Dan, Can I look at the website and jack off to it? Or would that defile the website? Or should I mail them my cum rag afterwards?

This isn't just a time for "moderate and liberal Christians" to speak up, it's a time for every sane person in this country to speak up. We cannot tolerate this behavior in our country. This is not Saudi fucking Arabia.

Although it's a drastic strategy, sounds like folks should just up and move out of town. Seriously. Leave these nut-jobs with no one left but each other to practice their moral litmus-tests on. I can pretty much guarantee if that were to happen they'd be on each other's throats like pit bulls on an infant in about a week.

People always ask me why I moved away from that hell hole (amarillo). Form now on I will direct them to the nuclear powered ignorance and downright fuckwittedness that is the locked-and-loaded amarillo web site. This represents the militant hypocrisy that overwhelms the texas panhandle.

Any West Wing fans out there? This makes me think of the pilot episode, where the President kicks the fat asses of the religious right out of the White House for not denouncing the criminal acts of other religious fucknuts like those described here. It was supremely satisfying to see even a fictional president call them on it, but it makes me sad that no real live moderate-to-liberal Christians take the responsibility seriously.

holy shit.

(literally?)

No, Dan. Look, I choose to be active on social justice issues where my more liberal attitudes differ from conservative Christians because those issues are important, not because I'm responsible for their behavior or views. ALL people need to act and speak out because those issues matter, not because you incorrectly imagine certain of those among us are answerable for the behavior of others whose beliefs bear little to no resemblance to our own.

Remember, in this state (WA) you have privacy rights, and people can't record audio and video without your express permission.

Other than public figures, but being on SLOG doesn't make you one ...

They're also going after coffeehouses. There are 806 of them in town, and they're trying to shut them all down because "artists and counter-culture types" hang out there.

Jumped up Jesus on the cross.

Would Vegas even give odds on the leader of this group having a closet packed with skeletons? Classic projection going on there.

I wonder if my church would fall into to the "false idol" category or the "compromised churches" category? I'm thinking the latter, because we are discernibly Christian, even though we read the Bible in context (which means not necessarily literally); we believe intellect, science, and faith can peacefully coexist; and we welcome and value all (and our denomination officially OK'd allowing gay clergy to be partnered and allowing clergy to choose to perform public blessing ceremonies for same sex couples).

Seriously, though...I live in Louisiana. I've seen religious insanity up close and personal. I live down the street from the ruins of Jimmy Swaggart's empire. But Texas...Texas has hold on a whole 'nother breed of nuts.

And the problem with Christians in the moderate-to-progressive/liberal category is that we are scared to death to rock the boat. We tend to think that the zealots will wear themselves out and just go away. And we are afraid to speak harsh words to those who cast all followers of Jesus in a negative light.

But is that What Jesus Would Do (to ask the cliched question)? The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus criticizing zealots, rebuking the Pharisees, and otherwise speaking the truth. Why can't we?

For my part, while I may not be the type to lead a movement, I've started speaking out in little ways. I took a couple of people in my congregation to task this weekend for some horrible, racist things they said about immigrants - in the presence of a member of the congregation who they know is an immigrant! I may not be able to take on hatred, narrow-mindedness, and hypocracy on a grand scale, but I can do it my little corner of the world.

If only more of my left-of-center brothers and sisters would do likewise...

Moderate Christians are and have been for 40 years, to big of whimps to stand up to the crazies associated with them. From "I Found It" to Reagan, The 700 Club whackos to our own local crazies like Mark Driscol, Casey Treat and Ken Hutcherson. It's past time for the majority of Christians in the middle to disassociate themselves from the whacked out fringe of their religion. But they won't do this, because they consider anyone who says they are born again as brothers and sisters in Christ.

It's great to see The Stranger and other mainstream pubs calling them out. Keep it up. And let's see more light shined on Mars Hill and Christian Faith Center while you're at it - you don't need to go to Texas to find radical right wing Christianity that is ready to oppress our society.

