Pa. school to close due to churchs blessing ceremony involving AR-15s

[riversedge]

Source: the hill


By Rebecca Savransky - 02/26/18 12:42 PM EST

......................................

The superintendent of the Wallenpaupack Area School District wrote in a letter to parents that students will instead be taken to schools about 15 miles away, The Associated Press reported.

The superintendent in the letter said there is "no direct threat," but said there are worries about parking, traffic and the "nature of the event."

The World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Newfoundland, Pa., is telling couples to bring their semi-automatic rifles to a blessing ceremony it is scheduled to hold Wednesday.

The event is meant to give couples an opportunity "to show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation," The Times-Tribune in Scranton reported last week.

All of the weapons will be checked to make sure they are unloaded, Sanctuary Church President Richard Panzer said in an email. The church is also inviting local and state police to be on the premise so that "everything goes safely," he said......................

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/375620-pa-school-to-close-for-churchs-blessing-ceremony-involving-ar-15s

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Edit --a few DU members set me straight on the meaning-context of these articles and I have deleted my comment.

Thanks.



http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/school-close-for-church-ceremony-featuring-rifles/PHfwQe4XptvpLvOZlKENAK/



..................

Superintendent Michael Silsby added there will be an increased security presence at the school all week.

The church, a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, has said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, well before the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school. Authorities say the alleged gunman used an AR-15 in the attack that killed 17.

Church officials say that weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.

The Unification Sanctuary's leader, the Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church, which is often described as a cult.

The Unification Church has distanced itself from Wednesday's event, saying its ceremonies and theology do not involve weapons........................

[genxlib]

1. That is not what it says.

The school district is moving students to get them away from this insane event and its unbalanced attendees.

[riversedge]

11. Yes, You are right and I misread.

[Fred Sanders]

2. All guns to be unloaded? Now just metal sticks. So all for show...why not all bring bats?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

23. hammer and nails

When they're inside worshipping their AR-15s, nail it up.

[pnwmom]

3. No! They are busing the kids AWAY from the gun ceremony, not toward it. n/t

[riversedge]

9. Thanks.. you are right. I re-read the letter and now understand the situation.

[pnwmom]

21. The truth is bad enough. The idea of blessing guns at church is truly disgusting. Thanks for posting

[jberryhill]

34. Contmplate what sort of a church this is

What’s weird is that I’m pretty sure that back in the 70’s there was a Moonie reprogramming camp up there.

But these are people in a cult that broke away from another cult.

[pnwmom]

36. Well, the Moonies were a Christian cult. This apparently is a Christian gun cult?

ON EDIT: I just followed a link and this is the name of the Church:

World Peace and Unification Sanctuary

It's run by a son of the original founder. So it's a cult of a cult.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/school-close-for-church-ceremony-featuring-rifles/PHfwQe4XptvpLvOZlKENAK/

The church, a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, has said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, well before the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school. Authorities say the gunman there used an AR-15 in an attack that killed 17.

Church officials say that weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.

The Unification Sanctuary's leader, the Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church.

The Unification Church, which is often described as a cult, has distanced itself from Wednesday's event, saying its ceremonies and theology do not involve weapons.

[jberryhill]

37. The Moonies are not a Christian cult

It’s a personality cult around that weird ass Korean guy.

[jmowreader]

38. But...y'know, jberryhill...

How can you have "peace" without small arms?

[jberryhill]

41. Hes got a Glock 40, in his hands

He’s got an AR-15, in his hands

He’s got a sawed off shotgun in his hands,

He’s got everyone’s lives in his hands...

[pnwmom]

39. I just posted this above, about the church. It was founded by the son of the Moonie founder.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/school-close-for-church-ceremony-featuring-rifles/PHfwQe4XptvpLvOZlKENAK/

The church, a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, has said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, well before the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school. Authorities say the gunman there used an AR-15 in an attack that killed 17.

Church officials say that weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.

The Unification Sanctuary's leader, the Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church.

The Unification Church, which is often described as a cult, has distanced itself from Wednesday's event, saying its ceremonies and theology do not involve weapons.

Rev. Moon DID present himself as a Christian -- as the Messiah that the Christian Church had been waiting for.
(You know, kinda like Trump.)

But his teachings were an odd mixture of Christian teachings, Confucianism, and Moonie-specific stuff.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/03/moonies-sun-myung-moon-dies

Moon was born in what would become North Korea in 1920 to a family that followed Confucian beliefs, but when he was 10 years old the family converted to Christianity and joined the Presbyterian church.

