Laws of man, God obeyed, World Harvest Church says (Ohio mega-church)

[maxrandb]

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/17/20060117-A1-01.html&rfr=nwsl

The Rev. Rod Parsley’s World Harvest Church and two affiliates always have obeyed federal tax laws, and an accusation to the contrary by 31 area pastors is "baseless and without merit," World Harvest said yesterday.

The 31 complained to the Internal Revenue Service on Sunday, accusing the church, its Center for Moral Clarity and a related group, Reformation Ohio, of violating IRS regulations by engaging in partisan politics. They asked for an IRS investigation of the three as well as two allied entities, Fairfield Christian Church of Lancaster and the Ohio Restoration Project.

It also said Reformation Ohio has distributed 70 tons of food and assisted nearly 10,000 poor Ohioans. Parsley’s organizations have won 4,000 conversions to Christ while helping to register 400,000 new Ohio voters, many from urban neighborhoods, the statement said.

The complainants want the IRS to investigate whether Parsley and the pastor of Fairfield Christian, the Rev. Russell Johnson, have used their churches and affiliated organizations to promote the gubernatorial candidacy of Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. They say Blackwell has been the only candidate showcased in a number of church-related events and activities.

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Guess this explains what is wrong with Ohio. All of these churches, every last one of them should immediately lose their tax exempt status. You want to become the "Church of the Infallable RepuKKKeliKKKan"? Go right ahead, but stop using my tax money to do it. and let's face it, every tax dollar that is exempted from a "fundie" is a dollar you or I need to replace.

[megatherium]

1. The big megachurch in Louisville plays political games.

In Summer of 2004 Southeast Christian Church ran billboards all over the Louisville area saying, "one man one woman God's plan for marriage". Their October sermon series was on marriage. This was to encourage their 17,000 active members to vote for the anti-gay-marriage amendment that was on the ballot in KY. This may have swung a very close US Senatorial election (the Republican incumbant barely won).

I gather they get away with this crap because gay marriage is not considered to be a "partisan" issue, which churches are supposed to stay out of. In this event of course it manifestly was a partisan issue, being the wedge issue that year for Republicans.

[maxrandb]

2. It Really Scares Me

It is one thing if you and I disagree about political philosophy, or what we feel is the best roll for government to play in certain issues. It's one thing if we disagree about how best to handle the problems of our society, or the best way to combat crime, or terrorism. It's one thing if we disagree about certain aspects of foreign policy.

BUT

When the people you are "disagreeing" with believe that "God is on their side", they have no room for compromise. Suddenly, I'm not just someone with a different approach, I'm someone that is EVIL!!!

It makes it very easy for those people to "de-humanize" me. Kind of like what the Nazis did to the Jews, and what America at one time did to Africans. There is absolutely no way that a sane, intelligent, moral and compassionate human could commit those atrocities against another human being, unless they removed the "human-ness" from them. Hope you all can understand what I'm saying.

WWJT - Who Would Jesus Torture?

[megatherium]

6. It is scary.

But at least, the line at this particular church is that they wish to say homosexuality is evil in "a spirit of love". Last year they had a sermon by a well-known "ex-gay" preacher named Joe Dallas. He told the congregation that it is wrong to "hate" gay people, that they should be welcome in evangelical churches (although he said, the church should still preach traditional morality) -- if people in the church are threatening or non-welcoming, gay people won't hear the Gospel. This is of course far from true tolerance or acceptance, but it could be worse!

[BiggJawn]

10. I understand perfectly what you're saying.

When Poppy Bush said "I don't think Atheists should be considered Patriots..." how much further of a stretch would it be to say "I really don't think Atheists are human. you know what I'm saying? There's GOT to be something inhuman about hating GAWD..."

And once you've benn labeled someone something like "meat", oh, well....

Parsley is a slimeball. He learned carefully from all the slimeballs who came before him.

[LiberalFighter]

13. Is this scary?

The Rev.

[Critters2]

22. Yep

If they don't explicitly support a party or a named candidate, they can do it. Thus, progressive churches can support marriage equality, so it cuts both ways. But, by supporting Blackwell, these Ohio churches have crossed the line.

[prolesunited]

3. Why they want to eliminate social services in a nutshell

It also said Reformation Ohio has distributed 70 tons of food and assisted nearly 10,000 poor Ohioans. Parsley’s organizations have won 4,000 conversions to Christ while helping to register 400,000 new Ohio voters, many from urban neighborhoods, the statement said.

Become a Christian, vote for us or starve and die. Almost sounds like the R *is* the mark of the Beast.

[maxrandb]

4. 4,000 converted to Christ, or 4,000 converted to Donors??

Got to keep that collection plate full.

[daleo]

8. 400 thousand voters enrolled vs 4 thousand conversions

It looks like politics is trumping religion by a factor of 100 to 1.

