Assembly of God kidnaps teens to teach them a lesson

[mice34]

Aka, terrorism for Jesus.

A church youth group meeting comes to a horrifying halt when men bust in blind [fold] and bound the children and throw them into a van. But it was all staged by church leaders.

While at least one child was injured and traumatized, those leaders say they stand behind their "lesson."

Church leaders say this was a learning exercise designed to teach about religious freedom. But one girl was so shaken up that her parents have now gone to police.

<snip>

She had no idea what she was in for as she quickly went from enjoying herself to fearing for her life. Masked men stormed into their meeting and demanded the group of about a dozen kids get on the ground.

Then, while still bound and blinded, the kids were forced outside and into a van. It drove for a bit and then the kids ended up in the basement of a home on church property.

She says the pastor came out bloody, but Pastor John Lanes wasn't a victim, in fact he was a leader in what turned out to be a staged abduction to teach children about religious persecution.

Youth group leader Andrew Jordan says the exercise was never meant to horrify.

Pastor Lanza says moving forward they will notify parents first but he won't stop doing it. He says the lesson is too important.

But for this seventh grader, that lesson left her bruised and with a different view of the church, saying she doesn’t trust them.

Police will only say they are aware of the incident and are investigating. We should point out the church says other children knew this was staged and say they did find the exercise beneficial.

Note the line where it says the Pastor will keep doing this. Unless the law stops him, which let's be real, it probably won't.

[*Excuse the grammar of the original article. Who the hell edited this?]

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-dauphin-county-church-used-mock-kidnapping-to-teach-youth-group-lesson-about-christianity-20120322,0,7424810.story

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Staged-abduction-at-youth-group-meeting-leaves/32sF2v9FAkul6G68Mws4Kg.cspx

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/national_world&id=8593884

[Witchyjoshy]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ</a>

[ironbite]

So to teach someone about religious persecution...they kidnap them?

Ironbite-the logic....the logic means nothing here.

[agentCDE]

So he's got a persecution complex so bad he's actively harming children just to fulfill his fantasies.

I'd say something snide and sarcastic, but seriously, read what I just typed. What is there to say?

Not at all surprising this little spat of fundie-fapping had exactly the opposite effect for that seventh-grader, though.

[Yaezakura]

You're new here, but you should have read the rules: It's a no-no to copy entire articles into a post, as it can be viewed as copyright infringement. Please edit it to a few highlights from the original.

That said, this is just sickening. Sadly, nothing will come of it.

[starseeker]

Aren't they more likely to be kidnapped on their own parents' orders and sent to a "rehabilitation camp"?

[Stormwarden]

This dude belongs in a jail cell. Him and anyone else who participated in it. You don't do that crap. Not now, not ever.

I bet if it were a muslim or an atheist doing this, we'd all be hearing one hell of an uproar.

@Starseeker: That's definitely a possibility.

[agentCDE]

Aren't they more likely to be kidnapped on their own parents' orders and sent to a "rehabilitation camp"?

Oh, only if they turn out gay!

...

brb vomit

Also, yes, I'm pretty sure that terrified 7th grader and her folks have grounds to file a huge pile of criminal charges.

[Old Viking]

If there's a connection between terrifying kids and religious freedom it eludes me.

[Damen]

Aren't they more likely to be kidnapped on their own parents' orders and sent to a "rehabilitation camp"?

The cynical part of me thinks this isn't about "religious persecution" but more to prep them for when they're kidnapped and sent overseas for some good, righteous Holy Torture.

[Osama bin Bambi]

Saw this on the quote admin page. Sickening.

The next vehicle the pastor rides away in should be a police van, straight towards the closest jail.

[Patches]

This reminds me of a little kid who is told he can't have cookies before dinner, but then when offered dessert afterwards, will sit pouting in his chair saying, "No!  Mommy said I can't have cookies so that means I can't have cookies EVER because she's the meanest mom ever!"  i.e., taking a rule that only mildly inconveniences you and then willfully interpreting it beyond its stated scope to do the most damage to yourself as possible to show how horrible and terrible these rules are.

Government forbids school-sanctioned prayer?  Well, we'd better tell our children they're not allowed to pray EVER, and that it's the government forcefully forbidding it.  In fact, they're forcefully forbidding it so much, that they're going to come tie you up and take you away in vans if they ever catch you praying, so we'd better prepare you for that!

Gleefully setting themselves on fire to burn their own strawmen.

[MadCatTLX]

I wish I could say this surprised me. I wish I could say this shocked me. I wish I could say I haven't heard horrifying stories like this before. But I can't.

Is that bad?

[Nightangel8212]

I don't say things like this often but...

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!

Seriously, if I was a parent of one of those childrne, the pastor would have to leave town! Or I'd tell the police they had damn well better lock him up for his own safety!

[Thejebusfire]

Imagine the shit storm these people would throw if another religion did this.