Baptist church signs cause outrage

[Smoke]

Residents riled by Memphis church's message - News - The Voice

First Baptist Church on Main Street in Memphis is getting on the neighbors' nerves.

The present message outside the church [...] has prompted complaints logged by the police department, mayor and City Council members.

Two years ago, a message that also rankled residents declared that, "Every preacher or priest in Memphis deserves to be in Hell," caused some eyes to be cast toward the heavens and complaints to be made to city officials.

<---snip--->

Memphis resident Jeanne Westerhof voiced her objections at the recent City Council meeting of the current signage.

"I guess I'm opposed to it, first of all, because it has the word (fornication) on it and we have a lot of young children in town that walk by there, you know, every day and see that word," she said. "Secondly, I'm opposed to it because it really is a hate message towards the Catholic priest and it has nothing to do with me being Catholic, but the only pastor in our town that's not allowed to marry is the Catholic priest and this is not the first time that there's been a message that's been targeted toward Catholics."
​

 

[linwood]

I don't see a problem with the sign other than the obvious religious idiocy stated but that's to be expected.

Most church signs are an affront to the sensibilities of non-believers but we've grown numb to it.

We also don't have a right not to be offended.

 

[Smoke]

I thought it was hilarious that that woman was worried about kids seeing the word "fornication."

Most church signs are an affront to the sensibilities of non-believers but we've grown numb to it.

I always enjoy driving through Spartanburg because I like to see what's on the sign at Whitney Baptist Church. My favorite so far is: "The pastor is on fire for God. His hair is gone already."

 

[Willamena]

"I guess I'm opposed to it, first of all, because it has the word (fornication) on it and we have a lot of young children in town that walk by there, you know, every day and see that word," she said.

OMG...

 

[GabrielWithoutWings]

I thought it was hilarious that that woman was worried about kids seeing the word "fornication."

I thought that was strange. Does she also not want kids to read St Paul? If I remember correctly, Paul included fornication in his string of bad things to avoid doing.

 

[Father Heathen]

Being exposed to the word "fornication" at a tender age is what corrupted me.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

*angellous wuz here*

 

[linwood]

I thought it was hilarious that that woman was worried about kids seeing the word "fornication."

That is amusing.

I always enjoy driving through Spartanburg because I like to see what's on the sign at Whitney Baptist Church. My favorite so far is: "The pastor is on fire for God. His hair is gone already."

That would be cool but I don't think humor is any too often mixed with religion around here.
It's fairly fire and brimstone.
There are a couple of churches that get philosophical with their signs but that's as fun as it gets in my city.

 

[Sunstone]

I thought it was hilarious that that woman was worried about kids seeing the word "fornication."

You're a sick man, Bill. Those children are at risk of growing up to become liberals and progressives because of that word. Won't you think of the children?

 

[ChristineES]

Most kids don't know what fornication even means.

 

[Luminous]

Most kids don't know what fornication even means.

I had thought it meant associating with non-believers...
not that a pastor should be having crazy wild sex with his wife, in order to avoid having crazy wild sex with others. :angel2:

 

[Smoke]

Most kids don't know what fornication even means.

When I was a kid I heard the adults talking about annulments, and my grandmother said you can get an annulment if the marriage isn't consummated. I asked, "What's 'consummated'?"

My grandmother hesitated a moment, and said, "That's when you have kids."

That's what I thought "consummated" meant for years.

 

[linwood]

When I was a kid I heard the adults talking about annulments, and my grandmother said you can get an annulment if the marriage isn't consummated. I asked, "What's 'consummated'?"

My grandmother hesitated a moment, and said, "That's when you have kids."

That's what I thought "consummated" meant for years.

This is the type of thing that bugs me.

The fact that kids don`t generally know what "fornication" means is not a fact to make one at ease with this sign.

It`s a fact that should really bother people but it doesn`t.

It makes adults much more comfortable to have ignorant or misinformed kids and I just can`t understand that for the life of me.

Granted it`s unlikely my kid knows what "fornication" means but that`s simply because it`s not common modern language.
The only context it`s used in is when adults want to keep kids ignorant of their meaning really.

However, if I passed that sign with my daughter and she asked what it meant I`d simply tell her.
I don`t understand why people have a problem with this.

 

[Revoltingest]

We need more such signs.
They entertain the heathens.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Residents riled by Memphis church's message - News - The Voice

God really is on Lilliput's side - cracking one's egg on the small end is inherently superior to cracking it on the little end. Those Blefuscudians go against the way of things that has been ordained by God!

 

[ninerbuff]

Lol, what's so ironic is that when I drove through the "heartland" of the US (from VA to CA) I would see billboards that stated things like "jesus is love", "repent now", "god is great", etc. then a mile or so at an exit you'd see "XXX adult theater, next exit" on a HUGE sign.

 

[Father Heathen]

This is the type of thing that bugs me.

The fact that kids don`t generally know what "fornication" means is not a fact to make one at ease with this sign.

It`s a fact that should really bother people but it doesn`t.

It makes adults much more comfortable to have ignorant or misinformed kids and I just can`t understand that for the life of me.

Granted it`s unlikely my kid knows what "fornication" means but that`s simply because it`s not common modern language.
The only context it`s used in is when adults want to keep kids ignorant of their meaning really.

However, if I passed that sign with my daughter and she asked what it meant I`d simply tell her.
I don`t understand why people have a problem with this.

It's because our culture equates naivety and ignorance with purity and innocence. Sexuality is seen as something filthy, so the less someone knows, the "cleaner" they are. Of course the reality is that it only results in a warped perception that leaves them unprepared for the real world.

 

[Skwim]

I don't see a problem with the sign other than the obvious religious idiocy stated but that's to be expected.

Most church signs are an affront to the sensibilities of non-believers but we've grown numb to it.

We also don't have a right not to be offended.

Well said.

 

[dust1n]

I always enjoy driving through Spartanburg because I like to see what's on the sign at Whitney Baptist Church. My favorite so far is: "The pastor is on fire for God. His hair is gone already."

I just enjoy puns in general, so I can respect a pun on a church billboard, even if it is horribly stupid, at least it is clever for a moment.

I always like the one that went.

"CH CH"
What's Missing?
UR

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I just enjoy puns in general, so I can respect a pun on a church billboard, even if it is horribly stupid, at least it is clever for a moment.

I always like the one that went.

"CH CH"
What's Missing?
UR

I had to think about that a while before I got the pun. I think it didn't help that, to me, "CHCH" is a local TV station.