Mikel Featherston wrote:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060308/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests

And then a bolt of lightning struck the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, and God appeared among the clouds and said, in his Godly voice, "YOU PISS ME OFF!"

Sorry, just wishful thinking.

William Coleman wrote:

And then a bolt of lightning struck the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, and God appeared among the clouds and said, in his Godly voice, "YOU PISS ME OFF!"

Sorry, just wishful thinking.

I was just wishing some Islamic fundamentalists would go over there and do the anti-matter/matter thing and explode on contact with them.

Mikel Featherston wrote:

I was just wishing some Islamic fundamentalists would go over there and do the anti-matter/matter thing and explode on contact with them.

That would be nice.  And it would be a good physics lesson for our young people.

BodyPainter Rich  wrote:
Wow...I wish the OP wasn't so cryptic, I almost didn't click on the article.

A bad habit of mine. I'm glad you took the time to click through.

BodyPainter Rich  wrote:
And any church that is so freakin' homophobic that they condemn the soldiers who fight for the country that gives gay people the right to exist????

I've read other articles that suggest the church is almost entirely made up of the leader's extended family. This very well could be a gross exaggeration, but if it is true, it doesn't say much about what it takes to form a church. I just hope it's not a tax-exempt organization.

Mikel Featherston wrote:
I've read other articles that suggest the church is almost entirely made up of the leader's extended family. This very well could be a gross exaggeration, but if it is true, it doesn't say much about what it takes to form a church. I just hope it's not a tax-exempt organization.

You can bet they are tax exempt, and if it is anything like other groups I've seen all the other rumors could be true. It's all just a matter of degrees.

BodyPainter Rich  wrote:

You can bet they are tax exempt

Now *that* offends me.

So if I pick up a bible, start spinning my own personal interpretation of it, have a whole bunch of kids to call my followers, and con a couple of outsiders to drink my flavor of kool-aid, I can get tax-exempt status for my little enterprise?

Mikel Featherston wrote:

Now *that* offends me.

So if I pick up a bible, start spinning my own personal interpretation of it, have a whole bunch of kids to call my followers, and con a couple of outsiders to drink my flavor of kool-aid, I can get tax-exempt status for my little enterprise?

that's just the tip of the iceberg....

Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate a national effort to expand opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations and to strengthen their capacity to better meet America's social and community needs, it is hereby ordered as follows:


Section 1. Establishment of a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security.

(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall establish within the Department of Homeland Security (Department) a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Center).

(b) The Center shall be supervised by a Director appointed by Secretary. The Secretary shall consult with the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHOFBCI Director) prior to making such appointment.

(c) The Department shall provide the Center with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.

(d) The Center shall begin operations no later than 45 days from the date of this order.

Sec. 2. Purpose of Center. The purpose of the Center shall be to coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social and community services.

Sec. 3. Responsibilities of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In carrying out the purpose set forth in section 2 of this order, the Center shall:

(a) conduct, in coordination with the WHOFBCI Director, a department-wide audit to identify all existing barriers to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and community services by the Department, including but not limited to regulations, rules, orders, procure-ment, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities that unlawfully discriminate against, or otherwise discourage or disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal programs;

(b) coordinate a comprehensive departmental effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in Department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible;

(c) propose initiatives to remove barriers identified pursuant to section 3(a) of this order, including but not limited to reform of regulations, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities;

(d) propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives; and

(e) develop and coordinate Departmental outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith-based and other community organizations with respect to programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other agency initiatives, including but not limited to Web and Internet resources.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases … 307-5.html

Mikel Featherston wrote:

I was just wishing some Islamic fundamentalists would go over there and do the anti-matter/matter thing and explode on contact with them.

Have you ever looked up the Islamic opion on hom sexuals?

qphotonyc wrote:

that's just the tip of the iceberg....

Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate a national effort to expand opportunities for faith-based and other community organizations and to strengthen their capacity to better meet America's social and community needs, it is hereby ordered as follows:


Section 1. Establishment of a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security.

(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall establish within the Department of Homeland Security (Department) a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Center).

(b) The Center shall be supervised by a Director appointed by Secretary. The Secretary shall consult with the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHOFBCI Director) prior to making such appointment.

