Saturday, November 15, 2008

Post Election Volley Against Free Expression of Religion?

Signs of the Times
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Immediately following the election Clint Theline, Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Kalispell, Montana garnered the ire of a female TV reporter (of KCFW-TV, an NBC affiliate, no surprise there!) who did a story about the pastor's "hateful," "racist," even "anti-Semitic" views as demonstrated by a sign similar to the recreated sign above. The newswoman's controversy-stirring report was filed on the day after the election. Read the biased account below.
PASTOR AND POLITICS

Author: Kari Kintner (11/05/08)

A sign outside a church in Kalispell is causing a stir. It says, "USA...One Abomination Under God." Causing many to bring up the idea of separation of church and state.

A pastor in Kalispell says he has good reason for putting a sign up outside his church Wednesday. It says "USA...One Abomination Under God." Now, he didn't spell "abomination" the same as "Obama-Nation," but it is his reaction to the election.

"As long as we still have free speech, we need to use it, to tell people that the nation is going in the wrong direction," Pastor Clint Theline said. Theline says voting Obama for president brings abomination to America, like more support for abortion, homosexuality, and more secular conversation in schools.

"God never calls us to unite with the wicked, so this is what's happening in America," Theline said. "Are you saying Obama's wicked?" Reporter asks. "I'm saying that the left is," Theline said.

Another pastor in Kalispell says we should support the new president. "We have the responsibility to support those who are in authority, and to pray for those in authority," Coy Trammel said.

And others think the sign is a turn-off.

"I don't believe that what they did was a positive approach," Saul McLeod, a Kalispell resident, said.

They say "abomination" is too strong of a word, while others flat out call the pastor a racist who defies the Bible's message.

The pastor who put the sign up says he hopes people stop and think about what the word "abomination" means. He says the sign isn't supposed to be offensive.

Opinions aside, the church could find itself in trouble with the I.R.S. It's a tax exempt organization, and the Montana Department of Revenue says under that exemption, there are rules that say an exempt organization cannot engage in political campaigns or endorse candidates.
The reporter, apparently desperate for a story, invented one where there was none. The sign clearly stated that America is in decline because of her toleration of immorality. Electing a pro-death, pro-homosexual, pro-Marxist president seemed to be a capstone on a nation in serious decline morally. The pastor's sign was an indictment against the nation, not necessarily the president-elect. Although his election could be indicative of God's judgment against us for our violation of His commandments.
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When the Bible refers to gross sin it calls it an abomination - a grievous violation of God's law. Homosexuality is referred to in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as being an abomination to God. Killing of nearly 50 million children via abortion is an atrocity and an abomination as well. Kicking God , Jesus Christ, the Bible, the Ten Commandments, Biblical morality and Judeo-Christian principles out of the government schools and substituting the inferior, God-loathing secular humanistic religion could also be said to be abominable. The president-elect wholeheartedly supports each of these immoral practices, agenda's or policies.
The sign is truthful, correct, and accurate. The pastor is doing the work of God by calling sin sin.

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