Pastor who had congregration bring their guns to church has his speech up now.

[madfloridian]

Run time: 06:22 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj-_tdmMgC4   Posted on YouTube: June 28, 2009 By YouTube Member: dstang66 Views on YouTube: 1009   Posted on DU: June 28, 2009 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 1064

 
I posted about this event earlier today.

The church raffled off firearms as well as having a couple of hundred in attendance with their firearms said to be unloaded.


Ed Reinke | The Associated Press
Liz Boyer sells a raffle ticket for a new firearm to Tom Schultz before a service in the New Bethel Church where people were invited to bring their own firearms to the sanctuary in Louisville, Ky.

Ken Pagano asked his flock to bring their unloaded handguns - in holsters - to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a celebration of the Second Amendment. When the event got under way a little after 5 p.m. Saturday, about 200 people - many carrying small firearms - sat in the Pentecostal church sanctuary.

"We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns," Pagano said in greeting the audience, which included people who do not belong to his church.

"If it were not for a deep-seated belief in the right to bear arms, this country would not be here today," he said, drawing hearty applause and exclamations of "amen!"

The New York Times blog has more about the event yesterday.

“This country started by people gathering together in churches and complaining about taxation and about their current government, King George the third, taking armaments that they had,” said Chesley Kemp, 61, a family doctor with his Kimber .45 auto at his side.

Dr. Kemp drove two hours from Bowling Green to attend a gun celebration here inside the New Bethel Church, believed to be the first such event in modern times.

The pioneer spirit suffused a 90-minute program staged by Ken Pagano, the pastor of the Assembly of God church, for whom God, guns and America are a package deal.

“But for a deep-seated belief in God and firearms, this country would not be here today,” Mr. Pagano declared from the church’s stage-like pulpit. “Amens,” rolled forward from the congregation of about 180 people who were celebrating their ability to bear their arms almost anywhere in Kentucky, including in church. Mr. Pagano said this not a worship service (the church posted a snippet of the event on YouTube). But at one point, he could not resist, raising both hands above his head, blessing his flock and saying a prayer.

“You have become my parishioners,” he said. “I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you….”

It was said not to be worship service, and the video is not of a sermon.

[rwheeler31]

1. This is creepy do they worship guns?

[pitchforksandtorches]

2. dolts

[ZombieHorde]

3. Whenever I read a Jesus story I think; "Now there is a man who loved weapons and self defense." nt

[thunder rising]

4. sounds political to me ... what about that tax exemption. Honest to god I own guns and I would not

be around those crazy, irresponsible assholes ... ever!

The weapons were "said" to be unloaded. Just in case you don't know, at every formation in the military where weapons are involved the weapons are demonstrably cleared. Nobody gets the SAY the weapon is unloaded, the weapon is cleared on command.

[rrneck]

5. Yeeeesh. I made it through the first thirty seconds. nt

[Xenotime]

6. Obama was correct. Clinging to religion and guns.

Leave it to the RWnuts to prove our point.

[Liberal_Christian]

7. These people are barely Christian

It's easy to say it doesn't matter what your political beliefs are when you know everyone in that room is a far-right gun-tooting nutjob. Funny, I never remember Christ carrying a weapon, let alone encouraging citizens to carry them for a country. I hope there will come a day when these people will finally realize they have to choose between being a conservative and being a Christian because both ideologies contradict each other.

[okieinpain]

8. this is why obama needs to stay away from any gun laws. these people

are nuts and are just looking for a reason to kill someone.

[nanram]

9. thought prayer was the only thing

I thought that prayer and faith is the only shield these so called "christians" need for protection. Their political pastor is not making a religious statement but a political one. He is using a stalking horse(guns)for a bigger agenda on his unintelligent and misinformed flock. Like Jesus said to his father, Forgive them Father, for they no not what they do."

[AlbertCat]

10. for they no not what they do."

Baloney! Oh yes they do! They know exactly what they do!

No more tax exemptions for this church!

[AlbertCat]

11. Hey! Remember "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"?

Remember that scene where they worship the bomb?

[AlbertCat]

12. But for a deep-seated belief in God and firearms, this country would not be here today,”

"Belief" in firearms? You have to "believe" in them now? Don't they just exist?


Notice...no mention of "freedom". No believing on that subject.

[Old Time Pagan]

19. They're freakin' tools

that's all firearms are, freakin' tools. Do I need to "believe" in my tractor or my table saw? Without them my farm and house wouldn't be here today What total BS!!!

I have firearms because I need that tool, I live in the land of cougars, coyotes and bears oh my so I have tools to discourage them from bothering me or mine. If I lived somewhere where I don't need those tools then I wouldn't own them.

Believe in firearms, take them to church, freakin' whackjobs. 'nugh said.

[Swede Atlanta]

13. Nut cases........

These are faux xtians. I doubt very seriously that Jesus (or Mary if you are Catholic) would carry on so about owning something that is, as he says himself in his un-sermon, designed to destroy something. Jesus was always about creating something, uplifting something, not killing or destroying.

As a Christian I am not going to try to sit in judgment of them (Judge not lest ye be judged) but do believe these people are going to have some questions to answer when the time comes. Why did you place so much importance on things that kill? Why did you bring them into the house of God? Why did you support a war of choice that resulted in the slaughter of tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis? The list of questions may go on and on.

I live in Georgia but am blessed that I live inside the perimeter highway that largely shields me from this kind of snake charming.

[get the red out]

14. Common for preachers to be political

It has become so common for preachers to be so political, that's the power that the Republicans have left, that's why people of modest means will vote against their own wellbeing when they attend these churches.

It is disgusting. I have lived my whole life in Kentucky, and the politicizing of religion wasn't an issue when I was a kid (not that the religion here was kind by any means); now that's all a lot of these churches are, branches of the Republican Party.

[TygrBright]

15. ahhhhhhh, yes. "What would Jesus pack?" n/t

[madfloridian]

16. WWJP

Ah good one.

[Seldona]

17. I wonder what their sunday school program is like?

Do they have Derringers and other little guns for the children to play with? Like the mind-numbingly insane video on youtube, 'Carrying a Gun and a Baby.'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Looks like it's been made 'private.' The title says it all though. She was serious as a heart attack as well. Freaks.

[StarryNite]

18. The Assembly of Guns church

Don't they have faith in God to protect them? Especially in their church?

[sinkingfeeling]

20. I see they also like to re-write the history of the United States.

[ihavenobias]

21. Kick n/t