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Marianne Cromarty's avatar

I think there has to be a reasonable and right way that adheres to the laws and keeping homeless people safe! I hate when the religious people go the route of trying to appear persecuted when it’s a case like this!

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Lynn Veit's avatar

They claim to serve a "higher law" that Trumps the "law of men" (they always conveniently forget about "render unto Ceasar.") These Special People are Jesus' Favorite Children, set high above all the rest of us, with a divine mandate to do anything they damn well please, and if anybody tries to stop them, they are interfering with "the Lord's Work." Persecution!

Persecution is like crystal meth to these people. They need it to get that euphoria one gets from the belief they are on the side of righteousness fighting off the forces of evil. At least that's what they tell themselves as they fight and scramble for domination of everyone else.

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Jason's avatar

The persecution complex is baked into the religion: "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)

Because of this, Christians *want* to be persecuted -- and they will be obnoxious and toxic and awful until they are smacked down, so that they can joyously claim this prize.

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OwossoHarpist's avatar

They're fools to believe they're helping people while in fact they're stupidly hurting everyone including those involved.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

I think they are more interested in digging in their heels to oppose ANYONE telling them -- THEM, God's Chosen -- how to do anything (the unmitigated gall of those unwashed heathens!). Not only have they declined to take the easy solution and fix the problems with all the latitude given them by the city, they are hollering bloody murder about how mean and unfair them heathens are being, "even when we're jus' tryin' to hellllllpp peepuuuuullll!!"

They will use this as "proof" of the "depravity" of all secular entities trying to enforce secular rules that (as they will spin it) exist solely to impede their religious freedom.

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Joe King's avatar

Persecution = being required to follow the same rules as others.

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Len's avatar

“ I hate when the religious people go the route of trying to appear persecuted when it’s a case like this!”

Without cases like this they can't pretend they’re persecuted at all. Where’s the fun in that?

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

It isn’t about helping the homeless, not when they ignore basic safety measures, it’s about making money off the backs of the homeless.

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Screaming into the void.'s avatar

How is money being made ?

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

He’s received donations to make the renovations, but will not do the renovations. He keeps getting media coverage, which always equals more donations.

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Screaming into the void.'s avatar

Oh okay. Yeah not cool.

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Deb Vitkova's avatar

🤪

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Whitney's avatar

So if I'm understanding here, this church essentially wants an exemption to local fire codes for religious reasons.

No. Those codes are there for very good reasons, and screaming persecution here is effectively a heckler's veto. Such a veto is not an acceptable reason for allowing an exemption for a church to recklessly endanger not only the lives of those staying at 'Dad's Place' but others outside the property is not reasonable. The Sixth Circuit should be ruling the same as every other court so far, and let's sincerely hope that SCOTUS never gets wind of this one.

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Tinker's avatar

One of the promises Trump has run on is to get rid of regulations. He has convinced his cult followers that ALL regulations are just our government trying to grab power and money and have absolutely nothing to do with protecting people. That's why a story like this plays so well on the Republican Propaganda Network. They hear a story like this and it's just proof that the "libs" have no compassion for the downtrodden since keeping people safe through regulations is not in their lexicon. They did seem to vote for anarchy because that is what their dear Golden Leader constantly preached.

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Die Anyway's avatar

> "keeping people safe through regulations is not in their lexicon."

The kunservatives won't be happy until we have formaldehyde in our food, hydrocarbon particulates in our air and PCBs in our water. And as we all lay dying, they will blame the Democrats.

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Die Anyway's avatar

Oh and Happy Holidays. 🎂🍭🍾🧀🥨🍷

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Nikolas Pelate's avatar

It's just insane. I don't understand how such a large number of people in this contract can be that ridiculously stupid. Like it's mind blowing how stupid they are.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

It's a bit of projection by the Orange Orangutan. He and his minions are about to grab power and money with no intention of helping people.

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Bagat's avatar

Ar they not people? They will be helping many close family and friends.

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Jason's avatar

Leaders who only help their own families and friends are not "helping the people".

"The people" means the public.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Once again, we have a supposed religious leader, thinking that he can flout the laws of the city his organization operates in without penalty. He appears to further suppose that if he gets some high-powered lawyers on his side that he can somehow bulldoze his way through a problem he created himself. Wrong on both counts.

File this under FAFO ... in the Reason Zone.

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oraxx's avatar

America's conservatives pander to the preachers, because the evangelical preachers love authoritarians who pretend to care about them, while viewing human decency as a character flaw.

