First rule of guns. They are ALWAYS loaded (meaning treat them as such) and never aim them at what you don’t expect to shoot. This guy is an asshat. And danger.
Talk about tone-deaf, never mind bringing a weapon supposedly to project the teachings of the "Prince of Peace." Thornton's behavior here is so beyond the pale that it beggars description (though Hemant does pretty well!). This doesn't even mention the old yet appropriate saw about the gun not being loaded until it goes off.
Even worse, where was the reaction from the congregation? Have they been so snookered by Thornton that they just go along with the gag? I was stunned when this first came to my attention and that reaction hasn't changed.
This topic was covered in a previous FA article. The first thing I mentioned is that "the gun is never loaded until it goes off."
Had that gun or the gun held by that guy in fatigues gone off, would there have been an arrest or would Thornton have tried to cover it up by turning his gun on his congregation to insure their silence or to insure that they say only what he wants them to say?
Bloodthirsty and deranged. I mean, who brings a GUN to church, never mind using it as a part of a sermon, other than that one crazy sect that seems as devoted to their AR-15s are they supposedly are to their god.
Yep. First time I heard about them was in video by Tev (French only) about weird Asian sects and cults. It's not his usual focus*, I don't know why and how he researched it but it had perturbed him enough to make a video about it.
* Mostly his life as a French man in Japan, the cultural differences and his travels.
“ Please understand, that is a principle that needs to be employed when you use your faith. You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith. You have got to come in loud and run out the unbelief. You have to get it to submit to you.”
It doesn’t sound to me like he’s merely high on God, but high on something that was causing a psychotic break of some sort. I hope the guns were OK. But it sounds like he’s babbling, not in tongues, but in gungues. But it also sounds like he truly believes that this unbelief is an act of defiance or rebellion against his magical buddy. He doesn’t understand we simply do not believe his claims in exactly the same way that he doesn’t believe in Koschei the Deathless, Who Made Things As They Are. Or in the unicorn in my garden.
“ Right. Praise the Lord. Can’t help myself sometimes.”
But the experts aren’t helping, either. “ “Frankly, if I was there with my family, I would have ushered us all out the door as quickly as I could have, and I probably would have gone up to him in a tactful way and said, ‘You’ve got to stop this,”. Probably. Huh? Tactful? Please-pretty-please? Honey, you were one crazy person away from not having a family at all.
“The illustration was designed to show believers how unbelief is an enemy to faith.” Martin Luther said that reason is the enemy of faith. Unbelief isn’t an enemy of faith, it merely means that faith has failed to make its case. In fact, this pretty much demonstrates that faith is the biggest enemy that faith has. My faith in Brahma is the enemy of faith in Jeebus.
‘ The teaching for “believers” was intended to encourage spiritual violence towards unbelief and the lack of faith, not towards people.“ “Oh look! There is unbelief standing there, hiding behind the door. Or maybe under the bed late at night!” Spiritual violence is violence, and that spiritual doesn’t exist, in which case violence is violence. It’s like telling me that you don’t hate me as a gay man, you just hate my sin, as if I and being gay were actually separable. You cannot eat my alleged sin unless you also hate me.
But let us give Hemantthe last word.” I don’t know if the bigger problem here is a problem with conservative Christianity or America’s gun culture.” as far as I can tell there is no difference.
Conservative Christianity and American gun culture might as well be the same thing. The Venn diagram of the two is so close to a circle that the difference is minuscule.
Is that dude in camo a real soldier? If he were going into combat, he sure as shit wouldn't be dressed like that. His commanders would bring the wrath of God down on him.
Well, militarily speaking, you only wear headgear inside if you are carrying a weapon. Most often a handgun rather than a rifle because folks will see the rifle but not the handgun. Anytime you aren’t armed, headgear gets removed at the threshold.
Not that I expect either of these “Rambos” to know any of that. They’re just cosplaying military they see in the movies.
That fückwït fails basic firearms safety. My drill sergeant would have taken him out behind the Conex and pounded some training into him. I'd not have allowed him to check out a firearm from my arms room without significant remedial training.