[UpInArms]

5. The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party

http://www.theocracywatch.org/

excerpt:

Dominionism In Action

Ohio

"Ohio will be a training ground that will launch a national reformation." more

The Ohio Restoration Project was founded:

to identify and train thousands of "Patriot Pastors" to get out the conservative religious vote next year. According to press reports, the leader of the movement -- the senior pastor of a large church in suburban Columbus -- casts the 2006 elections as an apocalyptic clash between "the forces of righteousness and the hordes of hell." more

One of the stated goals of the Ohio Restoration Project is to get Ohio's Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, elected Governor in 2006. Blackwell has authored a plan for "Civic Renewal" that is featured on Ohio's official government web site. Katherine Yurica's stunning article calls this new document:

... a Dominionist document: a religious treatise in secular terms, but dominionist to the core. It's a brilliant little package to get millions of evangelical Christians and their friends to accept authoritarian government without even a whisper of protest. more

A New Manifesto and An Old Platform

"We will not try to reform the existing institutions. We only intend to weaken them, and eventually destroy them," claims a manifesto from Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation. Called The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement and written by Eric Heubeck in 2001, this manifesto illuminates the tactics of the dominionist movement.

...more at link...

[megatherium]

7. Most Bush supporters are skeptical about "dominionism".

Your typical Republican may or may not be pro-life, and probably is against gay marriage. But they don't support turning this country into an actual theocracy (basing law on the Bible), and they think the folks on the left who say that's the agenda are just being crazy (or are just slandering Republicans). The top Republican leadership trundles out the usual cultural "wedge issues" every election cycle but they don't really mean it. At least, if the Dominionists (who really do exist) were successful, your typical Republican would freak out just about as much as we would. So I think there's hope. At any rate, we must be vigilant -- but reminding people that the Dominionists really do want to stone adulturers will prompt even most Republicans to run away from them.

[Vidar]

9. But between media and denial, they won't believe until hit w a rock.

[auroraslight]

11. are you sure this isnt texas

... sure sounds like it.

[Zenlitened]

15. Bush supporters will swallow anything their political overlords demand.

"Your typical Republican" today is a spineless, craven, self-deluding piece of shit.

[maxrandb]

17. You Forgot

"Your typical Republican" today is a spineless, craven, self-deluding piece of shit who is terrified by two sweaty men, secularist, strong women, immigrants, anyone with a beard, sex-education, Hollywood, and the name Abrahamhoff".

"Waaaaaaahhhh!!! Help Mommy there's a liberal under my bed. Please Imperial Master Bush and Big Dick Cheney, protect me before I soil my shorts"

Where in the pResidents Oath of Office does he swear to "protect the people". I know it says "Support and Defend the Constitution", but when did America become a bunch of effing crybabies afraid of our own shadows????

If we really wanted a President to protect us, then we should elect "the Rock", or "Pampero Furpo, the eighth Wonder of the World".

Or to take it one step further, this joker likes to talk about "protecting America", well then I think it's time he donned a uniform, picked up a rifle, and joined the fight. Hell, Winston Churchill volunteered and went to the front lines in WWI. What's stopping this guy. I hear the Army is even offering $40,000 signing bonuses now.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. I live about 10 minutes from that fucking place. It makes me sick

just driving by it.

[maxrandb]

14. Down here in VA there is this monstrocity they are building

called the Wave Church. It's going to be as big as a "blanking" football stadium (OK a little exageration, more like a Basketball stadium).

It's a husband and wife team. Like my wife said; "those are the slimiest".

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. Oh man tell me about it. This building down here is

some kind of fascist architecture nightmare.

[f-bush]

18. Nail this fucking Church's ass

The IRS has been all over liberal mainline churches for the past five years and all they did was preach the Gospel in a way shrub is prickled by it. These guys on the other hand are doing direct campaigning.

[roseBudd]

19. I think I may have run into these fundies when I was doing GOTV in a

poor black neighborhood in SW Ohio in 2004. They got out of a bus and stood on the sidewalk giving away pop and loaves of whitebread. They engaged me in conversation and it became apparent they were just trying to cause me to waste time so I moved on.

[Festivito]

20. Churches NEED TO KNOW what political activities are permissible.

One candidate "has been the only candidate showcased." That was Blackwell. The excuse for not having the Dem seems to be that Dems have an agenda. (This excuse does not fly.)

Republican Coats is saying churches should be better informed about what is permissible, and what is not. I'd like we take up his offer. Churches hearing both sides, would side with us.

Have both, give them equal time, argue your points, but, do not exclude the opposing view as a non-profit.

[RedEarth]

21. Rod Parsley is considered to be the new Pat Robertson ..... Ohio and

Colorado are the new epicenters of the evangelical movement in the country. Southern California the center of the fundy radio movement and Florida with the grandfather(Kennedy) of the evangelical movement also play a big part. Read up on Rod Parsley and you'll find this creep is dangerous. Bill Moyers mentioned Parsley in one of his speech he gave within the last few months.