Cornwall ON – Life isn’t fair. Not sure why anyone expects it to be?? For Jeanne Assam though fairness has reached a new level of low.
Jeanne Assam was a volunteer security guard forthe New Life Church in Colorado when a nut bar named Matthew Murray went on a shooting rampage. Out gunned she stood her ground and wounded Murray who decided to end his own life rather than be captured in December of 2007.
She was fetted and honored for her act of bravery, but according to media reports was told by the Church after coming out and deciding to live her life openly that she was not welcome; a charge denied by the church.
It’s not a fair world, but more honesty in it never hurts. The world needs more people who will stand up for others and be honest with those around them.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_J16qZtpDo
Sometimes though, there’s a price to pay. Jeanne Assam has paid that price. You can post your comments below.
(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of the Cornwall Free News, their staff, or sponsors.)
Thanks for posting this Jamie. Too often issues of discrimination and homophobia are overlooked in our society.
Thank you too William. That’s part of what we stand for here at the CFN. Everyone in the community deserves a voice and a place to share their views.
“after coming out” – All that she did was to declare that she was a sinner! The Lord Jesus Christ receiveth sinners. But once they receive Him as Lord and Saviour, they, as Jeanne is called to do, are to break away from one’s sins and chosen sinful life, and follow the Lord Jesus in sexual purity. The Messiah came to save people from their sins, not in their sins. Remember the Lord Jesus forgave the women taken in adultery in John 8, but after that He said – “go and sin do more”! The women that had five husbands – at different times, left her sinful life style behind to follow the Lord Jesus – see John 4.
The sinners only hope -“You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals (sodomites), thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1Co 6:9 – 11).
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I don’t know, Jamie. Being kicked out of a cult, for any reason, has to be a positive thing. My family was pretty much shunned by the members of our church (Presbyterian) after my father committed suicide. After a few months of being angry, I became thankful that we were shut out. Cults, be they main-stream or obscure, are always good to be away from.
tnpreacher555 ,
methinks thou doth protest too much ….
The preachers post(s) prove my point.
Wow. That’s classic “Indoctrinator Tom.” People don’t choose to be gay, Tom. Stop deceiving yourself. I try not to stoop to your level of circular logic (and I use the term logic lightly in your case), but if people don’t choose to be gay, then that must mean God made them gay, which means homosexuality is ok.
I have a question for you: What would you do if your child was homosexual? Something tells me that if someone you loved was LGBTQ, you would think much differently. Please take this question seriously and answer it with sincerity. Don’t bother giving me Bible quotes. They don’t have an indoctrinating effect on me.
William: Your opinion, my opinion is worth ZERO if it doesn’t line up with the Inspired Word of God. So whatever I have to write is going to be based upon a literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of the preserved Word of God, and that all according to the the accepted doctrines and teachings of the Protestant church through out history. Which church has always believed in Sola Scripture. So I won’t waste your time any longer for this particular post. As to your question, I can’t and won’t answer that without a Scriptural bases, so sorry.
William and Furtz:
You are both guilty of “Biblephobia”. You both need to enroll in Bible sensitivity classes right away. It is your only hope! Your eternal soul depends on it. I will get you started, free of charge.
Assignment #1 – open your Bibles to the Gospel of John (you do own a Bible, right? – I can’t lend you mine.), chapter 1, and begin reading in verse 1, “John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” . A chapter a day is a good start. Remember you must read it out loud, for all to hear. You do want to share your blessing with everyone else, don’t you?
Make sure you pray first, in order for God to open your blinded, deceived eyes. Remember no Hail Mary’s, and no reciting of the Lord’s prayer. Have fun, and may the Good Lord bless! Here is a link to get you all in the mood: http://www.squidoo.com/sunday-school-songs#module13304391
your loving Pastor for the day
I damn near just lost my breakfast.
Dear Loving Pastor for the day……..you are TOO MUCH!!!
It’s reasonable to assume that if a gay/lesbian person saved a life somewhere, I don’t think God would have any problem with that. Nor would the person saved.
The preacher and his pervert god have to have people to throw onto their eternal barbecue. That’s what sustains them.
The problem with religions, is that they each claim to be the one and only correct one. The bible, the koran, the Gita, and all of the other books of the ‘inspired word of God’ are reflections of mankind’s desire to have the answers. Believers in one book will say that the others are wrong. Would a Creator put us here, and then allow humans to create a book with all the answers? If this were true, then why are there so many conflicting ‘words of God’?
Religion in general has been historically used to control the masses, to blind them to their own sense of divinity, and make them followers.
Because homosexuality is not something people choose, but something people discover they ARE, how can anyone condemn it? It is as bad as being prejudiced over color or race. Sexual orientation is a part of being human, as is the sex drive. Calling it sinful and displeasing is to deny our human-ness.
