Bible-slinging vandals defaced the entrance of an Augusta, Georgia church Tuesday morning whose gay pastor recently married his longtime partner.
The spay painted “Burn Leviticus 18:22 Lies” across the doorway of Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer, adding “Leviticus 18:20,” with the words “You’ll Burn” on the steps.
Three weeks ago, a rainbow flag displayed outside the church was stolen.
The church’s pastor, Rick Sosbe, learned of the recent attack via a church member’s text message.
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“I was angry. I was very sad and I thought, ‘Just why?’ To me, it seems so interesting that they’re saying on there that you’ll burn — in other words saying ‘You’ll burn in hell,’ I’m sure – and quoting scripture. Is that what Christianity — right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity — has come to?” he told the Augusta Chronicle.
The church has been operating as an inclusive place of worship for twelve years, but after Sosbe married his partner Michael Rehn on June 30, four days after the SCOTUS ruling, added media presence has brought unwanted attention.
Now they’re working with police to increase patrol around the church and resorting to private security measures.
Here’s a Facebook update from this morning:
As many of you know, our church was vandalized twice in a little over a two week span. Because of this, we are…
Posted by Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer on Thursday, July 23, 2015
Leviticus 18:22 is the passage right-wing haters love to pull out of their selective Bible bag: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.”
Leviticus 18:20 reads “Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with they neighbor’s wife, to defile thyself with her” — not quite sure what they meant with that one, but that’s assuming the vandals can think past a third grade reading level. We wouldn’t take that bet.
Robert Becker
And they justify their actions in the name of God. How Very Christian.
Xzamilio
Mmmmmm… feel the love.
Tony Chaplinski
another example of christian love?????
AtticusBennett
curious – taking a gander at conservative outlets in the US, none are running with this story.
why not? it’s an attack on religion. specifically, an “attack on Christianity’. a religious house of christian worship has been desecrated. and no republican, conservative or “patriot” outlets are covering it.
why is that?
AtticusBennett
never mind. i also realized that those same outlets didn’t cover any of the black churches that were burned to the f***ing ground in the last few weeks/months.
they’re too busy spreading misinformation about “anti-gay cake bakers” and those county clerks whose “religious freedom” was somehow attacked by having to do the jobs they were hired to do.
Londale Foster
But, We all know that Jesus came to them on top of a Mountain as a Bright Light and told his devout followers to Vandalize his other House of Worship..u know…”The Gays Church”… And yes…U can do it all in my Name cause I just don’t have time any more…Damn Gays!!!
David Paul Morgan
Leviticus does not apply to Christians. New covenant yada had a.
Ladbrook
I do wish that the Leviticus crowd would stop cherry-picking their favorite verses. Maybe it’s time we give them a taste of their own medicine…. reminding them that they should be stoned for all the laws they keep breaking. Anyone got any spray paint??
Bauhaus
@Ladbrook:
If they’d just get stoned in the manner I get stoned (mmm mmm), perhaps we’d get somewhere with them.
BlueDude
The spray-painting evidence itself shows the degree of ignorance held by the vandal(s). At least the church wasn’t burned.
@AtticusBennett: And, you nailed it again. Someone, please, explain to the evangetards that “religious liberty” does not mean discrimination for Jesus.
MacAdvisor
“Leviticus 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.”
If you have sex with a guy like you do a women, you’re doing both wrong. Seriously, the two experiences are very different and involve rather different body parts.
Bob Pattinson
See how these Christians can hate….
Phranc Azzhee
oh them bad asses! now they have a gang.
Kristopher Saim
Oh, how very Christ-like of them.
Michael Osborn
That’s just the way they r
thiesan
Since they did not quote the proper scripture regarding lying with mankind I would venture a guess that the vandals were just random hooligans, not an organized religious group. If they religious beliefs and principles were their driving force, they would not have made such a mistake concerning scripture. Nonetheless, whatever drove them to the act they are disgusting people and lack respect for anyone including themselves.
Giancarlo85
Atticus, according to the minds of right wingers, only they are entitled to freedom and liberty. Nobody else is permitted in having that. If you criticize right wingers, you are suppressing their speech. We even see that on this site… some right wing douchebags claiming they are being discriminated against merely because we disagree with their rotten views.
