Indiana Church Burns Gay Flag

Members of an Indiana church opposed to homosexuality demonstrated on the campus of Indiana University then marched to a Bloomington gay-owned store where they burned the Rainbow flag.

Carrying signs that said "Fags Die, God Laughs" the group of about 25 denounced the university for its LGBT diversity program. The group has held a number of anti-gay protests at UI over the past few years but, the campus newspaper, The Indiana Daily Student, said this was the largest.

<snip>

From the university campus the group marched to The Inner Chef a gay-owned kitchen supply store in Bloomington where they set a gay flag called New Glory on fire.

<snip>

"The elite city of Bloomington harbors an elitist, faggot business called The Inner Chef which openly and unabashedly claim they are against God Almighty," John Lewis, pastor of the Old Paths church, told the Daily Student. "We burned the flag, and we will do it again."

<sigh> It's such a relief to know that when Freddie Phelps passes on to his ever-lasting reward of being bitch-slapped by Jesus for all eternity that there will be those who can fill his shoes ... thus giving us an insight into what happens when religion becomes a drug to be mainlined.

I do wonder, however, if his "church" is really named Old Paths ... or is that short for "Old Pathologies"?

Normal Americans see this side, and they move further left.

This is why Gays and Lesbians MUST keep their message positive, because people will see a good message coming from us, and a bad one from these morans.

Truly vile people.

Right-wing douchebags.

:puke:

It only highlights how truly fucked up homophobes are. I feel like calling up the Inner Chef and ordering something from the owner.

i asked her if she wanted her daughters growing up exposed to these ideas.

no one is "against" god. they're against YOUR idiotic, rigid interpretation of god, you ignorant neandertal.

makes me sick!!! I was a student at Indiana University from '65-'69 and it was a wonderfully enlightening, liberal place to be during those years of the Vietnam conflict....war. Those of you who remember the movie "Breaking Away" will recall the conflict between the town's people and the university's students. Although, I don't recall it being just as it was portrayed, there were definite philosophical differences. I imagine it is still those differences which is raising its ugly head....again. However, I have faith that the students will counter the flag burning....stay tuned!

Edit: spelling.

spot in sea of red ignorance.. (I'm referring much of the rural midwest in general, not Indiana). Athens, Ohio and Lawrence, Kansas are part of the same archipelago.

No one is against God. Just against your narrow-minded, hateful interpretation of God.

I stand firmly with those who are against a God of hatred, fire, brimstone, pain, punishment, and no forgiveness.

Fortunately, I know that the REAL God (maybe you have heard of him...He's mentioned quite frequently in the Gospels) is a God of mercy, love, compassion, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness.

Maybe you should learn a bit about him.

The article doesn't explain how this business is elitist. Were these freaks turned away when trying to buy a spatula?

spatulas -made in France?

Letters should be written to "Reverend" Lewis suggesting that instead of harrassing God's children he should form mission teams to go rebuild the homes of the Evansville tornado victims.

There was an item posted here just last month about the same store having its gay flag stolen and burned.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=221&topic_id=17713

I tried to find a link/web page for the Inner Chef, but no luck.

I'm going to order something!

Indiana Church Burns Gay Flag
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: November 8, 2005 9:00 pm ET
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/11/110805flagDemo.htm

<snip>

The protest came less than a month after two teenagers stole and burned a similar Rainbow flag that had been hanging outside the store. (story)
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/101205flag.htm

ACLU Sues to Protect Free Speech Rights of Anti-Abortion Church Group in Indiana

July 16, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SCOTTSBURG, IN-- The Indiana Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has filed a lawsuit to stop city officials' unconstitutional infringements on the free speech rights of a Baptist preacher and his congregation.

In its lawsuit, the ICLU charges that Pastor John Lewis and his congregants from the Old Paths Baptist Church were repeatedly threatened with arrest and/or citation by the Scottsburg Police Department for using megaphones during anti-abortion demonstrations. Police officials told Pastor Lewis that they were concerned about the possible reaction of passersby who hear his message.

