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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBlack wedding banned by Baptist church
CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MS (WLBT) -
It was to be their big day, but a Jackson couple says the church where they were planning to wed turned them away because of race.
Now, the couple wants answers, and the church's pastor is questioning the mindset of some of members of his congregation who caused the problem in the first place.
They had set the date and printed and mailed out all the invitations, but the day before wedding bells were to ring for Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson, they say they got some bad news from the pastor.
"The church congregation had decided no black could be married at that church, and that if he went on to marry her, then they would vote him out the church," said Charles Wilson.
http://www.fox19.com/story/19125864/black-wedding-banned-by-baptist-church
VIDEO:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/27/white-baptist-church-in-missouri-bans-black-wedding/
nolabear
(42,001 posts)Having grown up in MS I have an abiding interest in living to see it lose its reputation as the bastion of bigotry in this country. It does have much to love, but this is just madness. Madness!!
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)nc4bo
(17,651 posts)scrolled back up, found where and now I'm definitely unsurprised.
Xian Fundie bigots and this so called representative of the great one up there are actually doing a better job representing the other great one, down there.
Congregation should kick out the shepherd then give walking papers to those who don't wish to follow true Christianity.
Clean house.
OMG.
guneydomuz
(16 posts)Last edited Sat Jul 28, 2012, 04:40 AM - Edit history (1)
by backing down and holding it another church.
Nice job in pandering to the racists in your flock.
Reason number 1,476,785,091,543 why religion sucks.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)Performed the ceremony and then resigned rather than stay in such a place.
Kennah
(14,352 posts)notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)instead of standing up to bigotry, he bows to the pressure of his congregation because he thinks losing it would be a too high of a price to pay.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)Given the combination of fundy and Baptist...the fact that he didnt feel the same hate filled spirit they did means his days are numbered.
Tikki
(14,560 posts)Tikki
He should have quit that church over it. Another church would certainly take him up for showing that type of principle.
obamanut2012
(26,181 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)CreekDog
(46,192 posts)So you posted what was most likely go offend a liberal.
And why not, it is what you seem called to do.
obamanut2012
(26,181 posts)Thanks, Creekdog.
obamanut2012
(26,181 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Clearly, you implied that any organization engaging in such bigotry should be taxed.
Yes, you did.
demwing
(16,916 posts)such bigotry was subsidized by a tax exempt status.
Now why don't you go fucking cool your head until you find something of ACTUAL importance to complain about?
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)demwing
(16,916 posts)and don't care if it shows
trumad
(41,692 posts)Really--- you get annihilated for your silly post and you post that dribble?
obamanut2012
(26,181 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)What the HELL does tax exemption have to do with bigotry? It really looks like you at least want bigotry taxed.
Care to explain yourself instead of asking ME for links?
rocktivity
(44,583 posts)Last edited Sat Sep 27, 2014, 04:49 PM - Edit history (1)
The couple were both members of the church, and therefore is wasn't anybody else's business.
rocktivity
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)and ruined the day.
lpbk2713
(42,772 posts)They took a vote so they wouldn't have to identify themselves and then left the pastor to do the dirty work for them.
Ignorant, every one of them who remains a member of that church.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)Nothing to be done about it, except to condemn it.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)rights of this couple, that should cause them to lose their tax-exempt status. Second, everyone, including the Pastor who is not a racist, should quit that church and find another one or start another one. Assuming they are not all in agreement with the racist contingency.
What a disgrace that this is still happening in this country.
The pastor is a coward, he should have walked out.
One more thing, the couple can probably file a lawsuit for being denied their rights. If the Church did not inform minorities of this policy, then they accepted their membership under false pretenses.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)for any reason. They aren't keeping them from getting married, just not doing it themselves.
They're horrible people though and the pastor should resign for that reason IMO. Horrible. I'm really upset. Hopefully another church will save the day? That would be nice.
It is truly a disgrace.
The lawsuit thing - maybe, if they took their money and held the church, and then backed out when it was too late to reschedule elsewhere. They could win that for sure.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)Work on changing the laws or constitution regarding tax exemption, for instance.
