Church opens to troops who refuse deployment

[Rink]

ON THE HOME FRONT
Church opens to troops who refuse deployment
Providing 'sanctuary' after officer rejected order to go to Iraq
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Posted: June 17, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

A U.S. Army officer's refusal to fight in Iraq has prompted a Methodist Church in Tacoma, Wash., to declare itself a sanctuary for military personnel who also reject deployment orders.

The administrative council for the First United Methodist Church of Tacoma voted to open its doors, beginning today, after 1st Lt. Ehren Watada declared he wouldn't go to Iraq because he believes the war is illegal, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

The 300-member congregation said in a statement Wednesday that servicemen and women "who are unable to deploy to combat areas for reasons of conscience" can find protection behind its doors.

Rev. Monty Smith said the church stands in solidarity with those who share its social-justice convictions.

"Our initiative was because of Lieutenant Watada's gesture and a clear sense that we have, as a reconciling congregation, deeply involved in justice issues throughout the city, that any war, particularly this one, is inconsistent with Christian teachings," he told the Seattle paper.

More on this Story (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50686)

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Yup it seems the Liberals in my state are running the asylum, what next???

[DoctorDoom]

The AWOLs can't stay in there forever. They're just delaying the inevitable and worsening it.

And the "church" needs a disinfection. It apparently has picked up an infestation of "religious" vermin.

[DeclinetoState]

Tacoma? This sounds like something that a church in San Francisco would do.

[DesertFox]

Sounds like something Lefty communists anywhere, protected by the US military, would do.

[Riverboat]

Tacoma? This sounds like something that a church in San Francisco would do.In fact, they're a lot alike. Here's the inside of the church, festooned with tye-dyed silk butterflies.

http://www.tacomaaroma.com/butterflies/installed2s.jpg

No church of this caliber would be complete without a vision AND a mission statement. And if you're the kind of person who pays attention to them, you'll notice that they sound like they were generated by a comic-strip mentality like Dilbert.

We are living our vision to become Christ in the City by:
Reaching out as a community of care, concern and compassion
Growing every member in ministry
Serving as an urban cathedral church through our mission BITS [sic] by bit

That "growing" thing falls on my ear like an untuned guitar they no doubt use with their groovy liturgical music. You can't escape it. I'm guessing BITS is an acronym of some sort. But, then, a committee that uses growing in place of rearing, raising or cultivating probably can't be trusted with rules of grammar or spelling.

The mission of Tacoma First Church UMC, as the web site proclaims, is to extend our life in Christ and love of God by: Providing Transforming opportunities for spiritual growth through study, worship, fellowship, and other practices.

The TFCUMC is committed to a number of things. Here are just two from their grab-bag:

EVERY PERSON - We are committed to all people just as they are without regard for race, faith, culture, lifestyle, or whatever.

Or whatever? Who wrote this? Some gum-chewing mouth-breathing 15-year old?

LAY MINISTRY - We seek the development of lay ministry through training and practices that encourage initiative, leadership, responsibility, and authority. We seek to be a permission giving church.

They're going to need a really big pad of paper to write all those permission slips. I use up reams of paper just writing restroom passes for my students through the school year.

Who We Are

Things are pretty busy over at TFCUMC with all that including and bringing and caring and reaching and transforming, not to mention the growing. Those are transitive verbs, after all, meaning they have to hop! HOP! HOP!!! There is also all that BEING! A community could just wear itself out from being a place where positive values are developed, good people become better, hurts are healed, lessons are learned, etc. Even elementary school classes have a snack break after all doing one through three. But that's just playtime compared to being a place where

God is understood

Yes! At last! A place where the veil is lifted, manna falls from the sky, the water fountain sprays wine and choirs of angels sing hosannas to tuned-up guitars! Just throw out all the volumes of City of God and Summa Theologica. You don't even need the collected works of John Wesley, the founder of their church, although I suspect he wouldn't much be recognized by the ministers.

http://www.fumctacoma.org/

[Rink]

We in Washinton state unfortunately get the continuing Infestation of Liberals from California and the starbucks-sipping delettante liberal crowd from Seattle also has too many do-gooder liberals as well, Tacoma is just South of Seattle proper and is a major city in itself.

(wouldnt surprise me this church is located in King County, the most liberally infested county in WA state).