Just turn the tables on em. I'm sure the leadership of the group includes a couple of cocksuckers, maybe some sodomites, a panty sniffer or two, bdsm enthusiasts, etc. One or two embarrassing public reveals should nip this group in the bud.

Get off your collective ass, Amarillo, and get to work.

@13 - good for you. Maybe while you are examining the actions of your church family you should start to wonder why these folks who supposedly have a close relationship with God and Jesus act and believe in ways completely contrary to what you believe is the moral way to act. Maybe you get your morality from reason, and not from God. Just maybe. Think about it. Christians aren't necessarily good people. Maybe that's because there is nothing real about the religion (or any religion for that matter).

@9 When the Islamic Taliban hijaked 4 planes on 9/11 the moderate and liberal Muslim groups of the country stood up and said, "That is not the religion we practice or preach." Of course, not a lot of people listened, because Islam isn't the majority here and their numbers weren't great.
If a Christian group starts terrorizing people of different worldviews because the Bible tells them so, it is the responsibility of liberal and moderate Christians to say, "That is not the religion we practice or preach."
The reason these wingnuts get the attention they do is because they are screaming at the top of their lungs for it. You need to shut them up by screaming louder.
It's not fair when one small group makes the majority look stupid, but it happens to every group. The outsiders then judge the group by how the majority reacts- do you give silent consent or loud disapproval?

@17 - You are absolutely right. One of the first things my I can remember my parents teaching me is that good people come in all colors, shapes, sizes, religions, etc., and so do bad people.

And while I'm not going to get into a faith/reason debate - because I can't convince people who don't believe that there is anything to believe in, and they can't convince me that there isn't (that's why they call it faith), I will agree with you that my moral code very likely is a product of both faith and reason. For me, they go hand-in-hand and can't be separated.

@9 -"If a Christian group starts terrorizing people of different worldviews because the Bible tells them so"

IF? The Christians have been doing this for centuries, and it continues today. One example is Ken Hutcherson's ties to violently anti gay Orthodox groups who have attacked gay pride marches. It's why the FBI has been watching Hutcherson.

This has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with male power fantasy gone wildly wrong.

@21 and history shows us that religion is the perfect avenue to express male power fantasies.

No, 18, it's not their responsibility, any more than it was the responsibility of those Muslim groups. They weren't responsible for the ignorance of people who tried to tie them to other groups they weren't associated with, and neither am I. My church is active on social justice and environmental issues, etc. because it's important to our beliefs, not because we're Pat Robertson's keepers.

Hey, where's our resident "Obama the nazi socialist" troll and Loveschild?

Shouldn't they be here to defend the actions of Repent Amarillo? They've been advocating the moral stance behind the RA idiots for quite a while now.

Come out! Come out! Wherever you are! These folks are putting into action your thoughts & attitudes. Stop being cowards & defend RA.

Ugh. More fucking lunatics from the same part of the country that brought you the Minutemen.

I really wish Texas would stop embarrassing me.

Of course if you buy into their weird doctrine of salvation in the least, what they're doing is perfectly consistent. This is the problem with tolerating religious nonsense in the first place; once you accept its basic axioms, you will always have people who will simply extrapolate out the entirely logical consequences of those axioms. If you really believe that life is transitory and hell is real and eternal, then you do have a moral responsibility to save people.

"Moderate" and "liberal" don't apply to religion. They only apply to people. You can't moderate or liberalize religion for people who are fucking nuts like these clowns. You can only use the law to keep them in check. In this case, what they're doing is six different kinds of harassment and malicious slander, and someone really needs to press charges.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1154ap…

Up yours, haters.

According to the latest post at 'Amarillo Citizens Against Repent Amarillo' (http://www.repentamarillo.net/) the cops are being complete dicks about it (i.e., doing nothing). Great, that's just what the people need.

Hey, couldn't kids use their website map to find "sexually oriented businesses"? Who will think of the children?

@23

Listen, if you go into a strip club, it doesn't matter if you claim you're only there for the quality of the drinks: People are still going to think you're gonna be stuffing greasy bills into a g-string.