Guns and God what can go wrong here. Well, a lot of things like shooters of a school or church with a mission from god. How about assassinations and attempted assassinations on orders from some god or prophet. How about war like "Onward Christian soldiers marching to war with the cross of Jesus going on before." Fighting wars because god is our side is one of the primary false "justifications" for war. Or, using a gun as "prop" to look like a tough guy. The guy is a dangerous looney disguised as a Christian.
“Please understand, that is a principle that needs to be employed when you use your faith. You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith. You have got to come in loud and run out the unbelief. You have to get it to submit to you.”
Wut?
What is a “violent action of faith”? Being loud and in large numbers is no way to counter unbelief. This dude seems to be endorsing the notion that might makes right. I’m guessing he would be the first to claim persecution if that were applied to him.
Sure, Jan. "Spiritual" violence often translates to real violence. Unbelievers and those who lack faith are often seen as being less than people. This sermon and this church are totally on board with violent actions against anyone and everything they hate.
Unfortunately, under the current Regime, it will be the people they hate on the FBI watch list, and not them.
The problem is BOTH Conservative Christianity and America's gun culture. Seriously, is there something in the water? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU INSANE?! This is reckless and dangerous! Rambo was FICTION!
Bad judgement, bad optics, bad messaging, and utter and total inability to parse the meaning of the Jesus in the Gospels. Reichwing Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism are anything but Christian. They have gone through a paradigm shift and created a whole new religion based on violence to achieve their ends. It is a shame that they have captured and broken the minds of so many in this Country.
Phenomenally bad, irresponsible, clueless, mindless, never mind demonstrating exactly ZERO SOUND JUDGMENT. There seriously ought to be a law against such things, but those who worship the 2nd Amendment (like Thornton, doubtless) wouldn't tolerate any such ruling.
Not quite true. I recommend reading Elaine Pagels's book The Origin of Satan. Christian Nationalists are kind of just going back to Christianity's pre-Roman roots: Marketing to the uneducated.
"The first rule of Guns—or so I’ve heard—is not to point them at anyone unless you intend to shoot."
DM enforced that and have me watch her for weeks before I was even allowed to explode my first balloon.
"I understand the message he’s trying to do."
Bringing back the crusades ?
"The teaching for “believers” was intended to encourage spiritual violence towards unbelief and the lack of faith, not towards people. Matthew 11:12 / 1 Corinthians 2:14"
About 2 000 years of christianity prove that statement is false.
First rule of guns. They are ALWAYS loaded (meaning treat them as such) and never aim them at what you don’t expect to shoot. This guy is an asshat. And danger.
"Asshat" isn't strong enough a term ... and I'm having a tough time thinking of an epithet that IS strong enough.
Would putain d'enculé d'sa race* work ?
*Fucking disgusting asshole.
Putain d'enculé lui convient parfaitement. Les Français ont toujours eu le don pour trouver le bon mot.
Salut toi, ça f'sait un bail 😁
Oh, yeah...
Reckless, violent sociopath?
Getting there, for sure.
Talk about tone-deaf, never mind bringing a weapon supposedly to project the teachings of the "Prince of Peace." Thornton's behavior here is so beyond the pale that it beggars description (though Hemant does pretty well!). This doesn't even mention the old yet appropriate saw about the gun not being loaded until it goes off.
Even worse, where was the reaction from the congregation? Have they been so snookered by Thornton that they just go along with the gag? I was stunned when this first came to my attention and that reaction hasn't changed.
This topic was covered in a previous FA article. The first thing I mentioned is that "the gun is never loaded until it goes off."
Had that gun or the gun held by that guy in fatigues gone off, would there have been an arrest or would Thornton have tried to cover it up by turning his gun on his congregation to insure their silence or to insure that they say only what he wants them to say?
It's on camera, so the congregation being "encouraged" to lie for him wouldn't help him. But the Christian Fucking Privilege certainly would.
Bet he would’ve “joked” about doing it.
The hell of it is, from what I read of the article, HE thought it was funny or at least pithy, when what it WAS was utterly deranged.
P-ass-tor thinks going Crusades on everyone will win people over to Christianity. All he will demonstrate is that Christians are bloodthirsty maniacs.
