PETA mistakenly targets church's nativity scene-- Idiots

[trumad]

The pastor at Anchorage First Free Methodist Church was mystified. Why was the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals chastising him? No animals are harmed in the church's holiday nativity display. In fact, animals aren't used at all.

People, however, do dress the parts — Mary, Joseph, the wise men, etc. The volunteers stand shivering at a manger on the church lawn in a silent tribute to Christmas.

The Rev. Jason Armstrong was confused by an e-mail this week from PETA, which admonished him for subjecting animals "to cruel treatment and danger," by forcing them into roles in the church's annual manger scene.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15892404/

[The Straight Story]

1. Maybe they had just watched toy story while drinking and thought they were real :)

:rofl:

[bobbolink]

2. Such rationality!

:rofl:

Unfortunately, it's not that funny, cuz there are REAL instances of cruelty to people that they could be concerned about.

[Annces]

3. Many live animals are used in Nativity scenes

""Confusion about 'living nativity'
Seems the confusion started with the church's choice of phrase. PETA flagged Free Methodist's display as a "living nativity," and indeed, that's how the church describes it on its Web site.

To PETA, that means animals.

"Those animals are subject to all sorts of terrible fates in some cases," Vergerio said. "Animals have been stolen and slaughtered, they've been raped, they've escaped from the nativity scenes and have been struck by cars and killed. Just really unfathomable things have happened to them."

[trumad]

5. they've been raped?

by who---the guy dressed as Jesus?

on edit... I mean Joesph---Jesus was just a baby at the time...ROTF

[11 Bravo]

6. Mark Foley ran out of teenage pages, and the sheep in the manger

did give him an alluring glimpse.

[Hippo_Tron]

8. ROFL

You're bad...

:rofl:

[havocmom]

7. PETA might just consider that they could investigate case by case

before flying off the handle. I have seen many churches who use real people and plastic animals for their 'living nativity' scenes. Church members seem to like standing there in costume for a couple hours at a time but know animals are not always as happy with the gig.

A bit of research before attacking individual church groups may help PETA's credibility and public image.

[noahmijo]

9. As a PETA member I agree with your statement

they do go too far sometimes but that's the price of being an organization of nearly a million you're easily going to have a few thousand or so who screw up the constructive work we're trying to accomplish. And of course these are the only stories you hear about-the nut related stories.

But what of how PETA got J-Crew to stop not only using fur but also they were purchasing fur from factories that went out of their way to torture and mangle animals. No headlines for that though of course from the 'liberal' media.

[Raine]

14. Yeah any way the "liberal" media

gets a chance to make fools of PETA they will but they ignore the good. x(

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I'm surprised to see this made national news...

We were having a good laugh about it yesterday. Now, cruelty to HUMANS, maybe, because it's been below zero here for weeks.

[pretzel4gore]

10. an email from some nuts gets national attention?

meanwhile, the elephants in the wild are on the rampage, which pretty well dooms them. Stories from all over rthe world. Of course, that's not important - at least no soft spot will be annoyed by the news (they too annoyed by that goddam peta, which, like the aclu, seems most intent on pissing off normal people)
http://www.tourismindonesia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163&Itemid=32

[northofdenali]

11. Blue, that was my first thought when I read the OP -

hell, if we did a Live Nativity in Fairbanks, the animals would be warmer than the people... it's 26 below today!

:rofl: You GO, Anchorage!!

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I've been watching the temps up there...

...and thinking that Don Young is probably thanking his lucky stars he's back in DC and not in Fort Yukon. :rofl: I think the HIGH temperature up there has been like 30 below or something. Every winter I'm grateful I live down here in the "temperate" part of Alaska where it has now warmed up to a balmy 10 degrees.

[northofdenali]

13. I got an email from my mom, who lives in Central Florida -

they were FROZEN. It was 51 degrees!! Call out FEMA!! Fill your butane stoves!!

Try putting on a few more clothes, "ya'll"....

[and-justice-for-all]

15. Sounds as though PETA made a mistake...

..Wrong church perhaps or bad intel. I dont see PETA doing that unless it was an accident, why would they?