So you "claim" you're into social justice & environmental issues. Sure. Great. Well, you still worship a God that has no problem w/ torture, or war, or genocide. How many wars have been fought in the name of the Buddha? I'll answer that one & tell you NONE. The number of wars fought in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is too many to mention. (And please don't give me any "Jimmy did it too!" excuses & mention Islam, okay?)

It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you ignore the oceans of blood spilled for your god, and do nothing about the continuing horrors that are perpetuated by Christianity, no amount of your goody-goody guilt-abating actions will make a bit of difference.

@18, that's a nice out you've given yourself. Enjoy being lumped into one big umbrella with these folks! If you want Christians to be viewed as a merciful and socially conscious lot, you have a responsibility *to yourself* to speak up loudly and often against people like this. As has been pointed out here, your occasional actions on social justice are not noticed because these people are louder and more visible than you. *You* have to change that. And there is only one way.

Look at it this way. Say you live in a house with your extended family. You're not responsible for your fuckwit of a cousin, right? But if he continually climbed up on the roof and pissed on the neighbors every time they had a barbecue, you'd A: make him knock it the fuck off and B: make every effort to assure your neighbors that he doesn't represent your family and you're doing everything you can to prevent a repeat (including maybe kicking him out - a hint the church might take for the Repent Amarillo peeps). It's the same dealio. These people live in your house, like it or not, and they are pissing on your neighbor's barbecue. Do something about it.

Dammit, that comment was for @23. Sorry, @18.

#23 - before you get too hepped up on the "peaceful" buddhists, you may want to read "Zen at War" by Brian Victoria. Japanese leaders had very little problem turning so-called "Imperial-Way Buddhism" into a vehicle for rabid emperor-worship and support of something that would be called fascism in any western country. Remember, "kamikaze" means "divine wind", not "secular wind". And did you know that the first elected president of Sri Lanka was assassinated by a buddhist "priest"? The history of that poor country illustrates very well the fact that eastern religions are hardly immune to the extremism we tend to identify with certain strains of islam and Xtianity.

Oh 29, I love it when liberal non-Christians decide to agree with Southern Baptists about who god is and what Christianity is about when telling liberal Christians what's what. Also, make up your mind, I'm either ignoring things and doing nothing or taking goody-goody action, but you can't have it both ways.

They have some 24 hour phone numbers posted on their website. I suggest calling those numbers and testing them on their scripture.

- Find out if they wear fabric blends.
- Do they treat their bodies as temples of Christ? Not if they're eating McDonald's they're not!
- How about shellfish?
- Have they hurt anyone?
- Did any of them fall down the stairs while pregnant?
- Ever covet anything? How about your neighbors flat screen?

Call them in the middle of the night, call them at 5am, call them whenever you want to call them! What the hell? It's TOLL FREE!

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Do a little bible research and then we'll see how they stand up in the eyes of God!

Jesus NEVER caused anyone hurt, pain, or suffering. Jesus never got anyone fired from their job. Jesus never ridiculed people. Jesus hung out with the prostitutes and the thieves! Jesus loved them, and spoke kindly to and of them.

Here are just some examples of love in the bible, that you can use 'against' them.

Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...

Matthew 19:19 "... 'love your neighbor as yourself..."

Romans 12:10 "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Sigh..... this is so depressing - what a horrid group. Hopefully they will implode like most nut case organizations do. I am just glad to be moving to Australia by the end of the year and leave all these whack jobs behind.

30, I don't act on social justice issues to earn some kind of PR points or liberal cred for my religious community, I do it because there's a need, just like everyone else should. What is it about acting on issues because they're important that's so hard to understand?

