Jesus rides with the cops—and taxpayers foot the bill

EIT

This is unbelievable, but apparently in Alabama (where else?) the police carry pastors in their cruisers and allow them to proselytize crime and disaster victims.

This is verbatim from a letter sent out by David Silverman, president of the American Atheists:

The religious extremists have crossed the line again. Imagine you were just the victim of a crime. You’re traumatized. You see someone step out of a police car and start to walk toward you. He flashes his police-provided ID card and ducks under the crime scene tape. He sits next to you as you think, “Who is this guy? A social worker? A crisis counselor?”

But when he opens his mouth, you find out right away that he is neither of these. He begins to tell you about God’s plan as he takes your hands and prays for you to come to Jesus.

Shockingly, this isn’t imaginary at all. In Montgomery, Alabama—the capital city with a population of 200,000—the police department has started a new program called “Operation Good Shepherd.” The program trains evangelical Christian pastors, using tax dollars, to ride along with police officers and gives them access to crime scenes in order to preach Christianity explicitly while people are vulnerable.

In other words, they are taking advantage of people who are in crisis and using your tax dollars to do it. So far, 37 pastors have completed the tax-funded training.

According to the Atlantic ,this program is indeed publicly funded, and besides the complete lack of evidence that it works, it’s palpably unconstitutional.

“The government cannot take actions that appear to endorse religion. Using ministers in this way does exactly that.”

If the cops don’t let mullahs, rabbis, and humanist “preachers” ride around with them, it’s clearly a violation of the First Amendment. In fact, they should deep-six the whole idea. Cops are cops, not aides to God.

Wouldn’t it be better, if you’re dealing with family problems or social dysfunction, to have psychologists instead of ministers ride around with the cops? After all, the First Amendment doesn’t put a wall between state and psychology.

People will look back and say this is where the US Christian equivalent of the Taliban began they now have a badge pretty soon they will be the judge Dredd's of the movies passing judgment on the streets with bible in hand. The quotes above mirror exactly how I feel on the issue so I shouldn't need to say much about it. This is clearly a violation of separation of church and state period there is no way around that fact.

I kids you not i had to do a double take to make sure it wasnt the joke forum!....really man......pastors,taxpayer funded!!!

2nd

reply to post by ScottishBiker420


I really wish it was a joke.

My uncle who is a pastor lives there and the last time I visited there were more churches than I could count in the area. I don't think they need to be recruiting it seemed to me if anyone was looking for spiritual guidance they didn't have to go far.

It takes a really sick mind to prey on the minds of those most vulnerable...

Of course there will be those that will cheer this as a victory. To those that would support this i have a question.

What if it was a Muslim Imam, or a Hindu Brahma that was riding along with these police officers? Would that also be acceptable? Would you support that in the same way you support this?

DC

Much like many thoughts and ideas, religion is a virus.

A virus aggressively seeks out a method of delivery and transference.

This is merely one way the virus has found to deliver itself. Another way is to sheath itself in a protein the host body may accept. Maybe this is the way it has found to insert itself into our host body?


I have no qualms with an individuals ideas of religion. The organization of it scares the crap out of me. Things like this happen.

What an excellent idea. This my friends is what America used to be about. America was once a christian nation. As a matter of fact the function of public school was to teach the Bible to our kids and there was a Bible commissioned by congress for this very purpose.

Good thing our founding fathers could read and happened to notice that the words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the constitution. It's only in modern times that psychotic America and God hating Marxists have decided that the purpose of government and the educational system is to promote a religion, atheism.

That's actually a violation of the establishment clause, not the mere fact of having a pastor in a cop car to try to remediate the criminal mind. A sane person would see that this is a good thing.

WTF is going on lately??? Who approved this and why does he still have his job??? How is it that we allow wacky religious ideas like this into our various forms of Law and Government when it's clearly unconstitutional?? I just don't get it.

Just wait until one of these Pastors get's shot, that will make for a nice story!

reply to post by SevenThunders


I have a question in my post, in case you missed i will quote it here. I am curious of your answer since you seem to support this.

What if it was a Muslim Imam, or a Hindu Brahma that was riding along with these police officers? Would that also be acceptable? Would you support that in the same way you support this?

xDeadcowx
reply to post by SevenThunders

 

I have a question in my post, in case you missed i will quote it here. I am curious of your answer since you seem to support this.

What if it was a Muslim Imam, or a Hindu Brahma that was riding along with these police officers? Would that also be acceptable? Would you support that in the same way you support this?

If the community was dumb enough to approve the use of the agents of satan, then that is their perogative. As it is you have a master satanist, Michael Aquno running an accused pedo cult, temple of set while retaining his many high level clearances as a colonel in the army. Does that bother you at all?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Things like that never bother liberals, that's why they support cults of personality like Obama and Clinton, even though their crimes and murders pile up before God.

reply to post by SevenThunders


What does any of that have to do with this thread, or the question in asked?

Ill assume that since you called the members of other religions "agents of satan" that you would not support this type of program if it was anything other than christian.

Thanks for proving the point i was attempting to make, your hypocrisy has been made very apparent.

DC

reply to post by xDeadcowx


I'm sorry if your english comprehension is at such a low level. I don't blame you, I blame our Marxist controlled education system. To make it clearer, my position is that if it is part of the community standard to accept pagan religions and satanism as part of the criminal remediation process, then so be it.

Thus yes I approve.

SevenThunders
What an excellent idea. This my friends is what America used to be about. America was once a christian nation. As a matter of fact the function of public school was to teach the Bible to our kids and there was a Bible commissioned by congress for this very purpose.

Good thing our founding fathers could read and happened to notice that the words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the constitution. It's only in modern times that psychotic America and God hating Marxists have decided that the purpose of government and the educational system is to promote a religion, atheism.

