The Amish teaching us all a lesson

[Strike For The South]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/07/ami....ap/index.html

Wow these people have there priorities straight. God bless them.

[Csargo]

I still can't believe anyone could do such a thing but looking into what has happened to the man you can see a little more into his state of mind. And yes SFTS God Bless Them.

[Scurvy]

I feel sorry for all involved, including the man... the behavior of the Amish is also very impressive - an example to all (although i'm not sure i could live without electricity)

[Oaty]

(although i'm not sure i could live without electricity)

They use electricity but only from a windmill as far as I know.

[Crazed Rabbit]

God bless them. They are noble people.

Crazed Rabbit

[rory_20_uk]

They are utterly religious, possibly enacting what precious few can when something this horrible happens to them.

There is nothing that a person can't do. No act however perverse, painful or in whatever way wrong won't find someone that will either do it for money or kicks.

With enough "training", all of us can be conditioned to do them too.

[Proletariat]

I agree, but how crass. Great post, there.

[BDC]

It's quite impressive. Shame so many other 'Christian' groups can't quite manage to live what they preach so well.

[Crazed Rabbit]

There is nothing that a person can't do. No act however perverse, painful or in whatever way wrong won't find someone that will either do it for money or kicks.

Save it. They are definately not getting 'money or kicks' out of this. Stop trying to degrade what they have done.

Crazed Rabbit

[GoreBag]

Ha, truth hurts.

[Ice]

It's quite impressive. Shame so many other 'Christian' groups can't quite manage to live what they preach so well.

Yeah to bad. I would have decapitated his body and fed him to rats.

[Csargo]

Ha, truth hurts.

I don't get it Gore.

[Vladimir]

I don't get it Gore.

He's saying that the Amish are mass murders, right?

[Gregoshi]

Apparently the Amish haven't taught us all a lesson...

[ajaxfetish]

This is Christianity truly lived and not just preached. I'm not sure what to say about the deaths. I don't tear up too easy, but just reading through the names and ages of the victims was intensely painful. I can't imagine what my state of mind would be if I was a member of one of the victims' families. The Amish have my deepest respect for so many of the things they do. Thank God for the good examples He gives us.

Ajax

[Fragony]

They are doing as they are told, more community pressure then nobleness I think. I wonder if they actually mean it, and what they say to eachother at the dinner table. I find it a bit creepy, people aren't like that.

[rory_20_uk]

Save it. They are definately not getting 'money or kicks' out of this. Stop trying to degrade what they have done.

Crazed Rabbit

Apparently you can't / didn't bother to read my first post.

Possibly engaging brian might be a good idea before knee jerk posting.

[econ21]

Possibly engaging brian might be a good idea before knee jerk posting.

But what if Brian does not want to get engaged to Crazed Rabbit?



Sorry, I could not resist.

For shame, making such a cheap pun in a thread on this topic.



Back to topic: as an atheist, I find the reaction of the Amish one of those cases where I can only admire and try learn from the devout. People like them, like Martin Luther King, Ghandhi, indeed Jesus himself standout like beacons of humanity. This case shows both how far man can fall and how far he can rise.

[Redleg]

In a related story - Phelps has reared his ugly hateful little peabrain once again. I wonder if Navaros attends this particlur little church.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,217975,00.html

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," October 3, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, have been protesting at military funerals since June of last year carrying signs with anti-gay slogans. Yesterday, they announced they were planning to protest the funerals of the Amish schoolgirls shot to death to death in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, earlier this week, but they have since changed their plans.

With us now from Westboro Baptist Church is Shirley Phelps-Roper.

You changed your plans because Mike Gallagher has offered you airtime on his radio show, because you want to get your message out. What is that message?

SHIRLEY PHELPS-ROPER, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: The message is that God has put a standard in the earth. He expects his creatures to obey it. If you obey, he'll bless you. If you don't, he'll curse you. America has sent away her day of grace. America is doomed.

COLMES: You're giving me what sounds like a bunch of talking points. Why would you cause more pain to this community, the Amish community, which, if so not even involved in so much what is considered modern day and these families who have suffered? Do you have any sense of how much additional pain you would be causing these families by protesting at the funeral of these young girls?

PHELPS-ROPER: There isn't any way to fix that situation for them. It's not going to be any less painful if we are there or aren't there. They did that to themselves. And you say they're not involved.

COLMES: What do you mean they did that to themselves?

PHELPS-ROPER: I mean, they sit over to there and create their own form of righteousness, instead of...

COLMES: Did those girls deserve to be killed?

PHELPS-ROPER: Well, they did get killed, and they did that. Who controls the hearts of men? It was at the hand of an angry God those girls are dead.

COLMES: Did they deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: They did deserve to die.

COLMES: How you can possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: Because that's exactly what happened, and it happened at the hand of the lord your God.