@29 and 30. Thanks, exactly what I was trying to say.
I am a pagan, I understand there are stupid teenagers out there that do stupid things and try to say, "I'm pagan, so if you call me out you're being repressive." When I see these stories, you're damn right I'm gonna be loud and clear telling everyone I know that these are stupid kids doing stupid things, and it doesn't represent the majority of pagans out there. Because if I don't, then those people that know nothing of paganism are gonna use these stupid kids as models of all pagans.
It's the same on the Christian side. The reason so many people are leaving the Church is because they don't want to be lumped into association with stupid kids like the 'Repent Amarillo' group. The stupider Christians looks, the worse it is in the long run for Christianity.
@23 You don't have to be Pat Robinson's keeper. But the longer you keep quiet, the less people will listen to you when you do valid social work.

@23: If you refuse to take on that responsibility, you don't get to get upset or act surprised when you get tarred with the same brush as the extremists. Your choice.

@30 - The problem with the "kicking them out" idea is that they pretty much already are out. This group does not belong to a particular denomination like Catholics or Presbyterians or whatever, so there is not kind of quasi-judicial internal action the rest of Christendom can take against them.

But you are right. Those of us who call ourselves Christian and think people like Repent Amarillo are in the wrong have to start speaking up loudly against them. And we have to be louder than them, which is a real challenge given the tactics they use (and that I hope we wouldn't resort to). But, and this may be either naivete or the fact that I belong to a pretty liberal congregation talking, I have to believe that Christians who believe in a gospel of love and peace far outnumber those who preach hatred and intolerance. We should be able to out-loud them with sheer numbers. Unfortunately, complacency has a strong foothold.

No 37, people who want to lump me in with Pat Robertson are responsible for their own ignorance. If I decide to officially state my distance from them, that's my choice, but it is not my responsibility. The responsibility I have to act on social justice is the same human responsibility we all have. This is not high school, and the work that I do isn't about what people think of me.

@12: (from http://amarilloindy.com/wordpress/?p=418…)

"Why they do it: Saved through an epiphany

David Grisham said he led a dissolute life before he was saved.

"I am an open book in that area", he said. "Now, there are some things I won't discuss because I'm not very proud of them and they're between me and God."

He said he was sexually irresponsible, committing fornication and adultery and drunkenness. He is on his fourth marriage, but the other three were before he was saved and it will stick, he said, 'Till we're dead or raptured. I prefer rapture."

Really, 38? Not willing to be responsible for conservative Christians means I can't disagree with being assigned responsibility for conservative Christians? Really?

Can we get Janet Reno on this?

@44 - that's DJ Janet Reno to you ... she retired.

@30 & 37 etc

Telling a group of people that, "If you don't renounce these people right now we're going to assume you support them!" is pretty much the definition of baiting. Basically, you set some ridiculous standard that "good" Christians (or liberal leftists or whoever) have to satisfy in order to prove that they're really the good kind and not the bad kind. It'd be sort of like saying that gay men who don't protest NAMBLA loudly enough shall forever be considered child molesters themselves.

So, while not a Christian myself, let me just take this opportunity to say, "Fuck, you," to Dan Savage, whose protestations against NAMBLA have never been strong enough for my tastes, and who would clearly be more vocal in his protests if he were not secretly sympathetic to the appetites of child molesters. Not to mention, of course, all the mothers who have failed to renounce Susan Smith, the politicians who have failed to renounce George W. Bush, the Muslims who have failed to renounce 9/11 and so on. Your failure to protest against the bigoted stereotypes of your detractors clearly proves that your enemies are right about you, and have been all along.

See also, "On the Waterfront"

Sounds like people are being punished for living in Texas. I see nothing wrong with this.

Can't we just get Texas to secede already? Please???
Would the rest of us really miss it if it did?

OK, so now Cienna has posted about a church group that is trying to help rehabilitate felons in the Central District. IMO, that is a nice example of something good and positive that a group of Christians are doing, ostensibly compelled by their beliefs.

But...

I doubt that they will get even a small fraction of the attention (from non-Christians) for doing something good that the Repent Amarillo group is getting for doing something bad. Now you tell me, is that the fault of moderate/liberal Christians? If so, how?