Throwing up one's hands and saying "constitutional" doesnt mean the fight against racism shouldnt visit them.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)and then refused to marry them, they can be sued. The court can work out if the couple had a reasonable expectation that they were entitled to the same privileges granted to all of the other members. If the Church did not make it clear that they would not marry African Americans or any other minority, then the couple has a right to sue.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)We allow religious "organizations" to get away with murder in this country. I sincerely doubt any lawsuit would be successful, beyond perhaps reclaiming any money paid by the couple. No power on earth can force that congregation to allow a black couple to marry in their church, by law.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)If they had a contract to be married there, and the church backed out of that when there wasn't time to find another place, then they have some responsibility for that.
But churches do have the right to discriminate. I don't even know how you could force them to not discriminate. There are obviously churches where you have to be Christian to go there. Not everything morally rehensible is against the law.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)tawadi
(2,110 posts)RebelOne
(30,947 posts)I am old enough to remember those days. I lived in the South at that time.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)family did and I remember the discrimination well. They want those good old times back.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)I mean, they are supposedly representing a Higher Power...me personally I would be embarrassed to be associated with said church.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)curious as to whether this congregation could face a massive civil lawsuit, but don't know the law in this regard.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Separation of church and state. Tax exemption isn't granted to them, they have it because they're a church and the government can't tax churches.
mfcorey1
(11,001 posts)I hope they have negative consequences.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)but re-segregating isn't going to be tolerated.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)and it's the same. IMO many religious groups function as hate groups. They use religion as their cover and function as hate groups.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I know that some people might be upset with the pastor for not standing up to his congregation and defying their wishes... I not upset with Pastor Weatherford at all. He and the couple made a choice to put their marriage ceremony as the higher priority than making a political statement.
ThePhilosopher04
(1,732 posts)(Stan Weatherford) and while I have zero in common with his religious views, he's a good and decent man who genuinely feels horrible about this incident. But it's backwoods Mississippi for you and I'm afraid the attitudes of his congregation aren't going to change anytime soon.
Marr
(20,317 posts)Remember that. Repeat it. Nothing to see here. This sort of thing is totally normal everywhere.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)FBC Crystal Springs
300 South Jackson Street
Crystal Springs, MS 39059
601-892-1149 (office)
Dr. Stan Weatherford - Pastor
Email: drstanfbc@telepak.net
James Beasley - Minister of Music/Senior Adults
Email: beasley48@telepak.net
Landon Smith - Minister of Students
Email: landons@telepak.net
Quantess
(27,630 posts)But they picked the wrong church, obviously. That is just so terrible.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)Their attendance at that church, that is.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)would "force" churches to "condone" or perform them is pure, unadulterated Bull SHIT! While I condemn the racism of the congregation, I think it's playing out exactly the way it should. The legality of the marriage should not, and cannot be a basis for forcing the religious entity to solemnize it. BTW... I'm gay and am in favor of government recognition of Same Sex Marriage.
siligut
(12,272 posts)Not supporting it. I am glad to see this story getting news coverage.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)What Year is this??? omg... I should be shocked but I am not. Racism is KNEE DEEP in this country. HATERS GOTTA HATE....
siligut
(12,272 posts)An article on Toshiba News this morning tries to examine what, if anything, Obama's presidency has done for race relations.
http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CDA0AIMFO1%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1018&page=1
Then he joked, "But that lasted about a day."
Or, rather, three months.
By July 2009, the black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested for yelling at a white police officer who questioned whether Gates had broken into his own home. Asked to comment, Obama said he didn't know all the facts, but Gates was a personal friend and the officer had acted "stupidly."
The uproar was immediate. Obama acknowledged afterward, "I could've calibrated those words differently."
Recently, Obama was asked in a Rolling Stone magazine interview if race relations were any different than when he took office.
"I never bought into the notion," Obama said, "that by electing me, somehow we were entering into a postracial period."
The Republicans have done everything they can to show disrespect to Obama and the RW co-opted religion back in the 80s, as much as I can tell. So we have two powerful institutions doing what is undeniably wrong. Hate and prejudice are useful tools for those with an agenda it would seem.
demwing
(16,916 posts)You might want to call them up and wish them a nice fucking day