Moon said he was 16 when Jesus Christ called upon him to complete His work. He said he resisted twice before finally accepting the task.

He was jailed for five years by the North Korean government in 1948, but escaped in 1950 when his guards fled as United Nations troops advanced. He was an active anti-Communist throughout the cold war.

Moon founded the church in 1954 amid the ruins of South Korea and promoted a mixture of Christianity and his own conservative, family-oriented teachings. He preached new interpretations of lessons from the Bible, and fused elements of Christianity and Confucianism – outlining his principles in his book, Explanation of the Divine Principle, published in 1957.

[jberryhill]

40. While I do recognize that anyone can call themselves anything

Religions in which the central figure is a living human tend to be among the wackier ones.

This is the Dick Panzer division of the Unification Church.

[pnwmom]

42. Agreed. Imagine being the children of a man like that. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

4. Shaking my head

[Paladin]

5. What---or who---would Jesus shoot?

Good for that school administrator.

[brewens]

6. Wouldn't it be safer to have them all loaded? I mean we aren't talking about arming teachers with

unloaded guns.

[ffr]

7. "show their willingness to defend their families?" Get a dog.

Defend the community and nation? I don't know of any NRA or conservative on any level that would do that. They are literally the biggest cowards I know of.

[Leghorn21]

8. Shit. Be. CRAY. nt

[jmowreader]

12. Moonies with AR-15s. I feel safer now.

[jberryhill]

35. Just buy a fucking flower

They’re done asking nicely.

[pnwmom]

43. LOL. n/t

[DownriverDem]

13. Why is it at the school?

I don't get this. It doesn't say what time this is to take place. Why would a school district agree to this?

[riversedge]

15. I misread it the first time also. Actually, the school district is moving their students

by bus to another one of its campuses so that they will not be near the Church at is doing the blessing. The Church is just down the road per the article and they expect hundreds of couples. Wise move by the district. IMHO

[kcr]

20. Okay, that makes more sense.

I thought maybe it was a matter of they open their doors to some, they have to open them to all, only taken to extreme. Glad to hear that isn't the case.

[jberryhill]

32. They expect hundreds of couples

Did a whole bunch of people for whom being Moonies wasn’t already crazy enough for them go in on a piece of land or something?

[world wide wally]

14. I would expect this country to be under constant lightning strikes by now

[jberryhill]

31. People like this prove there are no gods

[bdtrppr6]

16. i would expect all of these folks getting

their guns "blessed" will register them, purchase insurance to cover any victims' families in the case of accident or theft, have their names as owners publicly listed and trackable until they sell or destroy the weapon.

[TNNurse]

17. OK, the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary is doing this????

To quote a favorite character from "Outlander" ... "Jesus H Roosevelt Christ"

[weissmam]

18. I am not going to mince words

"to show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation," really delusional ass-holes

[Javaman]

19. Concrete Blonde - God Is A Bullet

There's a green plaid jacket on the back of the chair
It's like a moment frozen forever there
Mom and dad had a lot of big plans for their little man
"So proud."
Mama's gone crazy 'cause her baby's shot down
By some teenage car chase war out of bounds
It was the wrong place wrong time wrong end of a gun.
Shoot straight from the hip
Gone forever in a trigger slip
You know, it could have been
It could have been your brother.
Shoot straight shoot to kill
Blame each other, blame yourselves
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone
They're gonna call me sir they'll all stop picking on me
Well I'm a high school grad I'm over 5 foot 3
I'll get a badge and a gun and I'll join the P.D.
They'll see
He didn't have to use the gun they put in his hand
But when the guy came at him, well he panicked and ran
And it's thirty long years before they give him another chance
And it's sad sad sad
John Lennon, Doctor King, Harvey Milk
All for goddamn nothing
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone

[SamKnause]

22. Excellent song !!!

[Akoto]

24. The "World Peace and Unification" Sanctuary -- Now blessing your death machines! n/t

[BHDem53]

25. Church President Panzer?

Are they going to bless tanks next week?

[jberryhill]

30. Dick Panzer no less

[lunasun]

26. Good on the school . I would get the kids the fuck out of the area even though it will disrupt

regular activities . The Blessing of the Guns for couples ?

[jberryhill]

28. a breakaway faction of the Unification Church

[jberryhill]

29. Sanctuary Church President Richard Panzer

Ah, yes, the Dick Panzer Division of the Unification Church.

It all makes sense now.

[rwheeler31]

33. Very smart move for the school district.

I hope they bill this church for any costs to transport the students.