@47: Yeah, but it's not like some people have a choice. Plenty of people didn't decide to live in Texas; they were just born there! Being Texan isn't a lifestyle choice, it's an identity, part of who people are.

This reminds me of the quote from the Holocaust that I can't remember exactly, but it goes "First they came for the Jews, then they came for the X, then they came for the X, then they came for me."

How horrible for the people targeted by this group. Of course, it's Texas, so I doubt the authorities are getting too hot and bothered about this clear-cut case of harassment. Try this in Jersey, and well, um, never mind. No one here's THAT crazy, even if it is a polluted, overpopulated shithole. I think it's stories like this that keep things like MTV's Jersey Shore from driving me out of the state.

eventually they'll cross the line with the majority of Amarillans, and it will be Girolamo Savonarolesque.

That or they'll terrorize them into submission, but i bet the feds step in 1st - it ain't the Bush years.

@51, I believe this is the quote you were thinking of:

They came for the Communists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Communist;
They came for the Socialists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Socialist;
They came for the labor leaders, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a labor leader;
They came for the Jews, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Jew;
Then they came for me - And there was no one left to object.
-Martin Niemoller

@ 24 - Yeah, where's that BRAVE Christian soldier Loveschild to defend her brothers and sisters in Christ? Maybe not so brave? Maybe...a total coward?

@24 & 54 - I was wondering the exact same thing.

These guys at Repent Amarillo really want to hear from you. They have their contact info right on the website:

Pastor David:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email: PastorDavid@repentamrillo.com

BigJohn 24 Hour Prayer:
Telephone: +1 (806) 853-PRAY
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email:BigJohn@repentamarillo.com

Team Line:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 hours A Day
Email: PastorTodd@repentamarillo.com

Tech Support :
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0124 Hours: 9:00 AM-11:00 PM
Email: Tech@repentamarillo.com

These guys at Repent Amarillo really want to hear from you. They have their contact info right on the website:

Pastor David:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email: PastorDavid@repentamrillo.com

BigJohn 24 Hour Prayer:
Telephone: +1 (806) 853-PRAY
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email:BigJohn@repentamarillo.com

Team Line:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 hours A Day
Email: PastorTodd@repentamarillo.com

Tech Support :
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0124 Hours: 9:00 AM-11:00 PM
Email: Tech@repentamarillo.com

I have never more wanted to go to Gay Pride in Amarillo TExas. Who's with me for a road trip?????

#9, If these psychos succeed in completely hijacking your religion, you will wish you had said something.

Unless of course you expect that god will smite his more loathsome followers.

You're right, 60, all of the social justice work that I do and that my church does is insignificant if I don't dignify ignorant assumptions linking me to the Christian Right with some kind of official dissociation.

@50 And I legitimately pity minors who live in Texas, and anything awful that happens to them is unfair. But once you hit 18, it's in your power to get the hell out. People just have to make a value judgment, and if you decide to live in Texas, then you choose to live surrounded by racist sexist homophobic religious fanatics.

He is on his fourth marriage, but the other three were before he was saved and it will stick, he said, 'Till we're dead or raptured. I prefer rapture."

But, according to Jesus, this guy is committing adultery every time he fucks his fourth wife. It doesn't matter if he's repented for his past bad acts.

Yuck.

Seeing as my denomination is on their list, I am not surprised. I can't attend the only church that has individuals both clergy and lay that speak out? Or the only denomination whose clergy get arrested for standing up. I can't be the only one speaking out, in my circle Robertson, Driscol, Warren, etc. and their company are spoken out against and addressed. Heck, that is why I changed churches, because I was not taken seriously at the previous one and I wasn't going to stand by and watch them bring an ex-gay program in. (Enough of a stink was made and the program was dropped.)

I know I, without malice, offend some individuals and have lost relationships due to my outspoken mouth. And, that I offend individuals here, who don't agree with me. Still I can't be quiet. If I am quiet then I have consented. And, I have to live with myself.

Ps. Keep up the work, Sheryl @ 13.

Man, how come authoritarian dickbags are always cowards?

