NEWS: Christian Group Blames Katrina on Gays

A Christian group, Repent America, based out of Pennsylvania, is stating that Hurricane Katrina is the fault of gays and lesbians and that New Orleans was destroyed because it allowed them to hold events there.



The city is flooded, people are homeless, hungry, scared and dead. Should we really care that some of the people are black, or some are looting, or that there are gay people in New Orleans?

Apparently, that kind of thing matters to some people.

Memo to all these people: It was a hurricane, not God's stamp of approval for your small-mindedness and hate.

It's as tiresome, predictable, and sad that some of us look at even a natural disaster through the distorting prism of bigotry, rancor and fear. It's sad that people will use a natural disaster to justify their hate. It's also sad that this hate is tearing our country, and our world, apart.

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Oh how unoriginal!

To the idiot christian fanatics who said this is an act of God, punishing the gays, then what about the "nongays" who were "innocent christians" that died in the aftermath?


Not so holy and divine then is it?

Well, i think it was more a punishment for america becoming so secular IMHO

Same thing as some Muslims claiming it was Alah.

I swear, those two groups have fought for years over which god is real, now thay are going to fight for the credit of the body count.

Misfit

No, it should serve as a warning and get americans back into the churches at least, the only way these people are going to survive is with God's help.

Rikimaru,

Same goes for all the rest of the natural disasters around the world for as long as humans and world co-exist? To get Americans back to the church? Or, if it was the massive earthquake in Iraq recently, is that about Muslims getting back to Alah? Or is that the Christian god striking against them?

It's natural disasters, they have been happeining for eons. People die because people live on Earth, not because they did not get mumbo-jumbo religious. It's what the Earth does, always has always will, be there humans in the line of nature or not.

Many many people have been saved out of N.O not by your gods hand, but by boats, helicopters, and rescuers. ------ [assumtion of "your god" based on your stance],

Misfit

Its a matter of faith i suppose however it is the hand of God IMO that has saved these people so far, are you familiar with the story of Job?

I am familiar with far more of the Christian teachings than I care to remember. Sadly, just like military training - once it gets shoved in repeatedly for years on end weather one wishes it or not ......... it ain't leavin'.

Misfit

I think this tragedy should teach us something and that something is not to go to church.

Don't build cities on flood-plains below sea level

Contrary to poular fundamentalist belief, suffering, poverty and hatred ALWAYS INCREASES when a country becomes more fundamentalist.

Anyone else think an "American Taliban" is coming(like in Escape from LA) or am I just being paranoid? I hope it's the latter but I'm deathly afraid of the former.

EDIT: One other thing. What were the Childrens Sins that they had to die hmm? Oh I guess it was just their time /sarcasm

[edit on 4-9-2005 by sardion2000]

This is a prime example of ignorance. Ignorance is bliss, so I am told.
How can someone take a natural disaster, and make it a particular person, or peoples fault. Judge not lest Ye be judged.

And homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, A crime worthy of death - liviticus

Originally posted by Rikimaru
And homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, A crime worthy of death - liviticus

Ugh

==========

Damn, 2nd time today I'm eating points for a one-word comment - but I had to.
Huh, went more than a year without doing that - until today.
Misfit

And homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, A crime worthy of death - liviticus

Do you mean Leviticus?

This is insane. Hurricanes hit this area every year. Well, one finally hit the wrong area. Everyone knew it was going to happen eventually. Eventually happened to be last week.

One question, did sulfur and fire rain down in the Soddom and Gomorah area every year? Or was it an isolated event. Nuff said.

I think there is something terribly perverse growing in Christianity...

Hatred! Bitter, evil, hatred!
And this is just one more example of it.

Christ is not happy with those people who condemn others and preach this kind of hatred.
I truly hope they pray for forgivness.

I didnt condemn anybody nor would i ever for ANY reason, i was just saying that people who have turned from God may have angered him, but then again i dont know what thinks nor do i claim to.

If I start a religion and blame Christians for every natural disaster, can I get federal subsidies too?

