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ripcord

(5,084 posts)
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:08 PM May 2020

A church battling coronavirus restrictions was destroyed in a fire that investigators believe was ar

Source: CNN

A church that had been battling city officials over Covid-19 restrictions was destroyed in a fire that investigators believe was intentionally set.

The First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi, was found engulfed in flames Wednesday morning, Marshall County Sheriff's Maj. Kelly McMillian told CNN.

In addition, investigators found graffiti on the lot that read, "Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic]," CNN affiliate WMC reported.

The church, located in northern Mississippi near the Tennessee border, filed a lawsuit against the city of Holly Springs last month alleging that police disrupted Easter Service and Bible study.

In the complaint, First Pentecostal Church asked for a temporary restraining order to keep the city from preventing services indoors as part of enforcement of its stay-at-home order.


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/22/us/mississippi-church-coronavirus-restrictions-trnd/index.html



Someone has just turned these people into victims, of course it is obvious they aren't too bright from their attempted spelling of hypocrites.
53 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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A church battling coronavirus restrictions was destroyed in a fire that investigators believe was ar (Original Post) ripcord May 2020 OP
"Yep, nice church ya got there..." CaptYossarian May 2020 #1
"Someone has just turned these people into victims" jberryhill May 2020 #2
Or maybe they were fishing for victimhood, and decided to use dynamite . . . hatrack May 2020 #3
That's my guess as well. Self-inflicted theatre and/or insurance money. Nt lostnfound May 2020 #26
Just like Westboro Baptist in Topeka,Ks just "happened" to catch fire.......... Bengus81 May 2020 #48
Unless they Did It Themselves For Insurance, Sir The Magistrate May 2020 #4
My thoughts went there too bucolic_frolic May 2020 #9
I agree. Sounds too manufactured, too setup, too deliberate. Perhaps done as a means to... SWBTATTReg May 2020 #11
No knowledge of this church SheltieLover May 2020 #15
Yes, but would those stupid people burn a church for opening? yardwork May 2020 #34
same here gopiscrap May 2020 #18
My first thought UpInArms May 2020 #24
Yep. That was my first thought. Cirque du So-What May 2020 #12
Agreed. MicaelS May 2020 #32
Also my immediate thought. Or a false flag intended to create discord. yardwork May 2020 #33
Yeah...look at that crappy carpet in that picture Bengus81 May 2020 #49
Check the preacher's hands for spray paint and accelerant. Grokenstein May 2020 #5
I disagree -- it's difficult to get spray paint on hands that NCjack May 2020 #13
At least no lives were lost in the fire DBoon May 2020 #6
hmmm... smells fishy to me. not_the_one May 2020 #7
Very true Angrybob2001 May 2020 #14
Welcome to the party, Angrybob2001 not_the_one May 2020 #53
Inside job! Vinnie From Indy May 2020 #8
It's TxVietVet May 2020 #10
There's a saying: "You're not helping!" n/t SpankMe May 2020 #16
Were they behind on the mortgage? Canoe52 May 2020 #17
God's will. Texaswitchy May 2020 #19
Considering they couldn't spell "Hypocrite" correctly,I'm gonna go with a right-wing kook... AKing May 2020 #20
Hmmm...this one is real tussle. roamer65 May 2020 #21
The minister of the church is white ehrnst May 2020 #41
Lack of tithing makes pastor desperate? Solly Mack May 2020 #22
A Democrat would know how to spell hypocrite. maxrandb May 2020 #23
By your logic, a Democrat should know how to spell "influx" as well. Jedi Guy May 2020 #51
Since I consider those fleecing Fundy churches as toilets maxrandb May 2020 #52
Disquieting EAB May 2020 #25
Stay on the high road? bluecollar2 May 2020 #29
Cons are trying to kill us, there is no road at all... Eliot Rosewater May 2020 #45
This is your first post on DU. yardwork May 2020 #35
Was it Rev. Lovejoy? Initech May 2020 #27
False flag FreepFryer May 2020 #28
Hitler/Poland comes to mind....n/t bluecollar2 May 2020 #30
The spelling makes me think it was them. marble falls May 2020 #31
To respond to responses... EAB May 2020 #36
Assuming the assertions above are true that this is a black church ... mr_lebowski May 2020 #37
It's got a white minister ehrnst May 2020 #40
Hence my caging based on another comment, I didn't know either way ... mr_lebowski May 2020 #46
I agree - particularly considering some oddities in the minister's recent past. (nt) ehrnst May 2020 #47
there was a false flag attack on a radio station that Hitler used as an excuse to invade Poland muriel_volestrangler May 2020 #38
Thank you! EAB May 2020 #43
They Left a Corpse Or Two On The Scene, Sir The Magistrate May 2020 #44
I have to wonder, did the building need some expensive repairs? ehrnst May 2020 #39
Looks as though the minister doesn't stay in one church very long... ehrnst May 2020 #42
Bring in the investigators and accelerate sniffing dogs........... Bengus81 May 2020 #50
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
2. "Someone has just turned these people into victims"
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:12 PM
May 2020



Someone lawfully owns a gun. They decide one day to walk down the street pointing that gun at other people and threatening to shoot. In fact, every now and then, they fire the gun and kill someone.

