully or do what other evangelicals do; stand on the outside and scream at worshippers from the sidewalk. Reverend Vandiver said she was not completely sure why the evangelical terrorists interrupted the worshippers, but it is certainly because the Unitarian Universalists believe a woman’s reproductive rights are not the purview of evangelical and Catholic fanatics. In fact, the Unitarian’s official position is opposing “any attempt to enact a position on private morality into public law” that is contrary to evangelical Christians, Republicans, and conservatives on the Supreme Court concept of “religious freedom.”

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/07/24/incident-orleans-shows-religious-freedom-religious-tyranny.html

[Freddie]

1. Dr. Tiller was assassinated while serving as an usher in his church

In part to insult his denomination, the (ELCA) Lutheran Church, that we are not "real Christians" because we would have him for a member.
It's not just that they want us to be a "Christian Nation", it's only their particular brand of Christianity that's correct.

[cbayer]

3. This same group is felt to have been behind his assassination.

They are a hate group, no more, no less.

[lastlib]

6. They only want us all down on our knees in the church of their choice....

...in the church of their choice,

[cbayer]

2. This isn't religious freedom, it's religious terrorism.

And this group is not new to the scene by any means.

The biggest boondoggle in this whole fiasco was Mayor Landrieu's office putting out some kind of official welcome for this loathsome group.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. Too bad they didn't join the service. They might have learned something.

I think that was a Unitarian church that was attacked in Tennessee. They're generally a peaceful bunch of people. It's sad to see them treated this way. I can't believe that city leaders in New Orleans of all places would praise this kind of action. Evangelicals think they're under attack in this country and I wouldn't be surprised if we see violence from groups like this. Any group that is so sure that God is on there side usually bears watching.

[cbayer]

7. This is a great UU church in uptown New Orleans.

I think they probably would have welcomed them to join the service, but it had to have been pretty frightening.

I suspect the mayor's office just routinely and blindly followed their routine protocol. If there is a silver lining it is that they will probably check more carefully in the future.

SPLC already has them on their radar, as they are thought to have been behind violent actions in the past.

[KG]

5. 'Freedom' always means 'privilege'

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

8. To a lot of people, the freedom of the individual to do as he or she wants

Carries the rider "but only insofar as he or she is doing something that I, personally, approve of". Or, to put that more simply, these people do not believe in individual freedom for other people.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Well of course they don't. God has commanded them otherwise.

[brooklynite]

9. City proclamation welcoming Operation Save America "issued in error," says Landrieu spokesman

A city proclamation welcoming the anti-abortion group Operation Save America to the city and recognizing its "outstanding service to the City of New Orleans" was issued in error, according to an email this afternoon by a spokesman for Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

The story originally was broken by Robert Morris of Uptown Messenger, who reported that the group — a renamed version of the controversial 1980s organization Operation Rescue — received an official welcome to the city signed by Landrieu on the same day the group's members interrupted a service at First Unitarian Universalist Church in Uptown New Orleans and picketed the homes of people the group claims provide abortions. In online writings, Operation Save America called the Unitarian church the "synagogue of Satan."

A Change.org petition demanding the city rescind the proclamation congratulating Operation Save America had more than 800 signatures in less than 24 hours, and the story was picked up nationally by the satire-snark political site Wonkette.

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2014/07/22/city-proclamation-welcoming-operation-save-america-issued-in-error-says-landrieu-spokesman

?cb=1406151355

[cbayer]

10. While I am glad they stepped back, I hope they take this as a lesson

and look at who they are issuing these to in the future.

Landrieu is not a bad guy and I don't think he would have approved this had he known about it.

Still, the buck stops with him.

[okasha]

15. CYA

[Warren Stupidity]

11. We've been informed here by Very Smart People that the religious right is fa-fa-fading away.

So, nothing to worry about. Take a nap, or perhaps take up a hobby. I'm sure Hobby Lobby has something kewl you could get in to. Knitting?

[pinto]

16. Hi. Why do you do this? What's the point? Why the Hatfield/McCoy stuff? Aren't we bigger than that?

It's embarrassing, imo. Debate, differences of opinion and discussion are part and parcel of this group and DU at large. I know you get that.

Typically I skip these internecine snipes but there comes a point. What's up?

[Warren Stupidity]

17. well let's see,

posters here are told to take a nap.
atheists are denounced as demons
an op that is completely off topic meta, denouncing the atheists here, an op that demanded that the atheist demons be forced to rename their group, is allowed to remain by the alleged "hosts"
the a&a group is routinely alert trolled
postings by atheists are dismissed as "apoplexy"
all criticism of religion, except when done by theists, is routinely denounced as bigotry
religious bigotry is routinely defended, and those criticizing it denounced as intolerant bigots

nah. we ain't having discussions in here.
Feel free to use ignore

[pinto]

18. OK.

(aside) Since I joined the host team here, I've seen no alerts. None. I take that to mean the members are overall comfortable with the discussions, see no need to alert or simply don't care.

If members are OK with the level of discourse here I'm not going to make a host issue about it. Not my job to intervene. DU3 is a member moderated format for the most part. And a juried review of individual posts.

As a host, I'm not using ignore, fwiw.

Yet as a participant in the group I wanted to make the Hatfield & McCoy analogy. It grows old. Takes two to tango.

[pinto]

13. This is way beyond the "religious freedom" ruse evangelical groups are employing. Dangerous, imo.

I, perhaps naively, think most folks will recognize the extreme extremism - that's doubly extreme - of this group. At least I hope so.

[cbayer]

14. I agree. They are way past Hobby Lobby. Splc has them on their radar, which is good.

This is a very peaceful place and it must have been really frightening for this group to invade like this.