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Jason's avatar

Authoritarianism dovetails well with Christianity: the brutal deity of the OT is the ultimate autocrat who must be blindly obeyed without question. Christians are trained by the bible to obey authority unquestioningly; they are the perfect sheeplike subjects for an autocratic regime.

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oraxx's avatar

It is a symbiotic relationship that has dealt humanity nothing but misery.

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EllenThatEllen's avatar

Any homeless shelter must have certain guidelines to operate by. Correct and up to date building codes, clearly marked exits etc. The Pastor here is just being an ahole for no reason. And letting in a sex offender. Yah not good. Great location there next door to another shelter and near a medical clinic. I can see why he doesn't want to leave. But to protect all who come to Dad's Place for help and his employees-- he MUST COMPLY WITH THE BUILDING CODES AND THE LAWS. SIMPLE. Not religious persecution at all.

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Kay-El's avatar

Pastor Chris must have an ulterior motive besides housing people in a death trap and providing free sexual assault. Perhaps hoping to get no charge repairs from all the publicity?

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Len's avatar

He wants to appear to be a good Christian who’s being persecuted simply for trying to help those less fortunate. It earns him Jesus-points.

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Kay-El's avatar

Not redeemable in hell, I’m guessing.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Our Christmas movie this year was "Violent Night". Most of them got hit on the head with a hammer. Although I guess history and civics books does leave them open to improvement.

And I got three history books for Christmas without even being naughty.

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Len's avatar

Already on my list for this week 😎

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Maine Skeptic's avatar

“But whenever a right-wing legal group like First Liberty takes up a cause…”

Damned straight. If Liberty Council or the Alliance Defending Freedom is involved, it's Christian Nationalist powerplay.

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Kathy P.'s avatar

I wonder how much money all these ridiculous lawsuits cost? I bet that money would have gone a long way towards making that building compliant with the laws. But no, they'd rather pull out the old chestnut of persecuted victimhood.

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Dave Hopkins's avatar

Spending the money to make the building compliant doesn’t have the same political mileage as demagoging the issue to make more money and score points with a woefully out of touch political system in Ohio.

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larry parker's avatar

OT: The ham is in the oven.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Now we know why you invited Ken Ham to Christmas dinner. ;)

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larry parker's avatar

Naw, if Kenny was invited the oven would be set to broil instead of 350F.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

"The city's done everything it can to accommodate ..."

The city's done too damn much to accommodate. Throw his arse in jail. (It's Boxing Day and I've run out of Christmas spirit.)

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Die Anyway's avatar

Boxing Day...the day you put everything back in the box it came in so that you can regift it.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Hell no. I told everyone what I wanted. :)

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boxing-Day

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Bagat's avatar

All this. And here I am, tTrying to figure out how taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada brings egg prices down….🤔

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Bagat's avatar

I GOT IT!!! This takeover will avoid the tariffs and make their prices relatively cheap.

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Die Anyway's avatar

Thank goodness, how would I ever live without my Greenland eggs?

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

"Greenland" is a very early effort at advertising according to one of my old history professors. They lied about it in order to get settlers to go there. It wasn't very green at all apparently.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

And Iceland is very green. Were the locals trying to keep others from emigrating to their country? :)

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

I think so, but it was about 50 years ago I studied this sort of thing.

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Straw's avatar

That Iceland is greener than Greenland does not mean Iceland is very green. It only means that Greenland is mostly white, except for the parts close to the sea.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

I did a search engine “images of iceland.” Looks pretty green by the photos I saw.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

And ham?

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NOGODZ20's avatar

OT

Where's Joe King? He's usually here bright and early each morning with his on target musings.

Maybe he's just taking the holiday off. If so, here's wishing him a very merry, :D

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Joe King's avatar

I just got here. Got on the road early to get close to where I pick up. Had to take a 300 mile detour to have some stuff done to my truck. Back on topic: why am I not surprised that the Christian Nationalist makes a deal to drop charges then immediately goes back on the deal? One would think he was lying.....

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Christians lie? Heaven forefend!

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Lyin' fer Jesus when you are up against the foes of darkness that want to keep people safe ain't lyin'. It's a sacrament.

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Bagat's avatar

Their sorry mascot lied about returning... Now, 2,000 years later an entire industry has grown up around the lie. No wonder so many voted for drumpfy.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Whatever happened to those six or seven passages in the Bible where it says that the people should obey the civil authorities because they have been instituted by God. I mean, it's god himself saying this, and he should know.

Those citations should be at the crux of whatever legal argument the city is making. Religious rights are not just for the religious right

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Why is it atheists know Romans 13: 1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 but believers don't?

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Lynn Veit's avatar

"Religious rights are not just for the religious right"

But that's the way they see it.

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