Worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles hold commitment ceremony

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press

 Updated 4:43 pm, Wednesday, February 28, 2018



Men wear crowns and hold unloaded weapons at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, Wednesday Feb. 28, 2018 in Newfoundland, Pa. Worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles participated in a commitment ceremony at the Pennsylvania-based church. The event Wednesday morning led a nearby school to cancel classes for the day. The church's leader, the Rev. Sean Moon, said in a prayer that God gave people the right to bear arms.
(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa. (AP) — Crown-wearing worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles drank holy wine and exchanged or renewed wedding vows in a commitment ceremony at a Pennsylvania church on Wednesday, prompting a nearby school to cancel classes.

With state police and a smattering of protesters standing watch outside the church, brides clad in white and grooms in dark suits brought dozens of unloaded AR-15s into World Peace and Unification Sanctuary for a religious event that doubled as an advertisement for the Second Amendment.

The church, which has a worldwide following, believes the AR-15 symbolizes the "rod of iron" in the book of Revelation, and encouraged couples to bring the weapons. An AR-15 was used in the Florida high school massacre on Feb. 14.

The Rev. Sean Moon, who leads the church, prayed for "a kingdom of peace police and peace militia where the citizens, through the right given to them by almighty God to keep and bear arms, will be able to protect one another and protect human flourishing."

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Pennsylvania-based-church-to-host-ceremony-12715340.php

[Lars39]

1. Moonies, iirc

Good grief

[Locrian]

43. I thought you we're kidding...

Moon is the son of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church, which critics regard as a cult. The younger Moon's congregation is a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, which had distanced itself from Wednesday's event.

You can't make this shit up.....

[dlk]

2. There's Never a Shortage of Crazy People

[RKP5637]

4. US is working hard to be #1 crazy. n/t

[Renew Deal]

3. Is this from the Purge?

Blessed are our new founding fathers. lol

[backtoblue]

20. I thought it had to be fake

What in the hell is going on in this world?

Horror movie, indeed.

[Frustratedlady]

5. Washed out old farts trying to relocate their lost masculinity.

I suppose the costumes add to the excitement? Sad.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. This looks like a Monty Python sketch, only funnier

And Monty Python is frickin' funny!

[Chellee]

7. 🙄

Why is it, that the people who love these things the most, are the biggest loons?

Nevermind... I think I've answered my own question.

[mountain grammy]

8. Crazy land. We'll never recover.

[Freedomofspeech]

19. That is my fear.

[marble falls]

9. Unloaded yet. Whatever happened to "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"?...

Maybe they read it as "pass up the ammunition". They must not trust each other around semi-autos.

[cp]

10. My photo caption: Big guns, tiny penises

Can't make this shit up, but no novelist would get away with it

[Maggiemayhem]

11. Moonie Jrs... Making America a World Wide Laughing Stock

[Ztolkins]

12. What the fuck is happening?

[trueblue2007]

13. it is NOT a CHURCH ...... TAX it now !!!!

NO place in MY King James Bible do i find ::: "through the right given to them by almighty God to keep and bear arms, will be able to protect one another and protect human flourishing."


It is NOT IN THE BIBLE. These people are not following Christian principles through Jesus Christ.

They are ASSHOLES..... says this Christian lad. sorry i am vulgar, but i am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo angry.

i am MAD.

[Orange Free State]

27. Its in the Book of Armaments n/t

[trueblue2007]

39. haaaa ha ha h ,,,, Armaments must be after Judges !!!!

[elleng]

14. Actually 'god' gave people the right to BARE arms.

[Maven]

15. OMG. I thought this was The Onion. nt

[blugbox]

16. Total psychos

The Bible never mentions guns seeing as it's a couple thousand years early... how do they interpret that in any way?

Reminds me of the Children of Atom from Fallout series...They worship nuclear energy like a god...

