There are two things I make it rule to generally not discuss: religion and politics. They are no win conversations that turn into hurt feelings, arguments and sometimes they develop into fights.
HOWEVER.......................this one I just can't resist.
It's seems that on October 31st, the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO asked a man to leave that was dressed like Jesus.
I want to know the real reason why. I've read their local news stations report and I've been to the church's website. They tell two very different stories. At least from what I can see. Maybe the media left something out. Maybe the church withheld information as to why from the media. Maybe this man was working in conjunction with the church to get attendance up.
Did anyone forget that it just happened to be Halloween?
According to a posting on the church's website, they asked this man dressed as Jesus to leave for security reasons. Apparently wearing robes that can hide weapons and carrying a staff is cause for alarm to religious types in the state of Missouri.
What do they do to the women that enter the church wearing a dress or the men that carry an umbrella? Are those two items cause for alarm if the church is going to claim this man was asked to leave for his choice of clothing and having a walking staff? You can just as easily hide a gun in a garter as well as under the robe of Christ. You can easily assault someone with an umbrella just as easily as with a staff.
Maybe I watch too many movies that involve martial arts with umbrellas and scantily clad women packing assault weapons in their lacy undergarments.
Probably not.
Maybe our Jesus dressing worshiper is not in his right mind? Who knows. According the news report, this gentleman has been doing this for 22 years and this is only the 2nd time he's been asked to leave a church.
So with that little information available, then why didn't the ushers ask him to open his robes for inspection and ask him to leave his staff out front? It was just that simple!! No, instead they turned him away at lobby.
An individual on the news story comment board calling themselves ArchAngel says that he (or she) is an usher at the church and was there when the Jesus clad man arrived and paints a very different picture. What follows are ArchAngel's comments :
ArchAngel at 2:12 PM November 02, 2010
I was ushering when this guy walked into the church. I'm surprised that Fox2News and Teresa Woodard would run a slanderous story like this . This man comes into our church during our Reformation Sunday service. He is informs the lead usher he is there to share his "message" with our congregation. He came uninvited. To our elder and our usher team, because of his dress, erratic behavior and persistance, he presented like a person who was mentally unbalanced. He was also carrying a potentially lethal weapon. When we would not let him disrupt the service, he became agitated, loud and disruptive and he was asked to leave. He refused and tried to push his way around our elder who was speaking to him. We called the police. Your peers have taken great pains and to sensationally report other violent, unbalanced people attacking or shooting congregation members, and we don't know what he had strapped to his body under that robe. We did not trust his presence in our midst. It was the proper thing to do. I'd have them do it again. And, I'd like to point out, Teresa.. If you would have been sitting in our church with your kids and he would have sat next to you.. you would have MOVED. You hypocrite. Fox2News Owes our church an apology for this sensationalist and misleading story.
Note to self: do not become involved in organised religion and attend this church.
Honestly folks, I'm a man of science, not religion. I don't believe this man is Jesus or trying to be Jesus or anything else since I have my own doubts that there is a Jesus to begin with. ArchAngel seems a bit over the top here and too quick to defend the actions of his church and criticise the media for their coverage. Something very fishy here.
ArchAngel even admits in his statement that this man came uninvited. Of course he was uninvited!!! Not like anyone said to this man "Hey dress like the Big J and come to our worship on Halloween, it'll be a hoot!!".
I have in the past gone to churches and not been invited. I was also welcomed regardless of how I was dressed.
What a bunch of fucking hypocrites!!
And then ArchAngel post another comment just moments later:
ArchAngel at 2:16 PM November 02, 2010
He wasn't there to hear the word, he's done that before.. Usually in more traditional attire. Mr. Thompson said "I have a message that those people[the congregation] need to hear!"
I wear a suit and tie to church out of respect for my Lord and Savior. I think if Jesus were to show up at the church he wouldn't be wearing robes and sandals (as he isn't in 1st century Judea).. he'd probably be wearing either a nice suit and conservative tie, or L.L. Bean. I also believe that Jesus would have been much more polite than Mr. Thompson was.
Again with ArchAngel's antagonists attitude. This guy is on a witch hunt (or Jesus hunt as it were) and just can't stop putting his foot in his mouth!!! Who is he to say what Jesus would wear to church!!!??
Like he would know since he apparently believes that JC would wear what he apparently wears. How presumptuous.
We may never know as readers and outsiders what really happened. I can tell you that as long as there are people like ArchAngel involved in religion, that is reason enough for me to keep my science loving ass out of a church.
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