I decide to put a stop to it by coming up from behind, taking the gun, and running off with it.

They are now the victim of the theft of their gun.

We could use more victims like that.

hatrack

(59,442 posts)
3. Or maybe they were fishing for victimhood, and decided to use dynamite . . .
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:13 PM
May 2020

"See?!!??! We're so OPPRESSED!!!!"

I would put nothing past today's crop of American evangelical fundies . . .

Bengus81

(6,907 posts)
48. Just like Westboro Baptist in Topeka,Ks just "happened" to catch fire..........
Sun May 24, 2020, 02:19 PM
May 2020

After those nut jobs and their crackpot "religion" had most of America 100% against them. And then *POOF* a fire started. Who'd a thunk it?

The Magistrate

(95,237 posts)
4. Unless they Did It Themselves For Insurance, Sir
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:13 PM
May 2020

Not much I'd put past a small town pastor and his flock....

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
11. I agree. Sounds too manufactured, too setup, too deliberate. Perhaps done as a means to...
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:30 PM
May 2020

gain support for their side of the issue?

SheltieLover

(57,073 posts)
15. No knowledge of this church
Fri May 22, 2020, 01:25 PM
May 2020

But many people here really are that stupid. Holly Springs, in MS is sort of a suburb of Memphis.

yardwork

(61,418 posts)
34. Yes, but would those stupid people burn a church for opening?
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:08 AM
May 2020

And would stupid people use the word hypocrites? That's a word that people who can't spell generally wouldn't use.

The whole thing looks very suspicious to me.

UpInArms

(51,253 posts)
24. My first thought
Fri May 22, 2020, 07:42 PM
May 2020

No one spells like that ... unless to point the finger at themselves ...

Reminds me of the girl who carved a “b” backwards on her face (‘cause it was done in the mirror)

MicaelS

(8,747 posts)
32. Agreed.
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:00 AM
May 2020

Many Christians still portray themselves as victim of Persecution, because they are not "allowed" to practice their religion as they see fit. This might just be an extension of this mindset.

DBoon

(22,288 posts)
6. At least no lives were lost in the fire
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:14 PM
May 2020

The same cannot be said about the people who contract Covid-19 because the church insists on holding illegal services.

 

not_the_one

(2,227 posts)
7. hmmm... smells fishy to me.
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:14 PM
May 2020

I would go with the "stirrer of shit" motivation, and not necessarily by the "social distancing" crowd.

Let's see what comes out in the investigation. Dim wits who can't spell probably left some clues...

It easy to jump to an obvious conclusion. Accurate conclusions can be anything BUT obvious.

Angrybob2001

(28 posts)
14. Very true
Fri May 22, 2020, 01:13 PM
May 2020

You are correct, theres going to be links to whoever did it no matter the motive, but if i was a betting man and i had money to spare i'd put my money on someone affiliated with the church doing it to gain fame/financial support.

 

not_the_one

(2,227 posts)
53. Welcome to the party, Angrybob2001
Sun May 24, 2020, 07:50 PM
May 2020


Obviously there are always exceptions, but as a general rule, we don't tend to hurt people or destroy property when we disagree with the other side.

AKing

(511 posts)
20. Considering they couldn't spell "Hypocrite" correctly,I'm gonna go with a right-wing kook...
Fri May 22, 2020, 06:01 PM
May 2020

as the arsonist. Militia member looking to sow unrest perhaps and thinks it's an easy way to blame progressives and others who believe in science.

roamer65

(36,739 posts)
21. Hmmm...this one is real tussle.
Fri May 22, 2020, 06:27 PM
May 2020

Especially since these freaks just love to burn black churches. Not a lot of sympathy here. I’m trying to find a fuck to give. Looks like I am out.

Odds are it was a inside job for the insurance money.

Solly Mack

(90,740 posts)
22. Lack of tithing makes pastor desperate?
Fri May 22, 2020, 06:45 PM
May 2020

Donations from the outraged should pour in now. Not to mention the insurance.

Sure. It could have been someone angry the church was fighting against safer at home orders.

But color me dubious.

maxrandb

(15,192 posts)
23. A Democrat would know how to spell hypocrite.
Fri May 22, 2020, 06:49 PM
May 2020

Definitely a false flag.

Probably not getting the weekly inflush of cash in the collection plate and burned it on purpose for the insurance money.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
51. By your logic, a Democrat should know how to spell "influx" as well.
Sun May 24, 2020, 04:30 PM
May 2020

You must be a Republican operative. Spelling/grammatical errors are not the sole purview of the right. Damn near every thread on DU proves that. The funniest ones are those that mock the errors of others while containing their own errors. Glass houses, stones, etc.

