Fun-Loving Anti-Abortion Pals Making New Friends! (Invading Unitarian Church, Calling Them Satan)

Just in case you thought that going to your own church might be a good way to avoid fundagelical nonsense, we learn today that some nice people from "Operation Save America," an offshoot from the radical anti-abortion "Operation Rescue," would like you to know that they are taking their campaign of Christian Love to minister to people all over the place -- and even in churches where they're not welcome! Last Sunday in New Orleans, some volunteers from the group invaded a Unitarian church service so they could set those godless Unitarian-Universalist heathens straight and let them know they were all bound for Hell. And they brag on their webpage about what a great job they did of witnessing to the sinners right there in that "Synagogue of Satan."

You see, the group had been invited to speak to a whole bunch of fundamentalist churches in New Orleans, but they apparently figured that going where they were wanted was not at all what Jesus had in mind for them, so they went where they weren't asked to go, too! Here's their account of their creative ministering:

At the Unitarian Universalist “church” in New Orleans, Deanna Waller, Jay Rogers, Mary Claire, Ken Scott, Russell Hunter, Toby Harman and others presented the truth of the Gospel in this synagogue of Satan. As God would have it, the “church” was filled with students from a “social justice” training school. According to Rev. Flip Benham, OSA National Director, the team presented a “dynamic witness.”

Flip Benham? Should we know that name? Oh, he is the father of the Hot Bigot Twins, who got FEMA camped for being hot bigots. But tell us more?

During an open “meditation” time, Deanna shared the Word of the Lord. When the female “pastor” took issue, Deanna reminded her that, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones” (Luke 17: 2). In violation of their “sacred tenants” of peace and tolerance, Deanna and others were summarily escorted out of the service.

Other saints stayed and dialoged until the conclusion of the service. It created no small stir. The “social justice” candidates ran to the Christians and asked them many questions. Our brethren gave them the reason for the hope that lies within them and defended the faith. Seeds of truth were sown. may the Lord water them in Jesus’ name.

And just to be super-Jesusy about it, the impromptu "witnessing" occurred not during an "open 'meditation' time," according to U.U. minister Deanna Vandiver, but during a moment of silent remembrance for a congregation member who had recently died. But hey, silence is silence, right? It's not as if God was going to listen to a bunch of hell-bound abortion and sodomy supporters anyway, so that was OBVIOUSLY the perfect time to speak some truth to the heretics:

The disturbance took place as the congregation was holding a moment of silence for a member of the church who had died the week before, said the Rev. Deanna Vandiver.

“Into that sacred silence, a voice began to speak, and it began to speak about ‘abominations,’ ” Vandiver said. The protesters were shouting that the church was not a true faith, she said. “Literally in our most tender and vulnerable space, religious terrorism began.”

The congregation was stunned at first, unsure what was happening, Vandiver said. She then invited the protesters to stay if they could join or observe the worship service respectfully, and if not, to take their protest outside the building. The congregation began to sing, and church leaders then began to lead the most vocal protesters outside, though a few chose to stay quietly through the remainder of the service.

Hey, Unitarians, if you're so "tolerant," why don't you let fundamentalist Christians interrupt your services? You know that they'd be happy to let you start reading loudly from Ralph Waldo Emerson during one of their services. Seriously, the fundies are nothing to be afraid of -- this bunch didn't even murder anyone this time, so obviously they're learning a thing or two about civility.

On the U.U. church's Facebook page, Rev. Vandiver said that while diverse religious beliefs are a vital part of American freedom,

NO ONE should invade the sanctuary of another's faith to terrorize people as they worship. I call on everyone of every faith tradition and no faith tradition to stand with on the side of love and resist the evil of the week of hate being visited upon the city of New Orleans.

So apparently she just has no idea what the First Amendment is all about, since it requires people to sit quietly and nod while uninvited visitors yell at them about how they are abominations unto God. That's what America was founded on, after all.

Following their miraculous sharing of the Love of Christ with the filthy infidels, the Operation Save America clown parade embarked for some loving ministry outside the home of an abortion provider, with a bullhorn and huge photos of aborted fetuses. A pleasant time was had by all, as you can tell from the description at Operation Save America's website:

After lunch, the saints traveled to two abortionists’ neighborhoods for public awareness campaigns. Awareness campaigns involve disseminating information to notify communities that one of their neighbors murder babies. OSA members visited Mary Gardner’s and Roshanda Dean’s home, both of the Women’s Health Care Center in New Orleans. The flyer given out in Dean’s neighborhood read in part, “Roshanda Dean is our neighbor. As Christians we are called to love her. Our actions may bring her to Jesus and eternal life. Encourage her to repent of the mass murder of the Lord’s preborn children.”

We bet it was fun!

And for some reason, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued an official certificate of welcome to the group last week, probably because they weren't screaming at his church or home.

[ Uptown Messenger and Operation Rescue via RightWingWatch ]

 Follow Doktor Zoom on Twitter. He's sort of a lapsed Unitarian, which may be the purest kind.