Bloodthirsty and deranged. I mean, who brings a GUN to church, never mind using it as a part of a sermon, other than that one crazy sect that seems as devoted to their AR-15s are they supposedly are to their god.
That has me shaking my head, it was not just a gun, it was an automatic rifle, a machine gun, a weapon created for war!
What’s that line, what would Jesus do? I am not really on speaking terms with him these days, but I am very (!) confident, that he would not do that!
A Korean-American christian sect.
These freaks...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Iron_Ministries
Yep. First time I heard about them was in video by Tev (French only) about weird Asian sects and cults. It's not his usual focus*, I don't know why and how he researched it but it had perturbed him enough to make a video about it.
* Mostly his life as a French man in Japan, the cultural differences and his travels.
Well, their god is a bloodthirsty maniac, and since they make their god in their image....
Flaming ammosexual.
Well, what fun!
“ Please understand, that is a principle that needs to be employed when you use your faith. You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith. You have got to come in loud and run out the unbelief. You have to get it to submit to you.”
It doesn’t sound to me like he’s merely high on God, but high on something that was causing a psychotic break of some sort. I hope the guns were OK. But it sounds like he’s babbling, not in tongues, but in gungues. But it also sounds like he truly believes that this unbelief is an act of defiance or rebellion against his magical buddy. He doesn’t understand we simply do not believe his claims in exactly the same way that he doesn’t believe in Koschei the Deathless, Who Made Things As They Are. Or in the unicorn in my garden.
“ Right. Praise the Lord. Can’t help myself sometimes.”
But the experts aren’t helping, either. “ “Frankly, if I was there with my family, I would have ushered us all out the door as quickly as I could have, and I probably would have gone up to him in a tactful way and said, ‘You’ve got to stop this,”. Probably. Huh? Tactful? Please-pretty-please? Honey, you were one crazy person away from not having a family at all.
“The illustration was designed to show believers how unbelief is an enemy to faith.” Martin Luther said that reason is the enemy of faith. Unbelief isn’t an enemy of faith, it merely means that faith has failed to make its case. In fact, this pretty much demonstrates that faith is the biggest enemy that faith has. My faith in Brahma is the enemy of faith in Jeebus.
‘ The teaching for “believers” was intended to encourage spiritual violence towards unbelief and the lack of faith, not towards people.“ “Oh look! There is unbelief standing there, hiding behind the door. Or maybe under the bed late at night!” Spiritual violence is violence, and that spiritual doesn’t exist, in which case violence is violence. It’s like telling me that you don’t hate me as a gay man, you just hate my sin, as if I and being gay were actually separable. You cannot eat my alleged sin unless you also hate me.
But let us give Hemantthe last word.” I don’t know if the bigger problem here is a problem with conservative Christianity or America’s gun culture.” as far as I can tell there is no difference.
This is what has become normalized.
Conservative Christianity and American gun culture might as well be the same thing. The Venn diagram of the two is so close to a circle that the difference is minuscule.
Republican Jeesus.
One point re the word ‘enemy’ - Jesus asked his followers to love their enemy, there’s nothing about ‘overwhelming them with (spiritual) violence.
That chap is off his rocker!
Is he off his rocker, or is he very much rocking on? Within the mindset of dominionist Christianity, he’s very consistent
Yes, you are right. With the mindset of normal, sensible people he’s totally doolally!
Are sin-eaters making a comeback? ;)
OT: Happy Indigenous Peoples Day. 🙂
https://youtu.be/Mdg3nOA5ps8?si=jkISHjy1VeFcLUNL
Thanks!
I’m having a heck of a time keeping up this morning. Was going to mention this myself.
The lyrics for us non native speakers :)
https://genius.com/Randy-newman-the-great-nations-of-europe-lyrics
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xNYTA6SV6tM&pp=ygULdGFueWEgdGFnYXE%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ovZxa7KYRu0
Is that dude in camo a real soldier? If he were going into combat, he sure as shit wouldn't be dressed like that. His commanders would bring the wrath of God down on him.
(And wearing a cap in church?)
That's called beach camo.
YHVH told his chosen people to wear hats in church. Why did the followers of Yeshuah decide that the opposite was correct?
