Lakeside Baptist Church, Lakeland, FL...has two signs up to vote yes on Amendment 2

[madfloridian]

Someone told me yesterday that they saw two signs in front of Lakeside Baptist Church in Lakeland that said to vote yes on Amendment 2. Amendment 2 is yet another attempt to ban gay marriage, but this is more dangerous than most of the other attempts. It is a blatant attempt to spread hate and divisiveness, and the push to get people to vote for it has been much more hateful than other attempts. Shame on Lakeside.

Here is more about it:

Consequences:
Similar amendments in other states are being used to take away benefits from public employees (Kentucky, for instance), and dissolve domestic partnership registries used to provide health care benefits and pensions (in Michigan).

Broward and Palm Beach Counties and the cities of Tampa, Gainesville and Miami Beach, among others, offer Domestic Partnership Registries. Most Florida universities and more than half of Fortune 500 companies offer Domestic Partnership benefits. These benefits would be placed at risk, if not outright abolished, if this amendment passes.

Every unmarried Floridian will be impacted by this amendment - especially divorced or widowed seniors and public employees who, under existing programs, can share some benefits such as hospital visitation privileges and health care coverage without being married.

SayNo2.com

Here is a picture of Lakeside Baptist from their website where the first words you see are "Fall in Love With Jesus".

I call that hypocritical, and we asked the person to get a picture of the signs. It is not illegal, but it is ugly and hateful. It is not the way that church was when it was formed in the early 60s. It was a church that taught love and caring then.



This church split in two in 2004 over the narrow agenda that was being pushed. I still have the article about it. The history of this church reflects the journey toward ugliness and divisiveness that our country has made during the last 8 years.

I can tell which side won out because of the signs in front of the church now.

Differing Views Cause Split at Lakeside Baptist

LAKELAND -- Just before the Southern Baptist Convention meeting got under way in Indianapolis last month, there was a "Conservative Resurgence Reunion" marking the 25th anniversary of the start of the movement that turned the denomination in a conservative direction. Struggles between conservatives and moderates, as the two sides identified themselves, for control of the denomination's agencies continued until about 1990, when moderates gave up the fight.

...."In Lakeland, such a dispute has resulted in a split in Lakeside Baptist Church, the only Southern Baptist church in the county that has held moderate positions on some issues. The dispute has apparently had a similar outcome at Lakeside, with conservatives within the church charting its direction.

Lakeside Baptist is one of the larger churches in the area. According to figures from the Florida Baptist Convention, it had 749 members in 2003. The church has been active in a number of Christian and community organizations, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment. It also runs a popular sports program for children and youth.
At least 50 people have left the church over the past several months. In December some of them formed the Lakeland Fellowship and began worshiping in an auditorium at Florida Southern College.

..."Retired Publix president Mark Hollis and his wife, Lynn, left Lakeside in October and joined First United Methodist Church. Hollis said he and his family were charter members of Lakeside in 1963 and had been active members there. He compared the division in the church to the one that took place at the national and state levels in the past.

"It's gone in not just a conservative but a fundamentalist direction. There's just no room for any other point of view," he said.

I am disappointed in this church, and I called the office. I got no answer, will try again.

I am disappointed in this area of Florida that has allowed its common sense and intellect to be dictated to by religious extremists.

If I get the picture, I will post it. Very disappointed.

[FloriTexan]

1. Unbelievable...

How far they have fallen. When are churches going to quit preaching politics from the pulpit or when are they going to start paying taxes.

[madfloridian]

2. Unfortunately...

I think they only have to not endorse from the pulpit to keep that exemption. I know some of the churches are sending letters to members about the amendment, and also some churches are suggesting that Obama might not be a Christian. :shrug:

I think it is perfectly legal....but it is also very hateful for a church to use other people as targets of hate.

[FloriTexan]

3. You know who I'm talking about...

I very recently had some of my southern baptist, central florida family chastise me for my Obama bumper sticker wondering how I could vote for him and said to me that "he is muslim and he is black and that matters" then turn around and complain about how long he stayed in Wright's racist church. I was speechless. Almost.

[madfloridian]

4. I imagine they hear that at church.

And that's the saddest part of all this.

What the churches have become...spreading hate and division.

And I have seen people I once considered moderate and intelligent turn rabidly anti-everything lately.

This is the area with a Baptist church on every other corner and another fundamentalist denomination on the blocks between.

[madfloridian]

7. Yes, I do know you who mean. It is a tragic and sad thing...

when people you love and respect start sounding like they have lost their minds. It hurts. It happened in 2003, and it is happening again.

A few have learned from being unquestioning followers, but too many have not.

Unfortunately in my experience some of the worst offenders are church going people. I sure do hate to say that, but it's true.

[LeftyMom]

6. AFAIK, churches can endorse ballot measures and issues, but not candidates.

Out here on the left coast, our local anti-gay amendment is being funded and advocated almost solely by the Mormons. :eyes:

[madfloridian]

5. The church phone number and email address...

in case it angers you. They have a right, but we also have a right to tell them how much their divisiveness is resented.

863-687-2294

email:

[e-mail]

[madfloridian]

8. The signs were still up today.

I know they have had some calls. They just don't care. Their ideology trumps caring.

[madfloridian]

9. The signs are still there.

Called again, got mostly silence. I know that others have tried to call, don't know how they fared.