That's actually a violation of the establishment clause, not the mere fact of having a pastor in a cop car to try to remediate the criminal mind. A sane person would see that this is a good thing.

edit on 12-10-2013 by SevenThunders because: (no reason given)

what if i told you that a sane person might think your statement one that is of an insane person.....no person has the right the enforce their belief's onto another, for any reason

reply to post by SevenThunders


You make a great example of why it's impossible to even have an adult conversation with you Religious Nutjobs!! Right away you address anyone who doesn't think just like you as being some kind of BoogeyMen controlled by Satan. I mean come on, can we leave the Goofy kid stuff for Halloween and Hollywood and act like rational thinking adults here??? Just stop with all the damn Oogey Boogey scary invisible monster BS!! And drop the Bias toward anything not Christian.

Heads up for ya, just because someone isn't a radical christian doesn't make them Liberal, Conservative, Evil, Satans Minion, etc. etc. You're all like F-ing Automatons.

SevenThunders
What an excellent idea. This my friends is what America used to be about. America was once a christian nation. As a matter of fact the function of public school was to teach the Bible to our kids and there was a Bible commissioned by congress for this very purpose.

Good thing our founding fathers could read and happened to notice that the words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the constitution. It's only in modern times that psychotic America and God hating Marxists have decided that the purpose of government and the educational system is to promote a religion, atheism.

Realy Modern times huh?


And I have news for you.

ScottishBiker420
I kids you not i had to do a double take to make sure it wasnt the joke forum!....really man......pastors,taxpayer funded!!!

2nd

They are not paid but turns out it is very successful program and the only one complaining is the atheist lol.

Go figure that, complaining about a compassionate program that is helping people, both victims and criminals but especially those lost in drugs and alcohol. Only an atheist could find something negative from that. Lol

The Bot

SevenThunders
What an excellent idea. This my friends is what America used to be about. America was once a christian nation. As a matter of fact the function of public school was to teach the Bible to our kids and there was a Bible commissioned by congress for this very purpose.

Good thing our founding fathers could read and happened to notice that the words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the constitution. It's only in modern times that psychotic America and God hating Marxists have decided that the purpose of government and the educational system is to promote a religion, atheism.

That's actually a violation of the establishment clause, not the mere fact of having a pastor in a cop car to try to remediate the criminal mind. A sane person would see that this is a good thing.

edit on 12-10-2013 by SevenThunders because: (no reason given)

Ahh well then I am gladly insane.

If I were in a situation that I was traumatised and the police called a priest to come pray with me and get me closer to jesus.

I'd end up eating prison food and the pest would be eatinh hospital food.

God DAMNED god botherers..

SevenThunders
reply to post by xDeadcowx

 

I'm sorry if your english comprehension is at such a low level. I don't blame you, I blame our Marxist controlled education system. To make it clearer, my position is that if it is part of the community standard to accept pagan religions and satanism as part of the criminal remediation process, then so be it.

Thus yes I approve.

But if the majority did not want this christian effort, they must be insane. you've already said a sane mind would think this is a good thing.

So make your mind up.

If the majority want it, it's ok? or are they insane?

I'll make it easy for you. You're a hypocrite.

reply to post by dlbott


I find it offensive that religion preys on the weak minded when they see it. They don't want to help, they want to convert.

And you canot convert someone who is strong of mind. Only weak.

So they only want to help the weak.

It's disgusting.. I'd rather be an 'atheist lol' than a weak minded christian.

reply to post by Grimpachi


I see the many problems with this BUT

If most people there ARE christian, wouldnt this help them?

He is a mobile counselor to them. He is not going to be recruiting in an area where most people already are christian. He will be giving aid in the form of spiritual guidance to people who may just need it in times of great despair.

I really dont see a problem with these people spending their own tax money on something that they may like. Dont ask my state for money to do it, but if its your buck then its up to you how to spend it. You could get a van of clowns to tail LEOs for all I care.

And honestly if it was a person with the "official" title of counselor would you even care?

Pastors usually are the counselors for their community. Shocking right? well most priests and pastors have always filled this role. Literally always.

so good for them. Perhaps some good will come of this. I know the cops will act differently knowing that a person like that is in the back seat with them. No losing their tempers and acting out.

Look at the positive. Religion isnt the devil. Sheesh.

reply to post by dlbott


Oh really. Such a successful program huh. I suppose you can back that statement up somehow too right??? Cause from what I can find there is NO EVIDENCE that this has worked in the past in other cites nor that it will work this time either. And that even comes from the people who are in charge of it.

For example:

A second problem is that there is no evidence a program like this can have any effect on crime. Corp. Hicks, who created the program, said he did not consult any professionals for it. Rather, he based it on similar programs that were put into place in Dayton, Ohio and Arlington, Texas. However, those cities have not recorded data on the effect of those programs, so there's no indication they are a good idea to recreate. Police leaders of the program were called for comment on their personal opinion of the effectiveness of those programs, but none responded to voice messages. And two university criminologists in Dayton were contacted, but neither had ever heard of the program. When asked why he thinks a program like Operation Good Shepherd could work, Chief Murphy said he didn't know, but hoped it would. “Look, I'm not a criminologist,” he said. “But if we can sow some seeds today, we might see the fruits tomorrow. It may not be soon. Might be a few years down the line. But just like we lost our moral foundation years ago and are now feeling the effects, we can sow the seeds for tomorrow.”

This next quote pretty much sums up the plan these people have and like others have pointed out it sounds a lot like taking advantage of people when their guard is down.

“There is an evangelistic advantage,” he stated. “That is, that once I float to your comfort zone, and we become one in our crisis, I determine what your spiritual needs may or may not be, and I may be able to share with you a word from Christ.”