The story about the toddler being applauded in church for singing a homophobic song gets worse.
Apparently I was wrong when I guessed the child's age. He is actually three and not four. And now, the celebrity site, TMZ is reporting several sad developments:
Members of an Indiana church say they've been flooded with death threats since video of a 3-year-old proudly singing, "Ain't no homos gonna make it to heaven" ... was posted on the Internet.
Multiple members of the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Indiana tell TMZ the church office has been getting harassing calls and the pastor has received death threats at his home. They also say a prayer meeting scheduled for this evening at church had to be moved to a secret location.
We're told they are looking into increasing security, but for now the congregation is handling it ... taking turns watching over the church.
One member says Pastor Jeff Sangl is extremely worried about his safety -- and this morning he and his wife left for vacation without telling anyone where they were going.
I am not for death threats. But I am for public humiliation when such warrants it and based upon what TMZ says next, the church deserves all of the public humiliation it receives:
Despite the threats, all the members we spoke to have no regrets about the song getting posted online -- in fact one said, "The people who are upset just don't read the word of God. If we don't teach the children the truth early they will never learn."
As for the thunderous applause after the hate-filled song -- we're told, "Of course we applauded a child who is singing a song about God."
When one thinks about a child singing a song about God, "Yes Jesus Loves Me" comes to mind, not some homophobic tripe which puts a child in a position to judge - something the Bible has said we should not do (Matthew 7:1).
What's next? A song about how David (who killed Goliath) paid a dowry of 200 foreskins to King Saul of Israel? After all, that's in the Bible.
I wonder how much of an ovation would the child receive for that? It always amazes and saddens me that people pull the "Biblical truth" card when it comes to criticizing other people but yet will pay no attention to how that truth requires introspection before passing judgement.
10 comments:
I dont believe for one second those idiots have gotten any death threats! Most likely they ARE getting some very angry phone calls and emails and deservedly so, but death threats? Dont believe it.
i'm not sure if i sent the message to you, but i agree, i'm not for the death threats but for public humiliation. These people and the parents of that child should be ashamed of themselves. That is child abuse and their behavior is disgusting.
Here's what gets me about this. The Religious Right has been screaming for years that the "evil gays" are exposing children to homosexuality at way too young an age. To them, even letting a three year old child know that two men are a couple or might even get married is unacceptable.
And yet, here we have a child that same age who knows all about homos. After all, he has to know what homos are about in order to proudly sing that we're all going to hell.
So apparently, it's really okay if three year olds get exposed to homosexuality, as long as homosexuals are vilified and demonized.
Let me repeat that one more time.
Toddlers knowing about gay people loving each other == evil.
Toddlers knowing how to hate gay people == Holy.
The only thing more messed up than that is that there are people who can't see just how messed up that is.
The double-mindedness of certain christians always makes me laugh.
Because of alleged threats they received they moved a prayer meeting to a "secret location"? The pastor packs up his wife and sneaks off to an undisclosed location? Talks of increasing security around the church? Don't these morally righteous loons believe their almighty god will protect them from all the evil-doers out to get them, since they are dutifully doing His Will? Where is this faith they're always boasting about??
"I have faith in JE-sus! (accept when I'm in danger)!" Lol.
Actually, Jarred, sadly, he *doesn't* have to know what it means. He's just singing what he's been taught. And yes, that constitutes the worst kind of abuse. I hope fervently that he is not gay....
But either way, he will either become hardened without understanding, or become traumatized by his own behavior, forced upon him by others, when he *does* reach understanding.
That poor, poor child.
You are absolutely right. Also, that "200 foreskins" thing would make a catchy hymn. I wish I was talented.
What is worse is other LBGT blogs are saying this church is in the town where Billy Lucas lived. Lucas committed suicide due to anti-gay bullying. His death sparked Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign. Sickening coincidence.
I sent my own kind of protest to them. A short story I wrote last year. I didn't know it, but I think I wrote it for them.
For TIM who posted that this is child abuse. You have no idea what child abuse is. Child abuse was when Staten Stephenson was brutally beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend last year but the thing is that the world didn't care enough to make that national news. Yet they are going to make a little boy singing an anti-gay song global. Peoples ideas of important news is so backwards. If your gay, YOUR GAY. Stop worrying what people think and say. Its freedom of speech. Just as you don't like it that they don't believe in it. They don't care to see you flaunt it.
And anonymous, this is for YOU - Freedom of speech does not shield you from criticism. And adults cheering while a child sings a vile song about gays not getting into Heaven deserves as much criticism as possible. It's no different than if the child sang "Ain't no Jews gonna make it to Heaven" or "Ain't no Muslims gonna make it to Heaven."
Finally, let's talk about your definition of "flaunting homosexuality." What exactly do you mean? When some people say that gays "flaunt ourselves" they mean that they don't even want us to walk together in public or sit together in a restaurant. They don't want us to put picture up of our partners and families at our jobs or even acknowledge the fact that we HAVE partners and families. Sorry but if your definition of flaunting means that we have to make ourselves invisible to suit your prejudices, then kindly get over yourself. This is our world too.
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