Church cancels memorial for gay Navy vet

Source: Houston Chronicle/Associated Press

Aug. 11, 2007, 2:47AM
Church cancels memorial for gay Navy vet

By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas — A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.

Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.

"It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,'" she said Friday.

Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.





Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5046347.html

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
.......
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
1 Corinthians 13 and 14, King James Version
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pot protesting kettle, slime bleeding the slime. Gotta love it. :thumbsup:

K&R

like holding the memorial for the poor guy.

It has become an insult.

they would say, oh of course not, you're gay - but fortunately my faith involves being loving to all - something they sorta forgot about Christ.

WHAT A VILE ACT TO DISRESPECT HIM & HIS FAMILY!

I, too, hope another church steps up, and I really do hope many people will stop going to that one because of this - it's vile what they did. Such a sinful action.

Talk is cheap....

To schedule a tour of our facilities, please call 817.394.3100
http://www.churchunusual.com/academy.html
they even have an academy which claims to provide the following:

Thank you for your interest in High Point Preparatory Academy. Our mission is to partner with Christian families to raise the educational standard for their children. In order to accomplish this, the following is provided:

Safe, Nurturing Environment
Diverse Curriculum
Degreed, Certified Teachers
Spiritual Development
Athletics and Cheerleading
Affordable Tuition
Social Diversity
Godly Character Training
Extra-Curricular Activities
Elective and Enrichment Opportunities


http://www.churchunusual.com/pastor.html

One day, Simons was impressed to turn on the television. There stood a “little man in a great big church”. This man was a person many consider a “father of faith for the modern generation” – the late John Osteen, pastor and founder of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Pastor Osteen spoke words of healing that affected Simons immediately, “You don’t have to die with the devil, but you can live for Jesus and proclaim the works of the Lord!”

..snip

From a rebellious boy without a cure to a respected man leading an innovative church, Pastor Gary Simons continues to be inspired from memories on a small television and a powerful word from God. Like a small city on a blessed hill, this solitary dream became a vision and eventually a reality that continues to evolve because of one sincere passion – to pastor the Metroplex and evangelize the world.

Judging it a sin IS hatred of the "sinner", redneck.

What YEAR is this again?

"Jesus wept".

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"

Yeah we know, love the sinner, hate the sin and all ...

n/t.

and people wonder why I'm a militant atheist.

in the new testament -- jesus laying there with john's head on his chest -- and john was referred to as jesus beloved by the other apostles.

kinda strange isn't it to deny this man his funeral in a church that follows jesus christ -- given the above stuff.

and i um am guessing that the pastor knows about those dscriptions.

if they're canceling a service for a Navy vet ...

Who can be rude to a dead guy?

:grr:

Buncha jerks.

Do we put the Fag on the sticks to burn the Witch or do we put the witch on the steak and burn him with the bundle of fags?.....hmmm what to do?

So somehow I think it wouldn't be an issue. If they absolutely needed an established denomination they could always appeal to the Unitarians and CUUPS.

The issue at hand is gay Christians, who don't find acceptance in all denominations. It's pretty hurtful if you've been raised a Southern Baptist, to be rejected even in death. I only use the Baptists as an example -- the point is that the music and rituals of your childhood have resonance your whole life.

It's just sad all the way around for the bereaved family.

Hekate

His brother - a developmentally disabled adult - is the janitor and a member of the church. The church offered to provide the service as a gift to the vet's brother. And then they took it back.

Who is going to explain this to the developmentally disabled man, grieving his brother, suddenly rejected by the church that was both employer and community of spiritual support to him?

It's such a hateful story on so many levels. Not only did the church show disrespect for the veteran, they deeply hurt and rejected their own supposed brother in Christ, a disabled man who serves the church as both employee and member.

It's grotesque. I hope that the members of this church can't sleep at night.

:wtf::wtf::wtf: :evilfrown: :evilfrown: :evilfrown: :grr::grr::grr: :spank::spank::spank:



Definitely a "Bad Preacher-No Rapture" moment.

I know it. I've dropped some friendships over this. I grew up with people like these church members. They act like sweetie-pies to your face but they're working hard to change this country into a dictatorship in which anyone who doesn't believe exactly as they do will die.

that yes, they are indeed Christians, doing the "Christian" thing?

if these haters believe in Christ as their lord and savior, then they're just as christian as all the "good" ones right here on DU.

I really, really hate it when christians try to disown this shit.

I'm not fooled anymore.

I really, really don't understand what you're saying.

So a sub-sect of Christianity professes ideas that are, theologically, out of the main, and for that matter, new to the faith, and the rest of Christianity is supposed to agree with them?

I don't. I think they're wrong in just about every way. I think their twist on Christian theology and teaching is perverse and hurtful to the faith, and hurtful to humankind. I think they distort the image of Christianity around the world, making it harder for those who are seeking to follow the teachings of Christ to do their work.

And I shouldn't attempt to disown this nonsense? Why?