(c) The Department shall provide the Center with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.

(d) The Center shall begin operations no later than 45 days from the date of this order.

Sec. 2. Purpose of Center. The purpose of the Center shall be to coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social and community services.

Sec. 3. Responsibilities of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In carrying out the purpose set forth in section 2 of this order, the Center shall:

(a) conduct, in coordination with the WHOFBCI Director, a department-wide audit to identify all existing barriers to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and community services by the Department, including but not limited to regulations, rules, orders, procure-ment, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities that unlawfully discriminate against, or otherwise discourage or disadvantage the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal programs;

(b) coordinate a comprehensive departmental effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in Department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible;

(c) propose initiatives to remove barriers identified pursuant to section 3(a) of this order, including but not limited to reform of regulations, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities;

(d) propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives; and

(e) develop and coordinate Departmental outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith-based and other community organizations with respect to programming changes, contracting opportunities, and other agency initiatives, including but not limited to Web and Internet resources.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases … 307-5.html

And what is wrong with this? Giving soup money to church volunteers to feed the homeless and other programs and effort that the goverment red tape sucks at but religious groups often do well. Even Thoma Jefferson supported letting churches using federal buildings for services, this just says letting them use fund for communty service.

I love that you but the whole text and the reference where you found it, most arent that honest. Great work. Even if I'm not sure of our point.

Martin IV

StudioD wrote:
That church couldn't be further from what the Scriptures say! Thanking God for devices that cowardly kill our troops?!?! Thankfully, I live in one of the states that prohibit these idiots from protesting a heartbreaking event; a funeral of a fallen loved one. These people aren't true Christians; they are sub-level IQ pukes!

Whether or not they are truly Christians is between them and God.  I will say however that it seems to me the intent and purpose of the "new testament" is to convert people to Christianity and I do not see them leading people to this end.

As far as a law being written goes, they have the constitutional right to "peacefully " assemble.  I suppose a an argument can be made that their assembling is anything but peacefull.

MartinCoatesIV wrote:

Have you ever looked up the Islamic opion on hom sexuals?

Naw, but that wasn't the aim of my post. The fact of the matter is, both groups are pretty much the same in terms of how they interact with the outside world. Odds are that no other fundamentalist group of any flavor would act agaisnt them, out of professional courtesy... not unlike lawyers and sharks.

Horsie Girl wrote:
I was not properly offended, and now I am disappointed.......

I'm sorry dear... I will try harder next time.

Mikel Featherston wrote:

I'm sorry dear... I will try harder next time.

Well, thank you!

Mikel Featherston wrote:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060308/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests

Oh My... very very inappropriate and disrespectful.  Perhaps folks should picket their church since as citizens also of the US they haven't seen to it that those laws are removed from the books (not that they should be).

MartinCoatesIV wrote:
I love that you but the whole text and the reference where you found it, most arent that honest. Great work. Even if I'm not sure of our point.

Martin IV

the point was a reply to a post about religious groups being tax exempt. this takes it to the next level: actively seeking opportunities to direct tax dollars to religious orgs.
in the homeland security program as a matter of fact...it's not about feeding the hungry, aiding the sick, etc- in other words not the traditional works done by reloigious orgs which you pointed out.

MartinCoatesIV wrote:
And what is wrong with this? Giving soup money to church volunteers to feed the homeless and other programs and effort that the goverment red tape sucks at but religious groups often do well. Even Thoma Jefferson supported letting churches using federal buildings for services, this just says letting them use fund for communty service.

The thing that is wrong is groups like the group mentioned by the OP now qualify for our tax dollars to do "community service" work. Is there oversite? Are they fair? Would they let gay homeless people shelter with them or eat at their table?

Too much "community service" by too many churches is not just help for those in need, it is proselytizing to the deperate. Church organizations raise plenty of money on their own. Meanwhile the current government is cutting funds for Head Start in our area, a proven program that raises school test scores, English comprehension for kids with immigrant parents, and protects children from abuse and neglect on a daily basis! So if poor people want preschool options for their kids they have to send them to a school where they hear bible stories all day and maybe every once in a while someone brings up the word abomination.

That is just part of what is wrong with "this".