Keystone UCC Supports CA Episcopal Church In Speaking Out!

[mntleo2]

Cross posted at Daily Kos and Street Prophets:


Cross posted in Street Prophets and Democratic Underground

My minister, Rich Gamble, announced today in church that since All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena is being investigated by the IRS as to whether or not they deserve non exempt status, he plans to inform the IRS that our church has been against the war since the first rumblings about mushroom clouds began. As a congregation we plan to stand resolutely alongside him because we all believe this war was unjust. As an individual who has stood up against this war myself, I plan to stand with him. I hope other churches join in Rich's declaration for peace and justice.

I write from my own heart here, but I am beyond proud to stand with my church. I belong to it because the history of this denomination comes from a long tradition of standing up for the little guy. In this its history, we have listened to the voices such a Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and others who tell us that if we remain silent, it only gets worse. God calls us to stand up at these times. Once it was time to stand up for slaves that were kidnapped and taken from their home who suffered in the belly of a filthy slaveholder on its way to America. In the middle of the ocean, these brave people overthrew the crew of the ship, it was called, "the Amistad". Lawyers from this denomination believed these people did not deserve the fate forced upon them, so they stood up in the newly formed courts of this land and defended these innocents from the accusations of mutiny ~ and they won. This was during a time when slavery was big business and brought a great deal of wealth to a few ~ some of whom belonged to this church.

We stood with the loggers in the NW against the tyranny of big business sawmills and helped with the forming of unions. We stood with Martin Luther King against racial hatred. We stood with the people of South and Central America who were being butchered by out trained mercenaries. Now it is time to stand with a church in Pasadena who had the b bravery to speak out against this unjust war that is killing innocents and our troops for no good reason.

Along with all the other tricks in his bag, Richard Nixon sent the IRS after his enemies and it appears that this administration is taking lessons from his book. If the IRS wants to single out a church in California for standing up and expressing its beliefs,, then they deserve no less than we do. All Saints Episcopal Church did not recommend anyone particular be voted upon those few days before the last election. As I remember it, both candidates endorsed the war, so it would have been little use to favor one over the other if one was against the war. Thus the IRS should also take a close look at the mega-churches across this land who spoke boldly from their pulpits as well as from massive phone banks telling Americans that a vote for George Bush is a vote for God and country ~nad you could not call yourself a Christian unless you voted their way. I personally got a call with this very message from one of those mega church on my home phone three days before the last presidential election, while I was in church praying for the deliverance of innocents in this unjust war.

I am learning some deep wisdom here about the world through my faith. You can rig all the elections you want, you can pump millions into a candidate and you can pack the courts, hire your unqualified cronies, you can rape the earth and other people's resources for your own gain, and you can make legislation on the backs of the poor to satisfy your own rampant, unquenched greed all right. But you *cannot* EVER buy respect or love, you only buy with your blood money, the elements of fear. This my friend, is not what Jesus taught no matter how many times someone utters the name Jesus in the same breath as war.

John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..." The Bible also says this about love and fear: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)


And to this I say, "So be it!" Which is English for: AMEN!!!!

Cat In Seattle <---Proud member of Keystone UCC In Seattle

[realFedUp]

1. Thanks for your solidarity

You can find Ed's sermon from this morning
titled The IRS Goes to Church, Nov. 13

http://www.allsaints-pas.org/all_saints_church.htm

[KoKo]

2. I heard an interview on NPR with the Minister of All Saints Episcopal

He felt...it was time to speak out on First Amendendment Rights...and it was an "interesting discussion."

[I_Make_Mistakes]

3. Didn't Jesus prevent the onset of a battle in the Garden of

Gethsemane? How would preaching about not battling be anything but preaching/teaching Christianity?

The Repukes twist facts, but this is not twisting. There would have been a small battle with the Romans and might have escalated to an even larger battle (those following Jesus, where substantial in number, and the Romans), and even a war, but Jesus stopped it before it started right?

I don't see how the IRS would have a case about this, however, Robertson calling for the assassination of foreign Democratically elected President, that's another story.

Thank God for churches such as yours. I actually think this could be the beginning of a Christian Left Blowback, and the response is probably being calculated as we speak!

[KoKo]

4. Whatever...as an Episcopalian..I feel my Church/Faith has let me down

as Cheney would say: "BIG TIME!" What's really gross/disgusting is that both Karl Rove and Joe Wilson ...seem to attend the same Episcopal Church where they live. Yet according to my "hero," Joe Wilson, they attend different forms of the service.