Jesus was all about it.

These fundagelicals are NOT in any way mainstream.

They're loud. They're publicity-seeking. But they DO NOT represent the mainstream of Christian practice or thought. Not at all.

It's just that the mainstream doesn't spend all its time and money on PR. They just go about their business.

They also happen to be complete assholes at the same time.

Their fax number is 817-394-3001. Or if you want to call them directly 817-394-3000.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

Or if you're more of an email person (like me),
here's their email form:
http://www.churchunusual.com/general-email.html
and here's their staff list (with email addresses):
http://www.churchunusual.com/address.html

:hi: :hi: :hi:

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

no clue..

Self-hating closet case.

I hope the family finds an Episcopal, UCC, or other good-hearted church to hold the funeral service.

He looks kinda like my brother.

:yoiks:

Who, just happens to be having a fabulous hair day and uses a killer moisturizer.

Next question?

:argh:

"The church's pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men "engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing."


Because no good Christian man would ever kiss or show affection to another man.

I had seen the hand holding pic, but the mouth kiss!?!? LUV IT!

Order of Service brochure.

There are days when I think we should all work to infiltrate these places and throw a little reality into their reading material.

I'm not really sure if there are any real Christians left. They all seem to be waging an imaginary war based on their false assumptions that they are being bullied and abused.

I'm tired of them.

I also think it's sad, but I do think they are observing their homophobic religious precepts.

They're louder and more obnoxious, to be sure. They get plenty of attention that way.

But their teachings are a johnny-come-lately perversion of traditional Christianity. They don't represent centuries of thought and teachings, and study at all.

This is all pretty new stuff, built to support the bigoted needs of a sub-sect of Christians. They love the spotlight, so they seek it out -- and you know the old saying about no PR being bad PR? They don't care how they're seen -- they just need to be seen.

So they are.

But they do not in any way represent most of Christianity.

No better than the extreme Islamic peoples.

If one believes in the divinity of christ, believes in him as their lord and savior, yadda yadda...

They're just as christian as anyone else who professes their belief in jesus as their savior. Christians, it seems, would very much love to disown this shitty behavior, but unfortunately for them, they can't. The behavior is, in fact, quite christian.

They are certainly Christians. But like all Christians, they are entirely fallible. In this case, their behavior is anything but Christ-like and loving.

Which is why the rest of us not only can, but SHOULD disown their shitty behavior.

just SICK OF IT

http://www.edwardtbabinski.us/history/king_james_gay.html

How many folks know that King James (who commissioned the King James Bible and to whom it was dedicated) loved men and had sex with them? At the age of thirteen James fell madly in love with his male cousin Esme Stuart whom he made Duke of Lennox. James deferred to Esme to the consternation of his ministers. In 1582 James was kidnapped and forced to issue a proclamation against his lover and send him back to France.

Later, James fell in love with a poor young Scotsman named Robert Carr. "The king leans on his arm, pinches his cheeks, smooths his ruffled garment, and when he looks upon Carr, directs his speech to others." (Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, in a letter, 1611)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

King James' favorite male lovers were the Earl of Somerset and the Duke of Buckingham.
- Ben Edward Akerly, The X-rated Bible

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James's sexual orientation was so widely known that Sir Walter Raleigh joked about it in public saying "King Elizabeth" had been succeeded by "Queen James."

- Catherine D. Bowen, The Lion and the Throne

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for me I choose to live in the light of love that Jesus left for us and pray for those that are hypocrites.

I thank this young man for his service to our country. I pray he is at peace. I hope one of the other churches in the area will step up and take up the cross for him and give him a fitting memorial.





:grouphug:

Bookmarking for future use.

I see "cult of personality".

These megachurches are usually big cults surrounding the personality of a narcissistic "pastor". They get to be mega because of guilt and shaking down the congregation for more and more money. Instead of serving fellow humans the way their Jesus suggests, they serve themselves by becoming bloated xtian Walt Disney Worlds.

Blech.

self-justified and self-righteous, is downright counter to the teachings of the man who they claim as their Lord. They act out of hate and fear - again counter to the message of love that Jesus taught.

I am glad the story made the media - because it makes clear how ridiculous their behavior is - the man served his country, the man was good enough to work at their Church, but suddenly he does not deserve the dignity of a memorial service at their church. Shame on them. If people of their ilk wonder why there is a growing acceptance of the notion of civil rights for all - including protection of gay rights - they have no further to look than their own juvenile behavior that makes more and more folks start shaking their heads on the one hand (at the story(ies) - and start wondering on the other hand... really, what is the big deal (not about the content of the story - but of the ridiculous behavior of the radical religious extremists.

Per the story itself, dollars to donuts the cult/pastor knew, and only was concerned when narrow minded bigots in his church started calling and threatening to cut off the money supply, er church offerings. Because in the cultish world of the far right mega churches, money trumps all ... and they don't choose to see the irony of turning the whole church enterprise into the money changers table that Jesus upturned in anger.

