Staged abduction at youth group meeting now under investigation

[mr blur]

A church youth group meeting comes to a horrifying halt when men bust in blind and bound the children and throw them into a van. But it was all staged by church leaders.

While at least one child was injured and traumatized, those leaders say they stand behind their "lesson."

Church leaders say this was a learning exercise designed to teach about religious freedom. But one girl was so shaken up that her parents have now gone to police.

A seventh grader is still traumatized, emotionally and physically, by a church youth group meeting Wednesday night at Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Lower Swatara Township.

She had no idea what she was in for as she quickly went from enjoying herself to fearing for her life. Masked men stormed into their meeting and demanded the group of about a dozen kids get on the ground.

Then, while still bound and blinded, the kids were forced outside and into a van. It drove for a bit and then the kids ended up in the basement of a home on church property.

She says the pastor came out bloody, but Pastor John Lanes wasn't a victim, in fact he was a leader in what turned out to be a staged abduction to teach children about religious persecution.

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/UPDATE-Staged-abduction-at-youth-group-meeting/32sF2v9FAkul6G68Mws4Kg.cspx

Now I 'm NOT suggesting that all Christians think this way or would do something so dumb, but this is the kind of dangerous nonsense that atheists point to when we hear about how persecuted Christians are.

[Rob H.]

1. Jaw-dropping

Pastor Lanza says moving forward they will notify parents first. But he won't stop doing it. He says the lesson is too important.

What. the. FUCK!?!??

Edit: According to another report, it's even worse than the above story reveals:

Adults, including an off-duty cop, brandished weapons and put bags over the heads of the children, ages 13 through 18, and forced them into a church van. The group was driven to the home of an assistant pastor, who was presented before the group with a seemingly bloodied and bruised face, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo.

One of the adults used a real AK-47, though the gun was unloaded, Chardo said.

That cop needs to lose his job (video says he was the one who had the AK-47, too).

Full story and video at the link.

Further edit: misspelled word.

[inkool]

6. If true the cop should also be charded with assault with a deadly weapon.

PA law makes no distinction between a loaded or unloaded gun in regards to assault.

from PA Title 18 Pa.C.S.A 2301.

"Deadly weapon." Any firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or any device designed as a weapon and capable of producing death or serious bodily injury, or any other device or instrumentality which, in the manner in which it is used or intended to be used, is calculated or likely to produce death or serious bodily injury.

[SamG]

2. My take on this is that one can

be a Christian and do stupid things at the same time. Not that I'm saying all Christians always do stupid things.

We all do stupid things here and there, but it does show that being a Christian is no insurance policy against being insensitive or blind to the feelings and emotional responses of others.

And the leadership of the church intends to CONTINUE to do things like this? Hmm!

Somehow, I don't think so if he faces criminal charges for false imprisonment and assault by physical menace.

[skepticscott]

4. What this shows is that

people acting out of a belief that they are serving god can justify almost any action to themselves, no matter how out of line with any objective sense of legality or morality it may be. This is what religion can, and often does, precipitate.

[SamG]

9. That sounds about right, and happens more than

we certainly would like to see. It really shouldn't be happening at all, and yet it seems it is happening more and more in the USA.

Reminds me of some psychological experiment, (the name of which escapes me) where people were willing to shock their fellow students, (it was faked shocks), willing to shock them more and more, greater and greater, since they were obeying commands of an authority.

Anyone remember the name of that study? (My mind grows old)

[cbayer]

10. Those were the Milgram experiments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

[SamG]

12. Stanley Milgram, of course! Thanks!

I used to know this stuff, when I was cramming for exams. That's too many years ago to even think about.

[sharp_stick]

3. Mock Kidnapping My Ass

they physically removed these people against their will, that is real kidnapping.

I won't be surprised if nothing comes of it because of the way these Assembly of God nutjobs revere their pastors but everyone involved in the planning and execution of this "lesson" should be up on kidnapping charges.

[skepticscott]

5. Kidnapping, assault, false imprisonment

at least. Unless the legislature is already working on a "religious conscience" exception to those laws too.

[d_r]

7. self fulfilling prophecy

they dream up that the government is going to round them up, so they do stupid, dangerous stunts that should make the government have to round them up.

[cbayer]

11. Agree This is about a group of paranoid survivalists.

They have gone way to far.

[dmallind]

8. meh - stupidity and paranoia, but beyond the incidentats in this case I don't see a religious link

I don't believe such...ermmm... overly exuberant preparations are particularly prevalent among religious groups. Gun groups maybe, Neo-nazi survivalists certainly, but this is the first religious group outside Christian Identity that I've seen go this far.

[deacon_sephiroth]

13. This all looks pretty standard. I see nothing out of the ordinary.

a church group:
traumatizing children - check
being clueless and out of touch with reality and modern society - check
unable to determine the limits of their own authority and power, in the face of the law - check
unable to distinguish unacceptable behavior in this day and age - check
not admitting their mistakes and making reparations - check

I don't see what everyone's freaking out about, it's a church... don't we all expect this by now?

[cleanhippie]

14. Great points!