"Someone unwilling to repent their homosexual lifestyle will not be accepted at Saddleback church"

[TeamJordan23]

Aravosis notices that Rick Warren's church has deleted a passage from its website: "Someone unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted at (sic) a member at Saddleback church."

Now the offending language is gone, but you can still find the anti-gay language via Google's cache.

So does Rick Warren now welcome gays, all gays, as members of his church? Or is he simply embarrassed of his views - embarrassed of God's views, per Warren's own admission? And if Warren is embarrassed of God's views, then what is he doing as a public spokesman on religion?

And whose idea was it to remove the anti-gay language? Warren's, or Obama's?

http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/rick-warren-pulls-anti-gay-language.html

[LostinVA]

1. It's apparently still in the Q & A section -- as of yesterday afternoon, anyway

[EFerrari]

5. They "updated" it and put it back.

And I understand there's a new video coming out on curing teh gay.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Yes, but it "does not mean they cannot attend church - we hope they do!

Just not OUR church.

and...do not give up hope, gay sinners...

God's Word has the power to change our lives.

:puke:

[AntiFascist]

25. Gays and lesbians should attend the Evangelical Lutheran Church...

if they want to choose an Evangelical Christian one. Now that's a cool church!

http://christiannewswire.com/news/536175985.html

the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) released their draft statement on human sexuality in which they support blessing gay unions in the church, leave the door open for the ordination of practicing gay clergy, and urge the denomination to continue indefinitely their 6 year old conversation about sex.

But most striking is, rather than chart a new course to address the reasons why they have shrunk significantly in membership while Biblically grounded conservative churches have seen considerable growth in recent years, the ELCA has decided to "re-define" what it means to be an Evangelical Christian.

And why not?

They have already "re-defined" Christian Marriage, not only creating a gender neutral marriage ceremony, but holding that if the Government approves of gay marriage, so should the Church.

[IndianaGreen]

26. I've never heard of them before!

Most interesting, thanks!

[patrice]

3. So let me get this "straight", only the "sinless" are allowed to be members of Saddleback?

Isn't this Discrimination? How is it that we are giving tax write-offs to organizations that Discriminate against Americans?

[Bolo Boffin]

13. Only those willing to have everything we define as sin removed from their lives. n/t

[patrice]

16. And therein lies the Blasphemy.

REAL Christians know the "smallest" sin CAN be as weighty as the "biggest" sin.

Think about it: for example, you tolerate gossip for half a minute, but it just happens to be in a situation in which someone else picks it up and passes it along and the object of the gossip, close to breaking anyway, gets more alienated, seeks the wrong kind of comfort, goes home and beats the shit out of a child. Your life goes on its "beautiful" way, you get to feel good about yourself and everyone reinforces what you think, but that child is on its way to "hell", because you didn't want to make your friends uncomfortable by calling them out for spreading gossip. And somehow two people of the same sex trying to learn how to love and commit to one another is "worse" than what you did or didn't do about gossip, so much worse that we are required to gang up on them and oppress them and if we don't we are in danger of losing our "salvation". This

IS

their line of thinking and it is fucking batshit crazy.

[Bolo Boffin]

19. Amen.

Of course, the Smiling Bigot would happily point out divorce rates among Protestants, or his own obesity. But you don't see him pushing that plate away or lugging his fat ass onto a treadmill.

This is one of the reasons the FF wrote the separation of church and state into our constitution. Even they didn't understand the full extent of what they had done, and they and their descendants continued a de facto establishment for decades. But eventually this all has to end. Smiling bigots don't have the right to have their religious beliefs enshrined in American law. No one will force them to believe that gay people aren't going to hell - they are guaranteed that protection under our laws. But there's a tradeoff implied, and these batshit crazy bigots need to be shut down.

[panader0]

4. One thing that's happened because of Obama's choice of Warren

Is that his dirty, under the rock, homophobic BS is having some light shine on it, and it may just help Warren into the light as well.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Obama is such a fraking genius for pandering to James Dobson's disciple

It is not just Warren, it is the entire body of believers that adhere to such irrational beliefs as man coexisted with dinosaurs, or that mankind must be pruned of homosexuals and transsexuals just as one would a forest.

[BlooInBloo]

7. I suppose DU should really call him Warbama.

:rofl:

[IndianaGreen]

8. Saddleback is a Southern Baptist Church

Warren does not advertise that Saddleback is Southern Baptist, but they are, and their dogma proves it.

[BlooInBloo]

9. That's nice.

[patrice]

10. They have dominated the center of the "chess board" for way toooooo long. nt

[Solon]

11. The worse thing about his beliefs, I feel sorry for the GLBT kids who are raised by parents who...

go to churches just like Saddleback. How many will be forced into ex-gay camps? How many are going to be kicked out of their homes because they can't "repent"? How many will commit suicide because they can't "repent". This man's ideology kills, period.

[ismnotwasm]

12. Where can I get me a homosexual lifestyle?

Is there a magazine? Classes? Homosexual lifestyle for dummies? If I get one, will they kick me out? How do they tell?


What the fuck is homosexual lifestyle, exactly?

If they are referring to specific sexual acts, we hetero breeders give as good as we get, last I checked.

I hate Saddleback almost as much as I hate Mars-Hill(even crazier fundie church)

[jonnyblitz]

18. i am gay and i haven't figured out how to get one myself. nt

[xchrom]

28. Gay Central Committee will be sending some hunky types to you with brochures shortly. nt

[muntrv]

14. Barack needs to stand beside Warren, wearing a "I'm With Stupid" t-shirt.

[treestar]

15. What gay person would ever WANT to be a member of this stupid "church?"

So what? It's only a church. No one has to belong to any church.

Gay people who are religious can join a church that wants them. Who'd join a church that didn't?

I was born into the Catholic church. As far as I can tell, there is no law that forces me to remain a member of it, though I am a woman and it has its discrmination against women. It doesn't accept gay people either, by its own tenets. What can we do? Make it illegal? Not according to the First Amendment.

If I can't find one that accepts me and I it, I don't have a church, so what? I am still a free person. I can start a new church, if it comes to that.

[DesertFlower]

17. i'm not gay, but i had

sex with many partners before i married my second husband. i am unrepentant. i don't think i did anything wrong. i would probably be excluded from saddelback too. and you know what? i don't give a damn.

[marimour]

21. no you wouldn't. They would have almost no members if they enforced that "sin"

[matcom]

20. would you LIKE to be a member of Saddleback Church?

I don't get why anyone cares. Does someone here WANT to be a member?

I don't. But why would this be an issue? It's a private organization no?

:shrug:

[marimour]

23. its an issue for me b/c its hypocrisy

They call themselves Christian but they elevate homosexuality above all other sins. Even if they were right that it was a sin (don't believe it is) it is not supposed to be any more of a sin than the sins we commit everyday, like lying, premarital sex, coveting. These people would throw out their gay child but accept their drug addict, drunk, thief or whorish child anyday. Its the biggest hypocrisy.

[matcom]

24. Welcome to religion

"hypocrisy" = Religion

what is the beef?

again. do you WANT to join his church?

[marimour]

29. of course not.

I would never step foot in his church.

[AntiFascist]

27. But Warren is being called "America's pastor"...

I didn't vote for Obama because I wanted him to endorse, or at least honor, that.

[NorthernSpy]

22. So what?

:shrug:


I'm an atheist. They probably wouldn't let me join, either.


Do I care that my "sin" of unbelief bars me from membership? No.


:boring:

[Pushed To The Left]

30. Wow. That's some pretty vile stuff!

Rick Warren is no moderate!