Well, militarily speaking, you only wear headgear inside if you are carrying a weapon. Most often a handgun rather than a rifle because folks will see the rifle but not the handgun. Anytime you aren’t armed, headgear gets removed at the threshold.
Not that I expect either of these “Rambos” to know any of that. They’re just cosplaying military they see in the movies.
I didn’t know that, Thankyou.
That fückwït fails basic firearms safety. My drill sergeant would have taken him out behind the Conex and pounded some training into him. I'd not have allowed him to check out a firearm from my arms room without significant remedial training.
Fuck that guy.
This guy is why we need to get rid of the 2nd Amendment and regulate guns like they do, for example, in Switzerland.
Regulate them like we have in Scotland?
The thought alone would make (some?) Americans’ head explode!
I also like Chris Rock's idea of "Bullet Control"' Charge $5,000 for a bullet. People would think twice about pulling the trigger.
Guns and God what can go wrong here. Well, a lot of things like shooters of a school or church with a mission from god. How about assassinations and attempted assassinations on orders from some god or prophet. How about war like "Onward Christian soldiers marching to war with the cross of Jesus going on before." Fighting wars because god is our side is one of the primary false "justifications" for war. Or, using a gun as "prop" to look like a tough guy. The guy is a dangerous looney disguised as a Christian.
Or he’s a very dangerous Christian disguised as a loony.
Is there a difference?
Let’s ignore the gun for a moment.
“Please understand, that is a principle that needs to be employed when you use your faith. You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith. You have got to come in loud and run out the unbelief. You have to get it to submit to you.”
Wut?
What is a “violent action of faith”? Being loud and in large numbers is no way to counter unbelief. This dude seems to be endorsing the notion that might makes right. I’m guessing he would be the first to claim persecution if that were applied to him.
Absolutely.
So, he’s not only bad at handling guns, he’s also bad at preaching!
𝑇𝑜 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡, ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛 𝐴𝑅-15 𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑖-𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑖𝑚 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑠.
What the actual fuck is wrong with this asshole? This man should not be around any weapons.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 “𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠” 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒.
Sure, Jan. "Spiritual" violence often translates to real violence. Unbelievers and those who lack faith are often seen as being less than people. This sermon and this church are totally on board with violent actions against anyone and everything they hate.
Unfortunately, under the current Regime, it will be the people they hate on the FBI watch list, and not them.
Well dang! If that won't make a believer out of you, nothing will! /S
You are correct. Nothing will.
The problem is BOTH Conservative Christianity and America's gun culture. Seriously, is there something in the water? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU INSANE?! This is reckless and dangerous! Rambo was FICTION!
From wormbrain, too much fluoride in it.
Wormbrain! Lol Though I've read the POS paid a doctor to lie about the worm.
Equal parts astonishing and disgusting.
Guy is completely full of shit.
Bad judgement, bad optics, bad messaging, and utter and total inability to parse the meaning of the Jesus in the Gospels. Reichwing Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism are anything but Christian. They have gone through a paradigm shift and created a whole new religion based on violence to achieve their ends. It is a shame that they have captured and broken the minds of so many in this Country.
Phenomenally bad, irresponsible, clueless, mindless, never mind demonstrating exactly ZERO SOUND JUDGMENT. There seriously ought to be a law against such things, but those who worship the 2nd Amendment (like Thornton, doubtless) wouldn't tolerate any such ruling.
Not quite true. I recommend reading Elaine Pagels's book The Origin of Satan. Christian Nationalists are kind of just going back to Christianity's pre-Roman roots: Marketing to the uneducated.
They never advocated violence in any coherent way until The Crusades, and the real reason for The Crusades was plunder.
"The first rule of Guns—or so I’ve heard—is not to point them at anyone unless you intend to shoot."
DM enforced that and have me watch her for weeks before I was even allowed to explode my first balloon.
"I understand the message he’s trying to do."
Bringing back the crusades ?
"The teaching for “believers” was intended to encourage spiritual violence towards unbelief and the lack of faith, not towards people. Matthew 11:12 / 1 Corinthians 2:14"
About 2 000 years of christianity prove that statement is false.