"Pastor Lewis and his church members were ordered to stop, not because there was some ordinance they were violating or that the noise rose to the level of disorderly conduct, but because the police were concerned that the persons hearing the message might react against it," said ICLU Legal Director Ken Falk. "This appears to be a classic case of a ‘heckler's veto’, which is unconstitutional."

In a similar case, the ICLU previously filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Old Paths Baptist Church last July against a Salem ordinance that would restrict public protest. The ordinance was aimed at curbing anti-abortion protests led by Pastor Lewis outside Washington County Courthouse. The ordinance required groups to apply for parade permits at least four weeks before any protest and pay a $100 application fee.

The ICLU has consistently defended the reproductive rights of women in the courts, in the Indiana General Assembly and in Congress. But the American way is to confront a contrary view, not to muzzle it, said the ICLU.

"Whether we agree with all of the message of Pastor Lewis and his followers is irrelevant," said ICLU Executive Director Fran Quigley. "The ICLU is dedicated to preserving the rights of religious expression and free speech for all Hoosiers."


More:
http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeSpeech.cfm?ID=16125&c=86

Yes, that's right. The ACLU was suing to protect the rights of this man (and as much as it pains me to say it, I am kind of glad they did).

Group protests gays with flag burning, songs
Church demonstrators target The Inner Chef downtown

by Gavin Lesnick
Indiana Daily Student

Published Tuesday, November 8, 2005

About 25 members of the Old Paths Baptist Church protested Monday afternoon outside The Inner Chef, chanting anti-gay slogans, burning a gay pride flag and brandishing signs with messages like "Fags Die, God Laughs."

<snip>

Bloomington police officers responded to the scene but only to prevent it from getting out of hand, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Mick Williams. He said police did intervene, stopping protestors when they began burning the New Glory, a gay-pride variation of the American flag that features rainbow colors as the stripes.

The Old Paths group began the day with a protest behind Woodburn Hall. Though the group has been to IU many times in the past few years, Monday's demonstration was larger than usual, complete with children playing instruments and singing songs beside the sign-wielding adults.

<snip>

The protestors left promptly at 3:15 p.m., boarding a bus covered in large photographs of aborted fetuses.

More:
http://www.idsnews.com/portable.php?id=32378


Protesters meet counter-protest on campus
IU law school serves as venue for religious debate

Anti-gay and anti-abortion protesters clashed with Bloomington United and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender representatives in front of the IU School of Law Tuesday afternoon.

Members of the Old Paths Baptist Church of Indiana came to IU with posters featuring aborted fetuses and anti-gay slogans.

"We're not protesting so much as we're exercising our religion," said John Lewis, the church's pastor. "Christ tells us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

When GLBT supporter and junior Phillip Bergmann noticed the Old Paths protesters, he quickly organized a counter-protest.

"I happened to see them across the street, and I called the director of the GLBT services on campus, Doug Bauder, and I told him get over here and get me some signs and some buttons," he said. "It's been a pretty civilized protest."

More:
http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=26155


Also:
My hometown paper has become liebralized!, What is the world coming to?
http://www.landoverbaptist.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5506

Corydon officials search for plans to deal with hate group
http://www.corydondemocrat.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2005-07-12&-token.story=131530.112112&-token.subpub=



CHURCH DIRECTORY
Listing of Fundamental, King-James-Only Baptist Churches

What Every Christian Should Know About
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Old Paths Baptist Church
location P.O. Box 104, Campbellsburg, I, Campbellsurg, Indiana 47108, United States of America.
pastor Bro. John Lewis
phone (812) 865-3180
email southpaw60@juno.com
http://fundamental.org/fundamental/churches/index.php3?action=viewchurch&ChurchID=332




Separate Paths

With Gay civil Rights in the spotlight, two activists from opposite ends of the spectrum interact in Bloomington.