What a pathetic story.

The Polish Pope went a long way in correcting historical wrongs by addressing the anti-Semitism in Christian theology, but failed to deal with its equally reprehensible misogyny and homophobia. Until all Christians tackle head on what's wrong with their patriarchal Middle Eastern religion, there is little hope of enlightenment.

by a bunch of hypocrits calling themselves Christians.

Hypocrites.

......... yet another mega church without a single Christian in the whole damn group. Organized religion is sickening....

From the word "go," teachings of prophets are always distorted to suit those who need to embrace violence and wars.

Churches are built not to teach non-violence, but violence --
Not to spread equality nor democracy, but to fight it --

Prophets/gods are made into the image of warriors --

formed at the same time as the US, and its governance based on the US system -- built by many of the same people, in fact.

And your other comments are not exactly supported. Care to try?

with this collection of bigots?

"If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas"

Their creation myth appears to be an especially egregious one...

NT!

Jesus should come back and Bitch-slap these idiots. I say start charging every religious institution, enough is enough. They wanna play politics they should start paying. So sad, it's such a insult to the deceased, his family and esp. God:( Shame on them.




BTW I am Christian and I am sick and tried of the hate coming from the Church.

a large donor perhaps?

misty.westlund@highpointchurch.com,todd.mears@highpointchurch.com,roscoe.robinson@highpointchurch.com,abel.pena@highpointchurch.com,glenda.simons@highpointchurch.com ,joseph.davis@highpointchurch.com,bobby.yanick@highpointchurch.com, robert.baxter@highpointchurch.com


here's their lead list of emails...

PLEASE write them -

and if you go to their churchuncommon.com website - oh my goodness.. I watched the video - yeah, I could see Jesus out there in the woods with the men at their "men's advance" all dressed up in face paint looking like something from "Deliverance" in their paintball hunt...

DISTURBING... in fact, someone should write them and say that and put scriptures... I didn't do that when I wrote them this ---

I do believe having charity and giving forgiveness are two of the main staples of our faith, if I'm not mistaken (of course I'm not) and your heinous decision to originally hold then flip flop and not hold the funeral for that soldier is beyond the pale of cruelty and shows no compassion whatsoever - NONE.


Jesus said, "WHOSOEVER" and he meant it, leave the judging up to him - for what manner you judge - the same will be done unto you by God.


Your decision speaks volumes about your church - what you did to that family was heinous and lacking in Christian compassion. I kick my feet together and turn from you and your mini-society, for you are not 'a city on a hill'....

Uh-huh...:sarcasm:
Hypocrites in the highest order.
BHN

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA081007.bootcamp.EN.1ec055f1.html
A San Antonio pastor and an employee of his Christian boot camp were arrested today on aggravated assault charges, accusing them of dragging a girl behind a van after failing to keep up with others during a running exercise.

Authorities said both boot camp officials restrained a girl June 12, tying her to the back of the truck before dragging her on her stomach at the Love Demonstrated Ministries boot camp in Banquete, about 10 miles west of Corpus Christi.

The 15-year-old girl’s mother complained to authorities about the incident after taking her daughter to get treated for scrapes and bruises.

Jesus never turned anyone away!

I have been Pagan and gay all my life, and my parents didn't know, when I was 31 (35 now) my parents finally put it together since all I had was male roommates with one bedroom ummm HELLO!!!! lol....My mom and dad, Gods rest his soul who just passed this year, are christians and were Republican voters and surprisingly enough my mom and dad at the time both told me that "Son no matter what faith you follow or how you live your lifestyle is up to you and not for me to judge, we are your parents in this life and we are to help you grow and find yourself and it is not up to us to stand in your way. We believe that you should and must have faith in something and if the Baptist faith that we grew up on didn't fit with you or wasn't your calling then that's fine I just wish you all the love your faith has to offer you and you find peace within it."

And during the last moments I saw my dad in the hospital before he passed he looked at me and said "You have made me proud son through all you have done and no matter what any family member says about you and your choices has no bearing on my love for you, God says he gave us all free will and to say that controls the market in faith and that he is the Only God in all of the universe is pretty arrogant."

And yet to this day being a Pagan priest and a gay man my mom never preaches to me or shoves her belief down my throat at all cause she said "As a christian we are supposed to respect others decisions and not judge them unless I be judged by the same rod and I'm no god to judge you I'm a mom that is still here to take care of you and be here for you." NOW THAT'S A CHRISTIAN.

Jesus would read their beads but good.

They're not a church, they're hell on Earth. Fuck them.

All they are doing is proving their lack of humanity.

Sick bastards.

How twisted!

I do hope some other church nearby exhibits a more loving attitude and offers to host the ceremony. And that this place takes a beating for their hateful attitude.

Why doesn't anyone ask them?
Their lack of tolerance makes their hatred for this country and all it represents so obvious.