EAB

(7 posts)
25. Disquieting
Fri May 22, 2020, 09:29 PM
May 2020

When I first saw this headline this morning, I was appalled. The burning of a church is an assault on American values. Yes, the members of this church are recklessly endangering other people’s lives with their willfully narrow-minded understanding of worship (really to make a political point, I would suspect). I get that (and don’t get me going on that). But vigilantism only makes things worse.

When I got a chance to reply, I saw that there’s been a blame-the-victim pile-on, based on no evidence whatsoever. Come on — we can do better. To say that the American right has been provocative in recent years would be the understatement of the century, but we have to stay on the high road and stay above the maelstrom of madness that has consumed the American right. (I just try to take a deep breath and focus on November.)

bluecollar2

(3,622 posts)
29. Stay on the high road?
Sat May 23, 2020, 07:03 AM
May 2020

Are you kidding me?

The next 6 months are going to be a bar fight. The tea party and trump aided by the republicans are going to use every dirty trick they have including the possibility of burning their own church.

Hitler did it in Poland to justify his invasion of Poland....no reason it can't happen again.

yardwork

(61,418 posts)
35. This is your first post on DU.
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:10 AM
May 2020

Welcome to DU. Did you join DU to post about this? Are you member of this community in MS?

EAB

(7 posts)
36. To respond to responses...
Sat May 23, 2020, 12:33 PM
May 2020

I agree — between now and November will be ugly. (And perhaps after, as Trump seems unable to accept the idea that he could lose the election.) And presumably the bizarre and destructive will continue apace. (I so wish I had a video camera going to record my nine-year-old’s expression when I told him about the bleach comment.)

But automatically jumping to conclusions doesn’t get us anywhere we want to go. It’s enough to express that something awful happened and hope for a thorough investigation.

On a side note, I think people are perhaps talking about the Reichstag fire. If there was a church burning that was used as an excuse for invading Poland, kindly direct me to a source. I inhaled a lot of WWII history as a kid and as the Clash would say, “Well, some of it was true.” When I have time, I like to correct that with a more adult perspective.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
37. Assuming the assertions above are true that this is a black church ...
Sat May 23, 2020, 01:54 PM
May 2020

My bet is on some wingnut racist burned down this black church.

Someone who thought they could 'kill two birds one stone', with their 'clever' message making it appear as though 'stay at home' type of folks were the perps.

Cui Bono? Think about it.

Welcome to DU.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
46. Hence my caging based on another comment, I didn't know either way ...
Sun May 24, 2020, 02:07 PM
May 2020

In this case, I am less inclined to lean either way as to whether the perp is 'inside' or 'outside' based, but I still doubt the, let's call it 'sincerity', of the graffiti. I think it's a misdirect.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,154 posts)
38. there was a false flag attack on a radio station that Hitler used as an excuse to invade Poland
Sat May 23, 2020, 03:40 PM
May 2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident

Hardly anyone believed it at the time, as far as I can tell. Not a church, but the Reichstag wasn't either. And I don't think it's ever been proved that the Reichstag fire was a real "false flag", as opposed to a genuine attack by a opponent of Hitler or Germany that Hitler just then took advantage of.

The Magistrate

(95,237 posts)
44. They Left a Corpse Or Two On The Scene, Sir
Sat May 23, 2020, 07:59 PM
May 2020

Concentration camp prisoners put into uniform after being shot. The term employed was 'canned goods'.

The basic thing is an old wheeze. In several instances in my city, local candidates have had a round or two fired into a campaign office window for occasion to denounce an opponent's 'thuggery'.

I do not say the minister burnt his own church, there is evidence only of arson, that the fire was set deliberately. But given the sort of political shit-heel the minister is, he certainly cannot be ruled out as an arson suspect at present, on the evidence available to the public.

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
39. I have to wonder, did the building need some expensive repairs?
Sat May 23, 2020, 05:16 PM
May 2020

Last edited Sat May 23, 2020, 06:04 PM - Edit history (1)

This might have been a "solution..."

From the looks of Jerry Waldrop's wife's facebook page, that church had some pretty expensive lighting, sound equipment and a big flat screen in the sanctuary. There was some serious money spent on that.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.waldrop.96/

 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
42. Looks as though the minister doesn't stay in one church very long...
Sat May 23, 2020, 05:52 PM
May 2020

At least as of March 30, 2019, Jerry Waldrop was the minister of West Thonotosassa Baptist Church in Richland, FL

https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/friends-tried-to-talk-her-out-of-moving-back-in-with-her-son-weeks-later-barbara-sharp-was-dead-20190319/?template=amp

Oddly enough - he's still listed on their website as their minister:
https://www.westthonotosassabaptistchurch.com/about

In 2017-2019, he was on the pastoral staff at Mogadore Baptist Church in Akron, OH, as youth/music minister.

http://www.oarbc.org/file-browser/file/2018-19_OARBC_DIRECTORY_Revised_for_Web%252Epdf


http://www.mogadorebaptist.com/about-us/upcoming-church-events/

When I typed in his name - this appeared in autofill:



I have to wonder if something was up with him that he didn't stay in one church very long, and then switched denomiations....

More -

http://www.onevoicemusic.faithweb.com/songstersqt.htm

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