COLMES: How can you possibly say that — how can you possibly say that young girls who have done nothing wrong, who are innocent, who are just a few years old, who have never sinned, who have never done anything, deserve to die? How could you possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: You told me that you serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who says that when Adam sinned all sinned. There are no innocent human beings. And the parents...

COLMES: You know, you protest funerals of soldiers. You protest funerals of anybody who seems — dies under any circumstances. Anybody who is not a member of your church is a sinner and is hated by God.

PHELPS-ROPER: Don't go to — anyone who is not — if you don't serve God…

COLMES: Who serves God besides people in your church?

PHELPS-ROPER: Well, you tell me. I don't see anyone on the landscape in America.

COLMES: Nobody except people in your church, which is basically your family. A few hundred members of your family are the only people on earth who serve God, and everybody else deserves to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: You need to get out on these streets and warn your neighbors that your sin is taking him to hell, fulfilling the royal law to love your neighbor as yourself.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Shirley, you really are a sick woman. You are a sick.

PHELPS-ROPER: Slight cold but thank you.

HANNITY: Twisted human being. Where is your soul that you come on the air and as young innocent girls are going to die and you're going to — you're going to open up the family's wound and pour salt on it? Where is your heart? Where is your soul? Where's your compassion? Where's your love?

PHELPS-ROPER: Our message is for the living, and that is the only loving thing to do.

HANNITY: What about the living families that lost their daughter?

PHELPS-ROPER: They did that to themselves.

HANNITY: No, because some animal killed them in cold blood. The families didn't do it.

PHELPS-ROPER: Who controls the hearts of men?

HANNITY: Do you sin? Did you ever commit adultery? Did you ever sin?

PHELPS-ROPER: Of course not.

HANNITY: Did you ever lust in your heart? Did you ever get angry? Did you ever sin?

PHELPS-ROPER: And that — you've got the deck chairs on the Titanic.

HANNITY: Have you ever sinned, Miss Perfect here?

PHELPS-ROPER: Of course, you know that I have sinned, and that's not the point.

HANNITY: You have. So you're a sinner. When you die, would you deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: Well, of course all of us deserve to die. But I'm not the one who did die and my message is for those living people who brought that pain upon themselves.

HANNITY: This is what I see about you, Shirley.

PHELPS-ROPER: They need to obey the commandments of the lord their God.

HANNITY: Your entire life is — is now sort of focused on bringing pain to other people: The families of innocent girls who died. The families of innocent soldiers who died. God hates fags, is what…

PHELPS-ROPER: Innocent? Throw that word around. It has no definition when you get done with it.

HANNITY: More innocent than you. They didn't sin like you admit you sinned.

PHELPS-ROPER: Those children...

HANNITY: What did they do?

PHELPS-ROPER: ... those children were killed at the hands of a raging mad God to punish those families, to punish the state of Pennsylvania, because you've got a governor in that state got on FOX News and lambasted us because we serve God.

HANNITY: And you want to do — and you want to...

PHELPS-ROPER: And then you've got those people in Pennsylvania who think they can sue us and fix this problem?

HANNITY: Because you — hang on a second. Because you didn't like Ed Rendell and what he said, you're now going to protest at the funerals to bring pains to the families?

PHELPS-ROPER: To connect the dots. To connect the dots from point A, your filthy manner of life and your rebellion against God...

HANNITY: What are your sins, Miss Perfect?

PHELPS-ROPER: ... and conduct against the servants of God, to point B, the dead children.

HANNITY: I want to know what your sins are.

PHELPS-ROPER: I'm not going to talk to you about any such thing. I don't glory in my shame like you seem to want to do.

HANNITY: No, I just find this amazing that everyone else is a big sinner but you, and you admit to being a sinner.

PHELPS-ROPER: Obey the commandments of the lord your God.

HANNITY: Which ones did you break?

PHELPS-ROPER: Obey the commandments of the lord your God. You don't fix this by saying two wrongs make a right. That's what you seem to be saying.

HANNITY: No, but...

PHELPS-ROPER: That you may not say what God requires of you. If you don't, what?

HANNITY: You know what I'm saying? I'm speaking to our audience beyond you because you're brain dead. What I'm saying to you is you are a soulless, thoughtless, mean...

PHELPS-ROPER: Thoughtless?

HANNITY: ... mean, human being.

PHELPS-ROPER: Thoughtless? We go out here year after year after year on our own to warn this nation that if you obey God he'll bless you. Why don't you just try it?

HANNITY: Now listen very closely.

PHELPS-ROPER: Just try it.

HANNITY: Listen to what I'm saying.

PHELPS-ROPER: Just try it.

HANNITY: Here's what I'm trying to tell you.

PHELPS-ROPER: Obey the commandments of the lord your God.

HANNITY: OK, I got that.

PHELPS-ROPER: And get his blessings.