I assume this means the Episcopalians are now doing what the Fundies are.

They hold a "Contemporary Service" and a "Traditional Service."

Only those DU'ers who are "church go'ers would understand the difference here...but I figure ALOT OF YOU ...really DO ..GET THE DIFFERENCE.

:-(

[mntleo2]

5. Keystone UCC Supports CA Episcopal Church In Speaking Out!

Cross posted at Daily Kos and Street Prophets:


Cross posted in Street Prophets and Democratic Underground

My minister, Rich Gamble, announced today in church that since All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena is being investigated by the IRS as to whether or not they deserve non exempt status, he plans to inform the IRS that our church has been against the war since the first rumblings about mushroom clouds began. As a congregation we plan to stand resolutely alongside him because we all believe this war was unjust. As an individual who has stood up against this war myself, I plan to stand with him. I hope other churches join in Rich's declaration for peace and justice.

I write from my own heart here, but I am beyond proud to stand with my church. I belong to it because the history of this denomination comes from a long tradition of standing up for the little guy. In this its history, we have listened to the voices such a Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and others who tell us that if we remain silent, it only gets worse. God calls us to stand up at these times. Once it was time to stand up for slaves that were kidnapped and taken from their home who suffered in the belly of a filthy slaveholder on its way to America. In the middle of the ocean, these brave people overthrew the crew of the ship, it was called, "the Amistad". Lawyers from this denomination believed these people did not deserve the fate forced upon them, so they stood up in the newly formed courts of this land and defended these innocents from the accusations of mutiny ~ and they won. This was during a time when slavery was big business and brought a great deal of wealth to a few ~ some of whom belonged to this church.

We stood with the loggers in the NW against the tyranny of big business sawmills and helped with the forming of unions. We stood with Martin Luther King against racial hatred. We stood with the people of South and Central America who were being butchered by out trained mercenaries. Now it is time to stand with a church in Pasadena who had the b bravery to speak out against this unjust war that is killing innocents and our troops for no good reason.

Along with all the other tricks in his bag, Richard Nixon sent the IRS after his enemies and it appears that this administration is taking lessons from his book. If the IRS wants to single out a church in California for standing up and expressing its beliefs,, then they deserve no less than we do. All Saints Episcopal Church did not recommend anyone particular be voted upon those few days before the last election. As I remember it, both candidates endorsed the war, so it would have been little use to favor one over the other if one was against the war. Thus the IRS should also take a close look at the mega-churches across this land who spoke boldly from their pulpits as well as from massive phone banks telling Americans that a vote for George Bush is a vote for God and country ~nad you could not call yourself a Christian unless you voted their way. I personally got a call with this very message from one of those mega church on my home phone three days before the last presidential election, while I was in church praying for the deliverance of innocents in this unjust war.

I am learning some deep wisdom here about the world through my faith. You can rig all the elections you want, you can pump millions into a candidate and you can pack the courts, hire your unqualified cronies, you can rape the earth and other people's resources for your own gain, and you can make legislation on the backs of the poor to satisfy your own rampant, unquenched greed all right. But you *cannot* EVER buy respect or love, you only buy with your blood money, the elements of fear. This my friend, is not what Jesus taught no matter how many times someone utters the name Jesus in the same breath as war.

John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..." The Bible also says this about love and fear: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)


And to this I say, "So be it!" Which is English for: AMEN!!!!

Cat In Seattle <---Proud member of Keystone UCC In Seattle

[LeftCoast]

6. Would you like me to lock this dupe?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

7. Didn't Jesus prevent the onset of a battle in the Garden of

Gethsemane? How would preaching about not battling be anything but preaching/teaching Christianity?

The Repukes twist facts, but this is not twisting. There would have been a small battle with the Romans and might have escalated to an even larger battle (those following Jesus, where substantial in number, and the Romans), and even a war, but Jesus stopped it before it started right?

I don't see how the IRS would have a case about this, however, Robertson calling for the assassination of foreign Democratically elected President, that's another story.

Thank God for churches such as yours. I actually think this could be the beginning of a Christian Left Blowback, and the response is probably being calculated as we speak!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

8. I think you should lock, because there will be posters such as me

who would think our posts were deleted. I reposted by the way!

[mntleo2]

9. What did I do wrong?

If I did, I am sorry!

Cat in seattle

[I_Make_Mistakes]

10. Nothing, it just double posted. There are two threads!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

11. Kick for night time readers