One thing about the Christofascists is that they can dish out the hate and venom, but they go berserk when people stand up to them. I previously mentioned how a peaceful protest is planned for Sunday May 27th against Rev. Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church (pictured below) who said in a sermon that gays should be put behind electrified fences and allowed to die off. Apparently the good Christofascists sought to have the county leadership block the protest - no doubt claiming it amounted to the "persecution of Christians." But faced with the American Civil Liberties Union stepping in to help the protest organizers, the county has backed down and will allow the protest to go forward. Surprisingly, even the viciously anti-gay Baptist State Convention of North Carolina is disclaiming Worley's comments. Here are highlights from the Kansas City Star:
Catawba County, N.C., officials have backed down after initially denying a request from marchers who want to use county facilities this weekend to stage a protest against a preacher's anti-gay sermon.
Organizers of the protest had originally predicted several hundred marchers would show up Sunday outside the Providence Baptist Church in Maiden to protest against the Rev. Charles Worley, who said in a sermon that gays should be put behind electrified fences.
But national attention, including coverage on Anderson Cooper's CNN show, swelled estimates to between 1,500 and 2,000. Because of safety concerns, organizers decided to move the protest, and asked that it be held on the grounds of the Catawba County Justice Center in Newton, about 12 miles away.
In originally denying the request, the county had cited county codes governing public use of grounds. Provisions include completing an application 14 days prior to the date of the proposed use, a requirement that a group making the request must have been in existence at least one year and proof of insurance.
Protesters wanted the requirements waived, saying they're not an organized group - just concerned citizens coming together for a cause. They'd asked for help from the American Civil Liberties Union.
On Thursday night, the county posted a statement on its website, saying officials had received an application earlier that day for public use of the lawn of the Justice Center for Sunday's protest. "This application raised questions regarding the constitutionality of the existing regulation, specifically the 14-day requirement for applications to be received in the County Manager's Office," the statement said. Officials said they consulted with constitutional law experts after receiving the application and then chose to grant permission for the assembly "in the interest of demonstrating appropriate respect for the ideals embedded in the Constitution."
The planned protest is in response to a Mother's Day sermon by Worley, who called for gays and lesbians to be placed in a type of concentration camp. A video of the sermon hit the Internet, stirring a whirlwind social media controversy. Worley, 71, suggested building a large fence, 100 or 150 miles long, so lesbians would be put in one area "and the queers and the homosexuals in another and have that fence electrified so they can't get out."
Worley's comments have been rejected by some Christians. On Thursday, Melissa Lilley, communications director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, noted that neither Worley nor his congregation is affiliated with the convention, which is comprised of Southern Baptist churches. Providence Road is an independent Baptist church.
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