[DoctorDoom]

It appears to be the type of "church" where the only time Jesus Christ is mentioned is when the secretary get a paper cut while folding peace protest letters.

[DeclinetoState]

Isn't Tacoma in Pierce County?

[Rink]

You may be correct Tacoma looks like its in Pierce county, but if you look at a map, Pierce county is right Next door to King County.

Washington State County Map (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/washington_map.html)

[Lazarus]

Well let's see... Refusal for a soldier to report to duty is desertion and thus a felony, is it not? And providing santuary to such a felon constitutes conspiracy and abetting, does it not?

Sanctuary?! Who do these fruitcakes think they are? Must have watched the Huntchback of Notre Dame too many times... Apparently they think the federal government has not authority inside their building...

Well let them gather up a nice handful of cowards and arrest the whole bunch - including Rev. Monty and the "administrative council"... then they can lock arms and march into the paddy wagon singing "We shall overcome..."

[Faithful_Servant]

Tacoma? This sounds like something that a church in San Francisco would do.
DTS, the SeaTac area is so far beyond SF in liberalness that it would blow your mind. Seattle and Portland are the bottom of the barrel in liberal cities. I just wish we could make a swap with Washington and give them Portland and Eugene in exchange for Spokane, Walla Walla and the Tri-cites (we might have to throw in Ashland to get 'em to do it, but it'd still be a good trade).

[Rink]

Dang I'm glad I live in the southern part of the state in the sticks (below the Gifford Pinchot Nat'l Forest) Unfortunately the liberals and californians have discovered the area where I live in and are consequently 'loving it to death' and shoveling in huge subdivisions and their howmeowners associations.

Sure tryin to get away from the burbs... they bring all their liberal city crap right with em.

Right into the country.

[Faithful_Servant]

Hell no Portland sucks. Besides Eugene is where we send our street dwelling heroin addicts. You can have Spocompton and Yakima as well as 70% of Tacoma for about 1000 acres around Bend.

In Seattle there are alot of conservatives actually, more than you think...The squeaky wheel gets the grease tho'.
You're tiptoeing around my home, now. No one gets a piece of Cent. Oregon unless they pay LOTS of money for it. It's Portland and all of the lesbians and homosexuals it holds or nothing. You can have Eugene for free.

[Rink]

Hey if you gys can keep the lunatics OUT of the Columbia River Gorge, you can give away ANY city you want to... just as long as the lunatics stay Far far away from me.

They drive like maniacs drivin like an Indy 500 racer, they act just as bad, and they feel the need to run our lives, tell us how to manage out land (as if we havent been better stewards of the land than those city-chits) and try to bring their city-burb-ways in with them to the countryside then they whine and complain about the country life 'impinging' on their burbish-way of life.

Wish they'd just all go home and take their monster sardine-crammed subdivisions and city-way of life back with them to their trashed-up cities.

They go and trash their own places then spread out like locusts to trash everyone elses areas afterwards.

Take a look at Gresham OR, it USED to be mainly Farmland, now look at it? Sprawling suburbs and crammed-in subdivisions up the wazoo.

Where's the trees, the open spaces and nature?

They trashed it, now they want to come out here and trash MY area with their same Urban sprawl crap and think they can 'buy' their way into whatever they want here in these little towns (which they ARE doing so far)

[shawnwood]

If you do not believe in war, fine. If you want to be a conscientious objector, fine..... just dont join the military. That just bugs the crap out of me. Stay out if that is how you feel!

[DoctorDoom]

They go and trash their own places then spread out like locusts to trash everyone elses areas afterwards.Shades of "Independence Day"! Do they look anything like this?

http://www.ussangeles.org/Awaymissions/albums/userpics/10002/thumb_ID4%20Alien.jpg (http://www.ussangeles.org/Awaymissions/displayimage.php?album=49&pos=7)

Click for source

[Rink]

Shades of "Independence Day"! Do they look anything like this?

http://www.ussangeles.org/Awaymissions/albums/userpics/10002/thumb_ID4%20Alien.jpg (http://www.ussangeles.org/Awaymissions/displayimage.php?album=49&pos=7)

Click for source

Pretty close to it like Marblehead said after their crack pipe blows up.

Either that or their meth labs blow up.

And their 'Homeowners associations' are nothing but the Socialized collectives of the devil himself.