"Behold! He's coming with the clouds! And every eye shall be blind with his glory! Every ear shall be stricken deaf to hear the thunder of his voice! Give your bodies to Atom, my friends. Release yourself to his power, feel his Glow and be Divided!"

[Liberalagogo]

17. Future ceremony:

[genxlib]

18. Remember that picture

When you see anything, I mean ANYTHING, from the Washington Times.

They are owned by the same lunatics. And they have been operating under the borrowed credibility of sound alike papers NY Times and Washington Post.

[riversedge]

21. Ah, the crowns make it so beautiful.

NOT

[keithbvadu2]

22. commitment ceremony - usually between people

commitment ceremony - usually between people

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&biw=1121&bih=476&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=-zyXWoupCMKS0gL_jqvQBA&q=commitment+ceremony&oq=commitment+ceremony&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.176617.176617.0.177533.1.1.0.0.0.0.148.148.0j1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.148....0.kzOeQBgvuY4

Had seen an image of a disappointed wife glaring at her hubby sleeping with his rifle.

[xxqqqzme]

25. Commitment ceremony?

Is this why RWNJs are so worried about legalization of same sex marriage? Only I thought the progression was supposed to be person and animal.

[rockfordfile]

23. Basically they're celebrating the murder in Florida. They remind me sort of like a ISIS

[Virtual Burlesque]

24. Since when has an AR-15 been a liturgical implement?

One's local gun laws give one the right, and some unknown git in the Ottoman Empire of the late 14th Century gave one the ability to keep and bear guns. It has nothing to do with God.

Whatever is the religion of the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, it's not Christian, since guns were unknown in biblical times and the result of their use is anathema to every brand of Christianity based on the Bible.

If you insist on dragging religion into this, Jesus recommended beating your swords (weapons) into plowshares, not carrying them into your church to have your deity give it a polish.

[markpkessinger]

36. Kind of renders moot an old joke that used to circulate in Episcopal circles . . .

Q: What is worse, a liturgist or a terrorist?

A: Definitely a liturgist -- you can negotiate with a terrorist!

[JDC]

26. F'in lunatics.

[Orange Free State]

28. Note that their weapons are all different from each other.

I don’t think these people believe in same-caliber commitment ceremonies. Anyway, now that they have all gone through said ceremony I guess we can all sleep more soundly knowing that they are no longer living in sin with their AR-15s.

[jpak]

29. I worked seasonally near Newfoundland PA

These people are NOT representative of the local population.

Mostly, they are pro-gun hunting working-class Reagan-Democrat folks and lots of rich people from NJ that have lakeside homes on Lake Wallenpaupack.

Please let this be a tipping point.

From the reaction of the local school system - hopefully it is.....

[packman]

30. Best laff of the day -

"Daddy, is that you in the pink robe with the diamond tiara?"

[njhoneybadger]

31. These wack jobs are about 45 minutes from my house.

[wysimdnwyg]

32. I have friends and family (extended) who believe this shit

WTF? Where in the bible does it mention anything like an AR-15? I'm sure it's somewhere in the Old Testament. God was a pretty violent asshole then. (Yes, I said it, and yes, I mean it. It's true. Well, if you believe in the bible.)

[eissa]

33. Muslims hold gun blessing at local mosque

How quickly would the ATF, Fox News, and every “patriot” with a gun storm that venue had that been the scenario?

[keithbvadu2]

34. With this weapon made for killing children, I thee wed.

With this weapon made for killing children, I thee wed.

[LiberalFighter]

35. Too bad they weren't loaded.

[Beacool]

37. We live in a sick country.

[Granny M]

38. Kooks.

Kooks with guns. They believe the AR-15 symbolises a "rod of iron". Ummm..... bet there are a bunch of disappointed wives.

[Skittles]

41. they're actually displaying why they should not have these weapons

yup

[truthisfreedom]

40. Gundamentalism at its finest.

[Locrian]

42. that is some of the sickest, creepiest, shit I've ever seen n/t