Costas
27-06-2009, 11:39 AM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, (...) is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” (...) “God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls. “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”
(...)
“We have a very active agenda in all 50 states,” said Chris W. Cox, legislative director of the N.R.A., widely considered the country’s most powerful lobby. “We have right-to-carry laws in over 40 states; 20 years ago, it was in just six.” Of the 40 states with right-to-carry laws, 20 allow guns in churches.
(...)
Gun-control advocates say they feel increasingly ineffective, especially after a recent spate of high-profile shootings, including last month’s murder, inside a church in Kansas, of a doctor who performed late-term abortions.
(...)
The celebration will feature lessons in responsible gun ownership, Mr. Pagano said.
(...)
Mr. Pagano said the church’s insurance company, which he would not identify, had canceled the church’s policy for the day on Saturday and told him that it would cancel the policy for good at the end of the year. If he cannot find insurance for Saturday, people will not be allowed in openly carrying their guns.
(...)
“When someone from within the church tells me that being a Christian and having firearms are contradictions, that they’re incompatible with the Gospel — baloney,” [Mr. Pagano] said. “As soon as you start saying that it’s not something that Christians do, well, guns are just the foil. The issue now is the Gospel. So in a sense, it does become a crusade. Now the Gospel is at stake.”
Άρθρο (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/us/26guns.html?pagewanted=1&em) της New York Times.
Υ.Γ. Μήπως το επώνυμο του κυρίου, Pagano, διαψεύδει τον ισχυρισμό του πως είναι Χριστιανός;...
(...)
“We have a very active agenda in all 50 states,” said Chris W. Cox, legislative director of the N.R.A., widely considered the country’s most powerful lobby. “We have right-to-carry laws in over 40 states; 20 years ago, it was in just six.” Of the 40 states with right-to-carry laws, 20 allow guns in churches.
(...)
Gun-control advocates say they feel increasingly ineffective, especially after a recent spate of high-profile shootings, including last month’s murder, inside a church in Kansas, of a doctor who performed late-term abortions.
(...)
The celebration will feature lessons in responsible gun ownership, Mr. Pagano said.
(...)
Mr. Pagano said the church’s insurance company, which he would not identify, had canceled the church’s policy for the day on Saturday and told him that it would cancel the policy for good at the end of the year. If he cannot find insurance for Saturday, people will not be allowed in openly carrying their guns.
(...)
“When someone from within the church tells me that being a Christian and having firearms are contradictions, that they’re incompatible with the Gospel — baloney,” [Mr. Pagano] said. “As soon as you start saying that it’s not something that Christians do, well, guns are just the foil. The issue now is the Gospel. So in a sense, it does become a crusade. Now the Gospel is at stake.”
Άρθρο (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/us/26guns.html?pagewanted=1&em) της New York Times.
Υ.Γ. Μήπως το επώνυμο του κυρίου, Pagano, διαψεύδει τον ισχυρισμό του πως είναι Χριστιανός;...