Brian Richards
This show people how fringing two faced people are to deface a church which they believe in and through back in are faces because people are gay
Finrod
Is it too much to ask that the author of this article mention whether this happened in Maine or Georgia?
Transiteer
Look what Christianity stands for now eh?? Seig Heil. Bullies using the two lines of scripture they know to inflict pain and hurt on others they don’t know. Not Christian at all is it? He who is without sin, cast the first stone. I think we know how low-powered the brainstorming is with these jerks. It proves what a poison religion is, how useless it is, and how corrupt it is. It’s all fake, it’s all man made. The Bible is a Roman Public Works project to quell those pesky jews. It’s all made up man. Look at the boneheads who take it seriously.
Gee Rosato
Well when you have this as a presidential candidate what do you expect from the banjo picking cousin phuckerz out there….
So sad America has become so ignorant
Learning Chinese is not going to come easy
1EqualityUSA
It’s better that they did this to us, rather than the other way around. It makes them look so gross. It seems that these acts of vandalism and hatred comes back and bites them in the hindquarters every time.
Mary Cannard
Jesus is sub contracting out to extremist Christians now? – rolling my eyes so far back onto my head I nearly fell over
Sean Ryan
<3 Thy Neighbor
Robin Troy
How loving Christians are. Keep talking Christians and soon there will be no Christian religion.
AtticusBennett
@Giancarlo85: see also: the way the american right-wing continues to vilify The Dixie Chicks for “insulting the President”, while they’ve spent the last 7 years saying FAR WORSE things about the *current* President.
the only time you’re supposed to “respect the President” is if he’s a white conservative.
Sameer Nurani
What would Jesus do?
Ron King
Christian values..no better than terrorists.
Johnny Jaqua
If you look at what it says, “Burn Leviticus Lies 18:22” I think they were attempting to encourage. sarcasm
Ogre Magi
Why would any LGBT people want to associate with a religion that has been persecuting them for the past 2000 years?
Donald Zeger
I guess that’s WWJD.
Billysees
Here’s what the vandals should seriously consider —
Matthew 7: 1-5
1. Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged
2. You will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.
3. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4. How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5. Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Mature Christians will always try to —
Follow after the things that make for peace and the things that can be done to be helpful towards others…….Romans 14:19.
Mercurical Memo
See this is why for the life of me I cannot understand how Americans have the audacity to point fingers are Russians and Iranians. Americans are a stone throw away from what they do in Russia. When I hear people like Rick Perry, Santorum, Tucker Carlson, Pat Robertson and the political clout all these people have in America… It makes me wonder. Why do Americans always present themselves as a land of promise? In the America they kill blacks for sport and they want to do the same with the gays. Jesus! F it’s not hate towards blacks, it’s hate towards gays. Americans are obsessed with hating people. What’s up with that?
Mercurical Memo
@Ogre Magi: for the same reason they vote Republican.
1EqualityUSA
Mercurical Memo, So that the brightest lights can contrast?
jwtraveler
“God” is a convenient device used by all “godly” people to give legitimacy and authority to their fears and prejudices.
Alistair Wiseman
@AtticusBennett:
“the [sic] only time you’re supposed to “respect the President” is if he’s a white conservative.”
Yes, because you and the mainstream media showed so much respect to our last “white conservative” president.
TheBigOne
I think it’s high time we brought back arenas and the feeding of the lions.
Billysees
@jwtraveler:
” “God” is a convenient device used by all “godly” people to give legitimacy and authority to their fears and prejudices. ”
Sometimes, especially when applied to their prejudices.
AMM74
I don’t understand something so maybe I’m the “with stupid”…
1. Why would anyone want to burn LEVIIITCOS for lying, and who are they. Are they with Waldo cause I’ve been looking for him for a month now?
2. Is 18:22 military time for 6:22PM, but what time zone cause I’m on the west coast and like 6:22PM here is like 9:22PM on the east coast? Is that the time LEVIIITCOS will show up, but what day? God bless do people even use calendars anymore? Sorry I digress…
3. Why would someone spay-paint their message on Gods house? Couldn’t they have just called. This is the 21st century after all and I’m pretty sure Google has the church’s phone number if they don’t have access to a phone book… Man I would not want to be the fool who did that. When God gets home and learns some moron wrote all over his house God might have to go all biblical on them.