By Mike McElroy



You see the signs before you see the people holding them.

"GOD HATES." "AIDS CURES FAGS."

"MY GOD LOVES ALL." "STOP PREACHING HATE."

A sizeable crowd has gathered behind Woodburn hall at Indiana University. The usually determined flow of passing students has stopped to gawk at the spectacle on this chilly February weekday. A uniformed IU police officer makes his presence felt by ushering the crowd of gapers off the main walkways.

The protesters sling Bible verses back and forth across the bustling
street amid a steady stream of passing class-goers.

On one sidewalk,senior Matt Brunner stands among his friends from Bloomington Unitedand Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender advocates. On the other,John Lewis, Pastor of the Old Paths Baptist Church, preaches the KingJames Bible from a megaphone. His followers debate passing students.Neither of their attitudes toward their faith is especially popular. Brunner spends his free time campaigning for gay rights and the right for gays to marry. Lewis organizes semi-weekly trips to inform college students of his belief that all “sodomites” are going to hell.



"The Lord tells us to show the bloody cities their sins, and sodomy is an abomination and a corruption of what the creator has made,” Lewis says. "People initially have a negative response (to our protests) because what we're preaching flies in the face of everything they've ever been taught.”

More:
http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/gallery/j201spring05/faith/amdenney/index.html

As in: Lewis organizes semi-weekly trips to inform college students of his belief that all “sodomites” are going to hell.

It always makes me wonder if they're really read their Bibles ... especially Ezekial 16:49 where it says, "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy" or in Mark 6:11 where Jesus, whom the fundies claim to follow, says: "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

Sounds to me more like God gets pissed off when folks have too much pride, don't take care of the poor and are inhospitable to strangers in which case I think there are a hell of a lot of Baptists (and all fundies in general) who qualify as the real "sodomites."

4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ezek/4.html#12

organize a "suitable for giving to your fav fundie" dung cake bake sale, and give the proceeds to charity. That seems a far more christian act than burning a flag...taking things literally and all

religious freedom legal groups defending this cult? You know, like the Alliance Defense Fund, the Liberty Counsel. . the ACLJ? ? ?I thought they were the ones who rushed to do pro-bono work for the oppressed and victimized holy rollers?

Oh wait - I'll bet this group is too extreme for the "right" wingnut christian legal groups...which means they wouldn't quite qualify for the Right. But they'll continue trying to get the ACLU restricted from awards in court.

That's one of the most evil things I've read in a long time on DU.

Sick, disgusting and reprehensible.

I'd frequent The Inner Chef all the time if I could.

And too bad those sick homophobic motherfuckers couldn't be arrested.

On edit: yes, mods, this is advocating violence. No, I don't care whether it is. Delete this if you want, but I'm throughly pissed reading about desperately sick shit like this.

if I saw that sick fuck Phelps and his puling spawn protesting I'd have to restrain myself from beating the shit out of the evil old bastard.

this kind of thing makes me want to get myself a machine gun and efficiently mow down a bunch of sick homophobic fucks. Phelps and his crew make me feel the same way. Gun 'em all down and leave their bigoted corpses to rot in the sun.

I know, it's pretty sick of me to think this, but unlike before, when I just felt sad for these people, lately I've been feeling a lot of rage and it's coming to a head. I don't think I'm alone in this.

... but killing them would only make them "martyrs" to like-minded idiots.

They are more useful as living, breathing assholes because they make straight people who don't give my thought to LGBT issues a chance to see what we face. The Phelpses of this world - as vile and repugnant as they are - end up winning us more allies than gaining supporters for themselves.

I guess we'll have to get the "like-minded idiots", too -- anyone who might consider them martyrs -- or else we will have "scotched the snake, not killed it" (Macbeth).

And in every other thread around here, I have to listen to how christians are right about everything and are persecuted.

Most christians aren't like that, I hear, daily.

Yeah, right. Then why is every single story like this? It's not just islam that has an image problem.

enacting their version of crystalnacht.