Christian proseltyzers lifted up as good things
I am not happy with Al Jazeera. They've got an article about Christian Proselytizers who mix their (ultrafundamentalist, dominionist, Pentecostal) Christianity with "traditional practices" which doesn't even consider how harmful those people are. I'm planning on putting in my two cents worth... talking about the things I've seen and experienced at their hands (their "independent Southern Baptist" preacher got us blocked from tribal recognition, because I protested against his preaching hostile sermons against living people - and then using church members to bully me when I was living on the rez and attending a field school. All because I tried to talk with him PRIVATELY and tell him that wasn't a good thing to do. (The person he preached against left the church and wouldn't return on his command - and didn't instantly "obey" when he went and railed at her about "submitting to God").
The article is about members of the Foursquare church... the sister church to the Assemblies of God. Some people say that they're worse than the Assemblies, but so far I haven't seen that - but they ARE rather uncommon in this area. I can instantly tell you where a dozen Assemblies churches are located, along with many "Independent Southern Baptist" churches which usually are run by "Southern Baptists" who received their ministry training at the local ersatz Assemblies of God "university" - the same place I used to hang out at - with the "ministry students" being taught how to take over other churches (of other denominations). Shit, there are two, maybe three of the "Independents" along the route I take to school... which is all on back roads away from the preferred locations for such churches. The churches I'm talking about - one was advertising concealed weapon permits, and almost in the same period also talking about "Taking back America for Jesus" and providing free advertising for Chic-Fil-A when people were boycotting the place for their plowing profits into political actions against people who are LGBT. The church is known to be hostile to any religion or church NOT them, and they also have been known to get really militant. Frankly, they scare me and I am glad to get away from that area. (The only church along that route that scares me more is a Pentecostal Church of God church - their youth group was out accosting drivers that passed by a few years ago, and I was afraid they were going to stop and harass me - luckily I got through without being stopped.)
What makes it even worse is that I've seen the fallout from things like that - it's always ugly and bad for the tribe (except for the Christians who remain "under the authority of the pastor") - sometimes even bad for them although they don't know it. It's all part of a plan to "take over the world for Jesus" which has been well documented on sites such as Talk2Action (and to a degree, other sites such as the Military Religious Freedom Foundation).
The article is about members of the Foursquare church... the sister church to the Assemblies of God. Some people say that they're worse than the Assemblies, but so far I haven't seen that - but they ARE rather uncommon in this area. I can instantly tell you where a dozen Assemblies churches are located, along with many "Independent Southern Baptist" churches which usually are run by "Southern Baptists" who received their ministry training at the local ersatz Assemblies of God "university" - the same place I used to hang out at - with the "ministry students" being taught how to take over other churches (of other denominations). Shit, there are two, maybe three of the "Independents" along the route I take to school... which is all on back roads away from the preferred locations for such churches. The churches I'm talking about - one was advertising concealed weapon permits, and almost in the same period also talking about "Taking back America for Jesus" and providing free advertising for Chic-Fil-A when people were boycotting the place for their plowing profits into political actions against people who are LGBT. The church is known to be hostile to any religion or church NOT them, and they also have been known to get really militant. Frankly, they scare me and I am glad to get away from that area. (The only church along that route that scares me more is a Pentecostal Church of God church - their youth group was out accosting drivers that passed by a few years ago, and I was afraid they were going to stop and harass me - luckily I got through without being stopped.)
What makes it even worse is that I've seen the fallout from things like that - it's always ugly and bad for the tribe (except for the Christians who remain "under the authority of the pastor") - sometimes even bad for them although they don't know it. It's all part of a plan to "take over the world for Jesus" which has been well documented on sites such as Talk2Action (and to a degree, other sites such as the Military Religious Freedom Foundation).