Is This Blasphemy - Washington Post?

[A_PoMo]

Originally Posted by jaxfam6

where is your letter to them that is less "bombastic and whiney"?
maybe it will get a better response from them.

i wouldn't waste my time throwing my pearls before swine.

[Michael Phelps]

Originally Posted by A_PoMo

i wouldn't waste my time throwing my pearls before swine.

Somtimes, you have to make a stand, even if it seems bombastic and whiny. I'm sure that Shamgar was criticized for fighting so hard over a meager field of beans too, but somewhere along the line, you have to put your foot down.

I can let a lot of things go, but this one stuck in my craw, as well. I emailed the editors personally, as have many others.

[tv1a]

Tongues are overrated anyway. It is a verbal evidence the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues won't save you any more than Steve Epley wearing a toupee makes him a hippie.

I can understand Jerry Jones jumping to the defense of tongues. I've recently came to the realization the upci is more interested in stuff that shows up on the outside than the change that happens in the heart. If the upci put as much emphasis on repentace as they do about skirts, hair and tongues, oh my, they may crack the 3/4 million constituency mark of tongue talking believers.

Originally Posted by SOUNWORTHY

Was unable to paste cartoon. Myself as well as many other ministers have responded to Washington Post.

Reverend Jones Secretary of United Pentecostal Church International Responds to Cartoon. See below the cartoon.

Talk about borderline blasphemy - this "cartoon" is the epitomy of it. If this had been written about an aspect of the Muslim religion the WashPost writer would have death threats against him. Below the pathetic joke is a letter written by Bro Jones from UPCI headquarters to the Washington Post. Pray for our nation and VOTE MCCAIN-PALIN IN NOVEMBER!
A Message from Jerry Jones:

Dear Sir:

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the long-denied political bias of the editorial board of the Washington Post confirmed by the highly offensive cartoon by Pat Oliphant published on September 9th. I was shocked to discover the board also holds a religious prejudice as well. To single out those of us who are Pentecostal and revere as well as practice the Scriptural experience of speaking in tongues in such a calculatedly offensive way is disgusting. That it was published by a leading U. S. newspaper is beyond belief. Quite obviously the board's phobia of Governor Palin has caused it to lose its senses as well as its decency. To attack her on the basis of her political positions is certainly within your right, but to attack and ridicule her solely on the basis of her faith, a faith that is practiced by a significant number of Americans is indefensible.

A response by the millions of Pentecostals both in their future choice of reading material as well as at the polls can be expected from this unprovoked attack on a belief than spans many denominations of Christianity.

If such a deliberate disregard of the sincerely held beliefs of a significant segment of our population is fair game in the pursuit of a political agenda, how can the already tattered reputation of the traditional press in our country be rehabilitated? Your abrogation of your responsibility to respect and exhibit at least a minimum sensitivity toward other's beliefs relegates the fabled Washington Post to the sorry company of yellow journalism rags of the past.

I urge the editorial board to issue an immediate apology to the millions offended by this silly and disgusting cartoon.

Sincerely,


Jerry Jones
General Secretary
United Pentecostal Church International

[SOUNWORTHY]

A Message from Jerry Jones concerning Cartoon in the Washington Post

Reverend Jones Secretary of United Pentecostal Church International Responds to Cartoon.

Talk about borderline blasphemy - this "cartoon" is the epitomy of it. If this had been written about an aspect of the Muslim religion the WashPost writer would have death threats against him. Below the pathetic joke is a letter written by Bro Jones from UPCI headquarters to the Washington Post. Pray for our nation and VOTE MCCAIN-PALIN IN NOVEMBER!

Dear Sir:

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the long-denied political bias of the editorial board of the Washington Post confirmed by the highly offensive cartoon by Pat Oliphant published on September 9th. I was shocked to discover the board also holds a religious prejudice as well. To single out those of us who are Pentecostal and revere as well as practice the Scriptural experience of speaking in tongues in such a calculatedly offensive way is disgusting. That it was published by a leading U. S. newspaper is beyond belief. Quite obviously the board's phobia of Governor Palin has caused it to lose its senses as well as its decency. To attack her on the basis of her political positions is certainly within your right, but to attack and ridicule her solely on the basis of her faith, a faith that is practiced by a significant number of Americans is indefensible.

A response by the millions of Pentecostals both in their future choice of reading material as well as at the polls can be expected from this unprovoked attack on a belief than spans many denominations of Christianity.

If such a deliberate disregard of the sincerely held beliefs of a significant segment of our population is fair game in the pursuit of a political agenda, how can the already tattered reputation of the traditional press in our country be rehabilitated? Your abrogation of your responsibility to respect and exhibit at least a minimum sensitivity toward other's beliefs relegates the fabled Washington Post to the sorry company of yellow journalism rags of the past.

I urge the editorial board to issue an immediate apology to the millions offended by this silly and disgusting cartoon.

Sincerely,


Jerry Jones
General Secretary
United Pentecostal Church International

[SOUNWORTHY]

Glad my post finallyended up in the correct place..

[ronharvey]

When did God need defending?

Ron

Write, yes but not because you think God needs defending.
God is more than able to make another Paul out of a Cartoonist.

[MissBrattified]

The problem with the letter is that it held the tone that could come from any number of factions, religious or secular. And, it could have focused more on the idea of respecting religions in general, rather than the disrespect to Pentecostalism.

Frankly, IMO, the most heinous part of the cartoon was NOT the reference to speaking in tongues, but placing a curse word in God's mouth. Representing God in such a profane way was much more worthy of address than the defense of the "scriptural experience" of talking in tongues.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

The problem with the letter is that it held the tone that could come from any number of factions, religious or secular. And, it could have focused more on the idea of respecting religions in general, rather than the disrespect to Pentecostalism.

Frankly, IMO, the most heinous part of the cartoon was NOT the reference to speaking in tongues, but placing a curse word in God's mouth. Representing God in such a profane way was much more worthy of address than the defense of the "scriptural experience" of talking in tongues.

Aside from that - at least - no one is going to try and murder the cartoonist like the Muslim world would be threatening to do.

I wonder if the Muslims see how we are handling this by words and not violence?

[MissBrattified]

The sandwich method would have been nice.

[A_PoMo]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

The sandwich method would have been nice.

As taught in Carnegie's book?


Most of you don't know me personally so you cannot truly appreciate the delicious irony of me advocating restraint in response to liberal attacks. Like Ben Franklin and Abe Lincoln, in my youth (40 is young right?) I was expert at the vitriolic come back. I can speak from personal experience, it does not work. It only serves to widen the gap between me and unbelievers and that's not what Christ wants us to do.

Something that has helped me is to remember that when I respond to offensive smears like this cartoon I need to keep in mind that a real person, most likely and unbeliever, is going to read what I write. I'm not writing to an impersonal institution, I am writing to people, and unbelievers at that! So I need to keep my emotions in check (very tough for a Pentecostal to do most of the time) and attempt to communicate with respect, kindness, and reason. This approach is much better than a frontal assault which only serves to entrench their defenses. Consider too, if you're a believer working at wp and you read this letter and have to give it to your boss, an unbeliever. I wonder how embarrassed that believer would be and how it damage their witness in their work environment? I'm sure it'd alienate them even more. However, if a measured, kind, and reasonable response were to come through it would serve to advance the cause of Christ, rather than hurt it.

jmo.