You don't see these people coming to a hotbed of liberal sin like Seattle and picking on a community that wouldn't give a good goddamn if they, say, exposed my terrible secret life as a bisexual nonmonogamous atheist evolutionist whatever-else-I-am-ist.

They have to victimize people they can actually harm, people who live in communities that'll condemn them. They can't take on a real challenge. Fucking jackals.

Oops, I'll amend that: they're ALMOST always cowards. There are of course the true crazies - the brave ones, I guess? - like the Westboro Baptist Church. Say what you will about Phelps' folk (there's plenty to say and none of it good), but you can't fault them for staying home and quietly picking on the town outcasts. They set themselves a challenge, insane and hateful as it is.

If they want to play at their little harassment, let the fuckwits have it.

I say the good people of Amarillo ought to ALL spend time at the places these assholes despise. Park their cars at the nearest coffee house, gay bar, abortion clinic, swingers club, bar (in general), wtf ever. Have it so that damn near everyone is there, and they can't sort out the "omg, sinners!" from everyone else. If everyone's doing it, they can't stigmatize and harass anyone.

These kind of groups get a lot of notoriety but eventually burn themselves out because they're fringe groups and don't speak to the majority of the people in the community. And, like most Christians who are incredibly pushy about their beliefs, they have something hidden in their closet (so to speak). That doesn't mean people shouldn't speak out about them, but I wouldn't be too worried about them taking over Amarillo.

@58- "BigJohn"...seriously?

@70: Why do swingers need to be confronted? Why do these people feel the need to violate the privacy of others?

God, I thought South Carolina was wacko enough, it seems like Utah and Texas have it beat when it comes to religious weirdos. There was a lot of reasons why I left S. Carolina, but I'll definitely say that the increasing disturbing fundamentalism was a big reason I left. I lived in a tiny, tiny town that somehow managed to house the KKK and the John Birch Society.

Somehow all these societies and fundamentalist Christianity go together and bleed over into each other.

On another note, when I glossed over this blog's titles, I thought it said "Repent Armadillo". What did armadillos ever do to anyone?

I can't believe they aren't attacking the mormons and their crazy temple ceremonies full of blood oaths. Or naked washings and annointings.

Until Dan decides to speak the fuck up about homosexuals who adopt boys to have sex with them and rent them out to other homosexuals to have sex with them we must assume that Dan and all homosexuals are OK with homosexuals who adopt boys to have sex with them and rent them out to other homosexuals to have sex with them.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives…

This calls for something above and beyond mewling in comments threads on liberal blogs about how "we're not all like that" and "I hope he goes to prison".

@69 -- Yes, seriously, "Big John". He seems to be the surliest of the bunch -- but I sincerely recommend calling all of them. Most entertaining :)

Pastor David:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email: PastorDavid@repentamrillo.com

BigJohn 24 Hour Prayer:
Telephone: +1 (806) 853-PRAY
Hours: 24 Hours A Day
Email:BigJohn@repentamarillo.com

Team Line:
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0128
Hours: 24 hours A Day
Email: PastorTodd@repentamarillo.com

Tech Support :
Telephone: +1 (806) 553-0124 Hours: 9:00 AM-11:00 PM
Email: Tech@repentamarillo.com

How did they know about the group if it was discreet? Did a swinger repent and become an "ex-swinger"?

@75: The people who signed the petition put themselves into the public eye by attaching their name to a political (and therefore public) initiative. Their voluntary and public announcement of their views means that their privacy is not violated insofar as revealing that they attached their names to the petition.
The swingers' actions were not only perfectly legal but also part of their own private lives. They signed no petitions, made no public statements, and took no political action. They have a right to privacy.
Try to keep up with me, okay, Alleged?

You're absolutely wrong, Dan. This isn't a job for liberal Christians. This is a job for the FBI.

@80 FTW.

We should all be very afraid - and make our voices heard. Help us out Dan - how do we effectively make a difference here? Emails to Texas governor and other politicos ... to the Feds? How do we get the media to report this group as the terrorists that they are?!

