I have noticed that the Levitt has been renting(?) to several churches over the past year. There is usually some kind of church service or religious event held on Sundays at the Levitt.
I guess if they are paying rent to use the public facility, I don’t see an issue with it.
Where I got alarmed was when riding my bike around the event today I saw several armed private security officers(5). Most of them were openly carrying a handgun in a public space at a church service!
If you think you need to attend church services with armed guards, maybe you are attending the wrong church?
Jesus on a snow plow, now church services at a public space. Is Sioux Falls a city or a religion? If there’s guns, must be Taliban.
You were “alarmed” because you saw an armed security guard(s)? At a church gathering? LoL..shocking! I hope you have recovered and am thankful you weren’t subjected to any real trauma like seeing a dead squirrel on your bike ride or too much goose poop on the city trails!
Unfortunately in the world we now live in, mass gathering events are frequent targets for extremists to commit acts of violence. Schools, malls, places of worship, parades and even concerts have been recent targets of shooting incidents. Having an armed guard seems reasonable.
It all comes down to one thing, paranoia. I’m not sure what kind of Christianity these churches are teaching, but they certainly skipped over the part about JC.
The Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus the Prince of Peace, and Christ Himself said, “blessed are the peacemakers.”
With all of the mass shootings, I’m not surprised. But many of my fellow Christians are right of center, they support right of center politics, which then forces them to live in a reality of mass shootings because of their politics. So, it isn’t the left which will destroy religion, rather the fundamentalists are slowly doing it to themselves.
( and Woodstock adds: “If you have faith, then why do you need a gun?”…. )
Sure Scott, alarmed, please. I’m more alarmed about you having a 1st Amendment right than these good folks with their 2nd! Remember lil buddy, without 2A, you wouldn’t have 1A.
Churches have had attacks against them for 100’s of years. Amish, Baptist’s, Catholics, and many many others.
My goodness small concerts have guards. Why? Cuz of loons.
Hence they protect themselves like any reasonable person would.
Scott – You are way off base here. Its not about “what kind of Church you attend”, its a reality of our world. We have people driving through public events, causing disturbances, mass shootings, etc. Would have have these folks just not protect themselves and let someone come in and do them harm. Lunatics like soft targets like schools, parades, concerts, etc. Places where no one is defending themselves.
Luke 22:36 Jesus words
“But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!
What do you suppose he meant when he said we should buy a sword, fashion statement?
You cannot legislate Evil in the world. In England we have men going on mass stabbings and its next to impossible to get a gun. Look no farther than Mexico and central American to all the cartel murders, shootings and terror they inflict on their residents and its next to impossible to own a gun. These cartels have “real” military weapons and not the pretend ones the Left talks about in the US (semi-automatic rifles).
I understand you have a beef with all this stuff but, what is your solution as its quite apparent the Cops, Feds, etc. cannot protect us. Your logic never makes any sense on this topic and the only proof you need is Chicago, New York, etc. Gun laws out the wazoo but, people getting killed frequently and unable to defend themselves.
Be thankful we still live in a State where your 1st and 2nd Amendment rights are still protected. A state were we allow religion in our daily activties in both public and private, as well as we live in a State you can open carry without a permit, let alone paying for those permits. Groups such as these will go much farther to protect us, than some tyrannical federal govt.
Who guards the guards? Mall cops couldn’t cut it as police. They’re culled because they’re trigger happy. How about just Tazers, Bear Spray, and Billy Clubs instead of deadly force?
A dangerous scenario:
One shot is fired then most in the crowd pull their concealed pistols and there’s a massive gunfight without knowing why. Maybe stay home and write checks to TV Evangelists?
I am afraid our conservative friends have lost their originalist values. The 1st Amendment was never meant to have a government at any level promote and/or facilitate a religious activity.
( and Woodstock adds: “It’s almost like the conservative Justices on the bench have carved out an affirmative action approach to the 1st Amendment when it comes to religion and its right to use government facilities”…. )
These are NOT church services being held on PRIVATE property.
They are church services being held on PUBLIC property. Property owned by all tax payers.
Why?
And, who approved this?
If they are paying rent, I don’t see an issue with using the facility for this. The issue is how do they get permission to have that many private security officers with handguns? If one of them had one, no big deal, but I’m not sure having a standing army for a couple of hundred people is really necessary.
Here is a great doc about the division in Christianity in the US.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ePCiUgD0Y
Plenty of you anti religious wing nuts out there now. And I highly doubt they were paid security. If I were to attend any open air event downtown, I would carry as well.
You’ll be ok little fella.
Pagans rally for baby killing in park=not a problem.
Church sings songs and talk about faith= we must stop them.
Some of you are just plain sick.
Scott lecturing people about paranoia. Who the fuck do you think you’re fooling? OMG That’s rich.
LMFAO. While I have heard of Jews killing Muslims, Muslims killing Christians and Christians killing Muslims and Jews, I have never heard of an atheist or agnostic going on a shooting spree in a church. As a Lakota friend told me once, “The three cousins have one goal in mind, killing each other off and ending this world as we know it.” The three cousins refers to the descendents of Abraham (Christians, Muslims and Jews).
“Speaking of cousins, wasn’t Lincoln’s last play called: ‘Our American Cousin’?…. Yep, there you go”…..
In what year do you think it was, when jokes about the Lincoln assassination began to be funny?
The reason I always have Smith & Wesson on me is what is happening in this country. A few years ago, I think a church service in a public area would have nothing to worry about. After all the burning, looting, rioting, “mostly peaceful protests” of the lib’rals, you’d be a fool to go anywhere without personal protection. The only place you probably didn’t need a weapon was in DC on January 6th
The “burning, and looting, rioting” has nothing to do with all of the recent mass shootings. If you are packing heat, it’s because of the paranoia you have due to the world you tolerate and facilitate by owning a gun. That’s why I don’t own a gun. I have no need for one, and I don’t want to contribute to the culture of violence which gun ownership contributes to.
“‘culture of violence’?”…. “Maybe the entire United States of America could use a Chief of Culture, huh?”….