Fox News is reporting today:
"A Phoenix-area pastor has started to draw protesters to his congregation after he delivered a sermon titled, "Why I Hate Barack Obama," and told his parishioners that he prays for President Obama's death.
Pastor Steven Anderson stood by his sermon in an interview with MyFOXPhoenix, which reports that the pastor continues to encourage his parishioners to join him in praying for the president's death.
"I hope that God strikes Barack Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy and I hope it happens today," he told MyFOXPhoenix on Sunday. He called his message "spiritual warfare" and said he does not condone killing. [...]
"I'm gonna pray that he dies and goes to hell when I go to bed tonight. That's what I'm gonna pray," he told his congregation."
(http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/31/phoenix-pastor-draws-protests-telling-church-prays-obamas-death/?test=latestnews)
A few days ago I expressed surprise at a minister spreading a very unchristian message of not sharing your wealth. I realize we have freedom of speech in America. But is there freedom of speech within the Church? The Church after all, is an ideological institution charged with a propaganda mission. There are certain tenets of faith which I would imagine should be upheld by the ministers, at least in their sermons. One of which is to love your enemy ("Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44). To pray for someone's death seems to be not only in exceptionally bad taste, but it also runs contrary to the church doctrine, and it should not be tolerated by the Church if the Church wants to retain the authority as a spiritual leader.
Messages of hate and calls for violence should not be tolerated when they come from spiritual leaders of any faith - Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or any other. A Christian pastor praying for the death of a US President is no better than a Muslim cleric whipping his parishioners into a frenzy praying for the destruction of America.
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Totally inappropriate comments from the member of the clergy, in my opinion. Unfortunately, mixing of political and personal messages with the church doctrine is not at all unusual.
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