Merry CHRISTmas! 3 Churches to stop feeding the hungry/homeless over gay inclusiveness

[Bluebear]

KALAMAZOO — Theological disagreements over homosexuality are causing a divide within a downtown ministry that serves the poor, homeless and lonely.

Martha’s Table, through which eight churches have provided Sunday afternoon worship and meals for the needy at First Congregational Church, is losing three of the churches because of the issue of homosexuality, even though the ecumenical ministry takes no position on it, said the Rev. Matt Laney, pastor of First Congregational.

Agape Christian Church and Word for Life Church of God plan to withdraw from Martha’s Table at the end of the year, and Centerpoint Church (formerly Third Reformed Church) has already done so, Laney said.

“The founding principle of Martha’s Table was that churches would come together and put aside their differences in light of what unites us, which is our common commitment to serve Christ and others,” Laney said. “But now this difference has risen above our common commitment to serving Christ.”

Laney said representatives of all three churches have been “very clear” that they don’t want to be “guilty by association” with First Congregational and its inclusiveness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, said Laney, who publicly supported an ordinance passed by Kalamazoo voters in November that protects GLBT people from discrimination in housing, jobs and accommodations.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/12/churches_to_leave_homeless_min.html

[napi21]

1. Gee, and they wonder why so many people are against them? nt

[Jamastiene]

2. I hope there is a special spot in Hell for homophobes.

K&R

[Bluebear]

4. PS..a stunning example of why government shouldn't rely on "faith-based" organizations

[tnlefty]

28. That was my first thought.

Seems as though government run programs did better without the blatant discrimination.

[JNelson6563]

27. Yep, these heartless haters make me wish

there was a hell.

[mddem9850]

3. dumb bigots

[ruggerson]

5. But WWJD?

I'd lay money I know the answer to that one.

[Deja Q]

33. Get the gay guys girlfriends?

:hide:

[begin_within]

6. Maybe they need to re-read one quote from their Bible

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me"
- Jesus (Matthew 25:40)

[DesertFlower]

18. exactly. nt

[jmowreader]

48. They know that one...

They're well versed with Matthew 25:43 (the line where Jesus listed not being visited in jail as a reason to send the unworthy to hell). OTOH, while they're busy visiting prisoners they're also busy persecuting gay people. That's how it works with some of them.

[Starry Messenger]

7. WWJS

Who Would Jesus Starve

[Th1onein]

36. roflmao!

That's great!

[ZombieHorde]

8. Rec.

[aquart]

9. They don't want to be guilty of treating human beings decently.

Well, that's a good reason to stop feeding the hungry.

Matthew 25:41-46

Matthew 25:41-46 (New International Version)

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

[Lindsay]

10. Remember in the Bible

where Jesus says only to work with those who hate who you hate to care for the needy?

Me neither.

[Ken Burch]

11. Starving the poor to shun the gays...nice one, guys...

[Bluebear]

12. LOL at Jesus Facepalm! nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

46. Blessed are the poor, for they shall be starved by those who hate the gays...

and don't want to be associated with Christians who don't sufficiently hate their neighbors.

[Dragonfli]

13. How "Christian" of them. They are nothing more than a hate group at this point.

Full of false smiles and evil actions...

[old mark]

14. Real christians. nt

[1776Forever]

15. Disgrace of the name of Jesus - He never turned anyone away! I saw your sig line too........

It made me look this up - I feel that this is a disgrace too. What changed our leadership to what it is now?

Obama Finally Admits That Only Single Payer Health Care Will Work

http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum998.php

Last night at his prime time health care news conference, President Obama finally admitted what we have known all along.

"I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that unless you have a -- what's called a single-payer system, in which everybody's automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual"

There it is folks. Only single payer can fix the ills with our health care system. He also talked about the critical importance of "eliminating waste". Only single payer effectively does that, by cutting out the massive overhead waste (31%) by paper churning insurance industry bureaucrats, who line their own pockets to provide LESS health care with the available resources.

[walldude]

16. Guilty by association?

What are you fucking kidding me? You know I do my best when I post shit about religion to keep in mind there are good religious people. But I'm about done with that. If they were so fucking good they would stand up against shit like this.

[Bluebear]

19. 'this difference has risen above our common commitment to serving Christ'

And there it is.

[Bjorn Against]

17. There are some churches that I believe qualify as hate groups

Hatred that exists behind the cloak of religion is no better than secular hatred and we should not be afraid to call these homophobic churches for what they are.

[Ozymanithrax]

20. Who would Jesus starve to death...

Has replaced helping the poor.

Somewhere I heard about false chruches. Perhaps we found some.

[liberal N proud]

21. How very Christ like of them

:sarcasm:

[Turbineguy]

22. Matthew 25:35

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

Of course that's the New Testament, The New Covenant. You know, the Christian part.

[donco6]

23. Associating with prideful, arrogant fools is A-OK, though.

Sheesh.

[CBR]

24. This is simply pathetic. What a great message at Christmas.

Complete bigots.

[Confusious]

25. Ha!

“The founding principle of Martha’s Table was that churches would come together and put aside their differences in light of what unites us, which is our common commitment to serve Christ and others,” Laney said. “But now this difference has risen above our common commitment to serving Christ.”

Except the gay thing. they need that to make money.

What would they do if the evil Ho-homosexuals weren't coming for your children? Why they might actually have to preach love and shit like that!

Who wants to hear that?

[EmeraldCityGrl]

26. Time to donate to Martha's Table...

http://www.marthastable.org/updates/2006/06/donations-at-marthas-table.html

[Dragonfli]

30. Agreed, I am broke as hell but I have some MRE's I can eat, I'll send them my grocery money so

they can eat something too.

The funny thing is I am a pagan, no pagan I know would stop donating or helping those they once did over any issue of hate.
This must be the great Christian charity I have heard so much about. As a pagan I can tell you I am neither impressed nor surprised.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

42. YOU are a good person

:toast:

[Ruby the Liberal]

29. Pull their tax exemptions.

WWJD indeed. This is sickening.

[Bluebear]

44. Exactly.

[yourout]

31. Weird I just posted this youtube of a Genesis video elsewere and it applies here also.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddGDH4XNG7Q>

[Union Yes]

32. 'Murikkkan Christianity has removed Christ from their "faith". knr nt

[nichomachus]

34. Without religion

good people will do good things and bad people will do bad things. But to make good people do bad things, you need religion.

[Th1onein]

35. Whatever happened to hate the sin, love the sinner?

So now it's "inclusiveness" that's the sin? I've heard it said that religion has been used many times to justify doing what you damned well want to do. Now, I believe it. These people just have to be better than SOMEONE else, anyone else.

How dare they call themselves Christians.

[Myhrejl]

37. Most churches are morally bankrupt.

[readmoreoften]

38. They also have issues being associated with immoral female prostitutes...

:rofl:

Jesus would love these folks.

[Solly Mack]

39. K/R

[undeterred]

40. Good on the Congregational Church

for being inclusive.

[Historic NY]

41. No food for you.

[Mari333]

43. baby jesus is displeased.

[Odin2005]

45. Evil bigots.

[Betty Karlson]

47. On a side note:

Has everyone noted how objectively and respectfully this is reported in the article? Glad to see that old-school journalism is still possible.