These 'people' are probably closet cases anyway, and they're so ashamed of themselves it's entirely possible they'll rot in a self-created hell for the eternity between dead and gone. Sometimes you get a full 15 minutes, which, in brain time, is like 8 million years (Insert Random Long Number Here) - might as well be eternity.

Life is fair and still people get all worked up for nothing. It's noone's fault but their own, and as a result, they must shoulder the burden of consequence.

This news story might as well have been "Sun Rises Over Eastern Horizon!" Every time something bad happens, religious extremists blame it on their pet scapegoat.

The only purpose such speaches serve, and by proxy the only purpose served by reportage regarding these assinine pronouncements, is to remind us all just how ridiculous and vain the lunatic fringe really is. This stuff is info-tainment, like the runaway bride, and the missing girl in Aruba.


[edit on 5-9-2005 by WyrdeOne]

My guess is that they're looking for an excuse to get people to go back to church. After all without sinners who would go to church, and without church how would these fundamentalists make a living?

But of course ever since I say what happened to the Middle East, and saw Escape from LA I've realized that a fundementalist group might not be far off. After all look at how the Catholic Church was able to influence the 2004 presidential election. Abortion practically won the election for Bush, I talk to my catholic friends and they say they would've gladly voted for Bush, only because of his abortion stance. Nothing wrong with voting for Bush, but honestly when they vote for a guy based on one issue and then doing as the church says, I get worried about democracy.

Then you better kiss the Catholic Church goodbye.

I think I'll switch my God to that cool little guy, Jobu.

Pedro Cerrano: Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.
Eddie Harris: You know you might think about taking Jesus Christ as your savior instead of fooling around with all this stuff.
Jake Taylor: Harris.
Pedro Cerrano: Jesus, I like him very much, but he no help with curveball.
Eddie Harris: You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

Personally, I think it is kind of arrogant to believe that humans can change the feelings or thoughts or beliefs of the omnipotent, omniscient creator of the universe in any way at all but, hey, that's just me.

Historically speaking, great disasters have always been associated with the wrath of one god or another. The Biblical Flood was held to be evidence of God's anger at humanity having become wicked and sinful:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air".

Genesis 6:5-7

Similar stories of the gods punishing Mankind through floods are found in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, the Akkadian Atrahsis Epic, the Greek account of Zeus destroying the world through flood, as well as Hopi, Indian and Chinese mythology.

The Black Death, which ravaged 14th century Europe, was also at the time believed to be a punishment sent by God (Reference). During this epidemic, specific groups were also targetted as the cause of the plague or were believed to be deliberately spreading the plague. The Jews, for instance, were accused of deliberately poisoning wells with the Black Death (Reference).

So you see, persecution of specific groups following a natural disaster is hardly a recent phenomenon. Sadly, the scale of these tragedies shows us the best and worst aspects of religion. Speaking purely on a personal level, I think that it would be wiser to turn to God for comfort and pray to God for intercession for those who have lost everything than to foolishly blame groups who are suffering equally with everybody else.

[edit on 5/9/05 by Jeremiah25]

Actually I believe some other religious group might be able to argue that God spared New Orleans from the worst of the hurricane. I heard the highest wind speeds in New Orleans were estimated at 100 mph (a category 2 storm) and the center of the storm took a slight jog to the east before landfall and it weakened. However the levee system which man built to only withstand a category 3 storm failed. It was a relatively slow flood I've heard or people would have immediately drowned with no chance of rescue.

There are lots of ways to put different spins on stories. One might be even be able to argue that God favors Mardi Gras and Girls Gone Wild because there was a mysterious weakening of the storm before landfall and a slight jog to the east which spared New Orleans from immediate and total destruction. Most residents have been getting time to escape even though they did not heed warnings to leave. This could have been a much worse disaster otherwise with almost everyone dead and tornadoes could have destroyed the Astrodome and other "places of last resort" within the city. Of course this is just my opinion.

[edit on 5-9-2005 by orionthehunter]