"You're absolutely wrong, Dan. This isn't a job for liberal Christians. This is a job for the FBI."

Ah, such sweet naivete. Amarillo law enforcement are WELL aware of the problem, but Texas authorities aren't taking the side of swingers over Christians. So far the line is that Repent Amarillo haven't broken the law, and that they have a right to free speech. Are the federal authorities going to really swoop down to defend swingers in BF nowhere? I seriously doubt it.

"Emails to Texas governor and other politicos"

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH

Well if it makes the armchair internet activists feel better, sure go for it. It won't do squat though.

Okay I'll stop being funny and try to give some advice:

People are saying "call/email Repent Amarillo" and I honestly believe that would be the best thing that ever happened to them. They'd love nothing more than to be under siege by a bunch of "sexual deviants."

If people want to make a difference, they should call the Potter County's Sheriff Department and complain to them for allowing abuse and harassment against people who engage in alternative lifestyles. If you read the original story where this issue was first broke by Forrest Wilder at the Texas Observer, you'll see that the Sheriff's Department enabled the activities against the swingers by Repent Amarillo:

http://www.texasobserver.org/dateline/he…

I would recommend not visiting their website (to jerk off or otherwise). I got a malware warning, and it appears whoever coded it left it wide open to SQL injection attacks.

Instead, contact the US Army and tell them someone is using their logo and imagery without permission.

LOL. They stole my religious symbol and made it into a filthy, militant Christian thing! I want my pentacle back!

And Texas is a sad, sad, sad place. I have lived here in Texas for 9 years now, and I've seen my fair share of nut jobs. It's like they are specifically bred here. I've lived in Central Texas, North Texas, and now, far west Texas (El Paso), and whackjobs abound.

I tried to escape Texas once, but it totally blew up in my face, since all my family lives here, and I couldn't find a job where I went, so I ended up having to crawl back here. Meh. :(

@92: At least move to the Austin area, if you can, I guess. Good luck holding out!

Oh joys. I get up online and find that my old Hometown (where I still have family, including a daughter and two grandkids) has been almost taken over by crazies. Joys and yummies.

I've got to come up there soon and I'm a Wiccan (read: witch) and I imagine that they will be very happy to use me as an example if they can find me. Joys.

And, hey, 92, you're in the wrong spot. There are LOTS of us pagans in Texas. DFW, Killeen, Austin, Houston, and Corpus all have groups who are getting together and welcoming newcomers. Not all Texans are wackos.

For more information about Repent Amarillo/ Raven Ministries, please go to www.repentamarillo.NET or sign up as a fan on Facebook: Amarillo Citizens Against Repent Amarillo.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=fe…

We have been dealing with this small group of 7 or so people for over 1 year. The group consists of David Grisham (a security guard at a Nuclear Bomb making place), Tracy Grisham (his 4th wife), Russell Grisham (his 20 yr old son who lives at home with his wife, because he has a deferred adjudication for HACKING into the local school district), Angie Grisham (Russell's wife), Big John Leinen (a 24-25 yr old who says that he has been in the Crips and does not mind going back to jail), Mark Shelton (another 20 something), and Todd Bohn (whose brother is the head of Raven Ministries that calls itself a non-profit, but is not signed up with the IRS).

Please go these sights to gain more understanding and to get links to other sources about this group.

Thank you for your support.

Why, oh why, must some of us liberals (and I'm looking at you here, Dan) decry stuff like this as "scary"? It's bullshit, if you'll pardon my French, and a cause for righteous anger.

Gather 'round Catalina's withered knee while I tell you a story, dearies: I was raised Catholic in a town where Catholics were regarded as "not christian" (I miss those days, because rank-and-file Catholics tended not to be self-righteous jerks back then) and my older sister went to Catholic school. The school was on a curve of a busy road, and my dad quite reasonably thought that the city should put up a school warning sign with flashing light, and wrote a letter to the editor of the paper expressing that thought.