HANNITY: Now you spoke.

PHELPS-ROPER: There is only one remedy.

HANNITY: Now you listen to me. Here's what your remedy is.

PHELPS-ROPER: You repent like the men of Nineveh or you, this nation s doomed. You think it's bad so far, you're going to find bodies stacked up so that you can't even bury them.

HANNITY: You — you are a religious nut.

PHELPS-ROPER: Then you will obey.

HANNITY: You are a religious...

COLMES: We've got to run. Do you deserve to die, too?

PHELPS-ROPER: All of us do. Every one of us.

COLMES: God is going to smite you at some point?

PHELPS-ROPER: No, I said we all deserve to die, but the mercy of God to his people that serve him is what prevails.

COLMES: I can't even — I can't even — we've got to take a break. I can't get mad at you, because you're so pathetic.

PHELPS-ROPER: Look, honey...

COLMES: And what you're saying is so horrible and mean-spirited.

PHELPS-ROPER: You can do that and call me names. It doesn't fix it. You have got the wrath of God pouring out on your head. You need to fix that by obeying.

COLMES: Thank you for the lecture.

PHELPS-ROPER: Repent like the men of Nineveh.

Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!

[Fragony]

COLMES: Did they deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: They did deserve to die.

COLMES: How you can possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: Because that's exactly what happened, and it happened at the hand of the lord your God.

COLMES: How can you possibly say that — how can you possibly say that young girls who have done nothing wrong, who are innocent, who are just a few years old, who have never sinned, who have never done anything, deserve to die? How could you possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: You told me that you serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who says that when Adam sinned all sinned. There are no innocent human beings. And the parents...


The way she thinks is pretty common in our biblebelt (yes Holland has one as well, most of the east is still deeply religious). Something like this is what I heard at the funeral of a friend of mine that was hit by a train a few years ago, not really that shocking, in our protestant churches everyone is a sinner by default.

[Ice]

That's quite hilarious. Relgious nuts is the perfect word for them.

[Papewaio]

Think before you speak.

[Don Corleone]

She's breaking so many of Christ's own commandments, it's hard to know where to begin... It's a terrible shame Sean Hannity, who claims to be a devout Catholic, is so Bible illiterate. I would LOVE to have had the opportunity to ask her what she thought Jesus meant when He said

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

In other words, by her wicked, cruel and merciless condemnations, she in fact condemns her own immortal soul to the horrors she heaps down on the heads of others. The lakes of fire, the red hot iron chains, all these things are waiting for her and Fred... What poor pathetic creatures... No human is capable of living sinless, yet they call for a standard that the slightest sin cause grief and agony immeasurable.... well, if that's what they really want... I'm sure the Lord will oblige.

[Xiahou]

She's breaking so many of Christ's own commandments, it's hard to know where to begin... It's a terrible shame Sean Hannity, who claims to be a devout Catholic, is so Bible illiterate.

I've long thought that Hannity is little more than a dim-witted bully with a good research staff. He falls flat again and again when he's put on the spot and taken off his prepared talking points, left to resort to name-calling and shoutdowns.

COLMES: Did they deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: They did deserve to die.

COLMES: How you can possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: Because that's exactly what happened, and it happened at the hand of the lord your God.

COLMES: How can you possibly say that — how can you possibly say that young girls who have done nothing wrong, who are innocent, who are just a few years old, who have never sinned, who have never done anything, deserve to die? How could you possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: You told me that you serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who says that when Adam sinned all sinned. There are no innocent human beings. And the parents...

The obvious next question to me would be: "So, by that logic, you also deserve to die?"

These people remind me of forum trolls or mmorpg griefers in that they thrive on the attention that they get. I think having them on this show is shameful, it's just more outrage enducing claptrap that shows like H&C and O'Reilly use to boost ratings.

[Kralizec]

The way she thinks is pretty common in our biblebelt (yes Holland has one as well, most of the east is still deeply religious). Something like this is what I heard at the funeral of a friend of mine that was hit by a train a few years ago, not really that shocking, in our protestant churches everyone is a sinner by default.

The belief that all people are sinners is held by a lot (if not most) protestant churches. That some people think I'm going to hell or even that their God hates me doesn't bother me in the slightest, I just don't want them to chant it at my funeral, wich is what Phelps' people do. I'm a non-violent person but if someone does that at a funeral of someone I care about, I won't be.

[Andres]

That's quite hilarious.

Idd. Nice inspiration for any stand-up comedian.

But considering the circumstances (young children who got killed), it is very, very sad. Sad that such idiots exist, sad that someone broadcasts such crap.

[Derfasciti]

That man was sick. I don't know the circumstances about his mental health but I heard he was "going to end his life because he was so guilty over molesting" his little cousins I think.

So he does it again?

Score for the Amish though. I don't think I have that kind of piety. They really are quite the example to follow.