"Church Cancels Memorial for Gay Navy Vet"

[in_cog_ni_to]

:( How hateful.


Church Cancels Memorial for Gay Navy Vet
By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

1 hour ago

ARLINGTON, Texas - A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.

Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.

"It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,'" she said Friday.

Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.

The church's pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men "engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing."<snip>

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/08/10/736793.html&cvqh=itn_gayvet

[TahitiNut]

1. "pictures of men 'engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing.'"??

The horror! Church is NO PLACE for loving your fellow man! Sheesh! Love is the last thing they want peddled in church.

:grr:

[Skip Intro]

6. can't have that - God not like

I hate fucking hypocrites - fucking holier than thou, know what's right for everyone, judgemental fucking bastards. Who the hell do they think they are?


sorry for the profanity

[lonestarnot]

18. Sad but true.

[FARAFIELD]

2. its so sad

that churches like that dont see how unchristian they are when they react in such a knee jerk fashion. I read the article at the link and some of the quotes from the church reminded me of when people say "some of my best friends are gay", they dont even have a clue of how bigoted they sound. Id send them an email but they only read the ones that have paypal attached im sure.

[Madspirit]

3. "but they only read the ones that have paypal attached im sure."

Right on. Exactly.

Lee

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. "Megachurch." That says it all, right there

I have never seen one of these "megachurches" that was anything but a right wing hate machine. Between the Talibangelical preaching and having beauty shops and fast food outlets on church property operating as non-taxable "ministries" and the "issues workshops" where right wing candidates give "presentations" for which the church will "pass the collection plate" as a "thank you".... Jesus wept.

[yardwork]

12. This particular one is one of the worst.

...High Point, a nondenominational mega-congregation led by the Rev. Gary Simons. Mr. Simons is the brother-in-law of Joel Osteen, nationally known pastor of Houston's Lakewood Church.

[aquart]

5. Ugh.

As in ugly. And they don't think they're damned for this? Odd.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. The Dallas Morning News has a bit more

Such as:


The pastor said that he could imagine a similar situation involving a different sin. Perhaps a mother who is a member of the church loses a son who is a thief or murderer, Mr. Simons said. The church would surely volunteer to hold a service, he said.

"But I don't think the mother would submit photos of her son murdering someone," he said. "That's a red light going off."


And:


After the church decided it would not host the funeral service, it offered to pay for another facility, Mr. Simons said. The family declined and found a local funeral home to hold the event Thursday night.Even so, the church sent over food and the video – minus the images church officials found to be offensive.

"Some of our people will be there at the memorial service," Mr. Simons said. "We tried to do the very best of our ability to express the love of Christ."


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/081007dnmetgayfuneral.3617689.html

[wiley]

10. Thanks. I just read that. There were no pictures of kissing men.

As if that were a crime or against anyone's religion. The church should just apologize and have a joyful service in remembrance of a vet. Is that against their religion?

[yardwork]

11. The pastor compared being gay to being a murderer!

I feel sick. Utterly sick.

[ourbluenation]

14. I see...so embracing a same sex partner is akin to murder. unbelievable, backwards

idiots. no wonder church attendance has been declining. people are catching on to the unreasonableness of their ways.

[Bluebear]

17. 'I don't think the mother would submit photos of her son murdering someone'

Fuck you, Reverend, and I say that with all sincerity.

[wiley]

8. When Christians Lie

It demeans us all, even non-Christians. Why do they do things like this?

[sakabatou]

9. How Christ-like

:puke:

[ourbluenation]

13. here's the phone # of this hateful church. 817.394.3000. I plan on letting them know

how I feel.

[Beerboy]

15. So what should happen? Should the full

weight and power of Government be brought to bear on this church? Maybe they could just call-in an airstrike?
Churches are stupid, as are the slavering idiots comprising their congregations, but is there anything we the people can do to stop them, short of violence, which is harder to avoid with each passing day?
The Constitution says the citizens don't have to put up with churches or synagogues, separation of church and State. Islam is a cool diverse Faith that doesn't have a history of persecuting people, unlike christianity.
I'm just wondering what should happen to the christo-fascists.

[ourbluenation]

16. they're their own worse enemies...slipping into irrelavancy one hateful event at a time

just like this one.

[BlooInBloo]

19. Here's more good christian-eering....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070812/ap_on_re_us/girl_dragged;_ylt=AixgLuR27.9ex1Jt.fWZWHRI2ocA