Certain Christians went quite apoplectic by that: We got many late night phone calls about the "fucking Catholics" and even vague threats to mow my sister down with a car. We got nasty stuff in the mail about the pope, and we got a vandalized garage door, and a broken car window.

My mom - who was not from there - was quite reasonably freaked out, but my Dad - who was very much from there - got mad. He didn't do anything stupid, but he stood his ground, and got appointed to the library board, where he was a strong advocate for open access and a wide selection of books. He then ran, and quite improbably, got elected to the public school board (the Catholic school had shut down by then, probably because no one who went there could spell - just asck my sistar) where he became a notorious liberal voice - or at least notoriously liberal for that place, at that time.

My point is that my dad, who was not a particularly courageous man (and he'd be the first to tell you that, and I'd be the first to tell you I follow firmly in his footsteps) quietly stood up against the kind of crap that the Repent Amarillo freaks are doing. He didn't stand in front of a tank or stare down the barrel of a gun, but he would never talk about how "scary" his opponents were, either - even though they were intimidating, in that way that bullies have. He was the sort of example that I wish more liberals would follow these days. We need to stop imagining ourselves as Liza in "Cabaret" and standing up to this sort of crap.

“You’re going to hell, and it bothers me,” Grisham responds. “What bothers me is you’re going to hell.”
&
"If I'm going to Hell, isn't that my business? OK, no, I guess you have a Christian duty to try to save my soul. "

you know what this reminds me of?? The Inquisitions... torture to get them to repent and then death is acceptable as long as we save their souls, right?

I am a Christian and sad to say that there are days when I meet people on the street that wear it like a badge to get someone to trust them so they can rip that person off... I am so sick of all the bickering and whining about this and that and no one even really cares what Christianity is really about. There is no need to "fight fire with fire", that isn't what Christ taught and no, I can't quote scripture to anyone I just know that I have faith in my relationship with God.

To each their own, I have my beliefs and other people have theirs. If you want to see what I think is a really good response to all of this, here you go;

The Room ...

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings.

As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed".

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled At My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done In My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath At My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented. When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't mattered now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared With About My Belief In Jesus." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished!"

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

By Joshua Harris. Originally published in New Attitude Magazine © Copyright New Attitude 1995

The funny thing about what Christ taught is that Love and Fear/Hate can't coexist in the same place and if you fill your heart with Love, (and who cares what they say or do) there isn't a single thing that can be done to you (think being crucified here) that can't be forgiven... and besides, when was the last time you saw a hater not lose their mind when being loved for their "sin"

Kill 'em with kindness :)

Okay, so I tried to visit their website, but it appears someone may have killed it for the time being with a DoS (or DoSesque) attack.

I guess what now I might need to ask is: who's engaging in the old-fashioned Ecotopian cyberwarfare? Anyone? Perhaps from another board? Perhaps it's a slashdot, that Dan's post merely overloaded the idiots with traffic?

Either way, it sounds like these "Repent Amarillo" guys are stupid, hateful and cultish dumbfucks; but be that as it may, they do have the right to freedom of speech on the internet as much as any other assholes. That way, at least, we know what they're saying (or trying to say), so that we also use the internet to point out how they're being hateful and cultish dumbfucks.

I guess all I'm asking is we put our cyberguns away and let well-articulated arguments like Dan's suffice, if the relevant person even exists and can even hear me... there's no need to go all internet wild west on this bitch. It should be obvious it's dramatically more effective to defeat ignorance by responding rather than silencing. When you respond, other, totally unrelated people who might be persuaded to hateful ideas are able to reconsider the error of their ways in the process.

Anywho, I'll check it in the morning to see if it's back up. Thanks for the bizarre, scary, but fascinating update, Dan!

PS. This hilarious/scary video is on their MySpace, for those interested: http://blip.tv/file/1691705/

Haha, it's like they've simplified the beauty of the entire philosophical complexity in the human condition down to a bad Dungeons-and-Dragons episode. Oh well...