I don’t wonder why most of the traditional churches are emptying out, with most people finding a deeper sense of spirituality through non-traditional means. I might add that these are generally also non-judgemental methods of spirituality, unlike the dogma force-fed to us by the traditionalists.
I watched a television program on Islam awhile ago, and found that it supported such concepts as tolerance, kindness, generosity, love, etc. etc. Most religions feel that these are important virtues, but then they add their own sets of rules. You may be the most loving, giving, kind soul on earth, but you are not giving 10 percent of your money to the church, or you are gay, or you are this or that, so you will burn in hell forever. This is very destructive. The weaker among us will continue to submit and fall under the covering of the church who has frightened them into doing it’s will, but most will shun this as manipulation in the name of religion.
I believe in God as a higher power who loves each of us, and not as someone who is demanding that we obey a set of rules in order to escape eternal fiery torture. I also believe that a part of this divine nature lives within each of us, regardless of race, sexual preference or level of ‘sin’. Because we each have this divinity within, I have a problem when humans tell other humans what God wants for them.
@Furtz…just have to say…God is not a pervert.
@tnpreacher…we are all perfectly imperfect…we are all sinners.
Stan: Your reasoning is un-Biblical. Meaning God doesn’t think that way. Consider what God says in this inspired Word (revealed Truth) – Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.
You see Stan, God did not die for the good people. We would think He would. So we think if we save someone, that such an act is commendable to God. But God looks at the heart – the whys of motive& intent. He looks at the very source of the act. What He sees there doesn’t please Him at all since we are all sinners fallen in Adam. Did this gay/lesbian/sodomite person saved this person because he or she loved God? Did he or she do it in order to glorify God? Finally did this person do such an act from a renewed nature of grace operating in the heart? If all three of the above motives are not there, then God rejects such an act and considers it as sin! If this gay/lesbian/sodomite person really knew God and had the love of God acting in their hearts, the first thing that would happen is that this one would repent of their sodomy. You can’t say you love your fellow man, and live in open violation of God’s love.
1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing”. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”.
Plus this saving of this person is,in fact, what was our duty to do, out of love to God and man. Such works do not, can not earn God’s favor, nor His heaven. What God thinks about you and I:
Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one”.
So the result is Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”.
Ask yourself Stan these two questions: #1 – How good must my good works be to earn Heaven? #2 – How many good works must I do to earn Heaven? Mark 10:17-27 has the answer.
Jacqueline, The god that exists in the preachers twisted little mind is indeed perverted. As for the “we are all sinners” BS goes, speak for yourself.
Right On John! Way to go.
John writes: “I believe in God as a higher power who loves each of us, and not as someone who is demanding that we obey a set of rules in order to escape eternal fiery torture. I also believe that a part of this divine nature lives within each of us, regardless of race, sexual preference or level of ‘sin’. Because we each have this divinity within, I have a problem when humans tell other humans what God wants for them”.
I believe, I believe, we are all gods… By what authority do you base your beliefs on – thus sayeth John! Lame, double lame!
Furtz writes: “Verily verily I say unto the preacher, ‘Seek ye psychiatric treatment, lest ye spend the remainder of your life as a pain in the ass.’ “
The WORD according to Paul. “People who claim to believe in god do not really do so. They just wish to believe in god. They somehow feel that their lives are meaningless without god, so they choose to close their eyes to evidence against the existence of god. People decide what to believe and then try to convince yourself and others that it is true. “
Paul: There is a problem with your thinking Paul, you left out the Bible. You see Paul, you can spout off what you want, but you can’t deny, or ignore the inspired Record. Believing that there is not a god is easy, discrediting and elimination “thus saith the Lord” millions have tried through out the ages, and you know what – the Bible is still here. And where are those millions that opposed the Written word? Dead right! In hell right! Can’t you do a better job Paul of getting rid of the eternal Word of God – Psa 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven”.
1Pe 1:23 -25 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you”.
“Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us”. (Zec 1:4-6).
“There is a problem with your thinking Paul” ……Priceless!
At least I think, which is more than the pastor does.
tnpreacher555 writes: I believe, I believe, we are all gods… By what authority do you base your beliefs on – thus sayeth John! Lame, double lame!
I did not say we are all gods. I said that a part of the divine nature lives within each of us. You remember, ‘made in His image’?
John: you are confusing God’s image in us as His creatures, and what is called pantheism! From your former comments on this page you are promoting New age thought, rather than New Testament Christianity. There is a world of difference.
In the fall of man, man lost most of that image, and the ability to think, and live like God – in holiness of thought, word and deed. In the salvation accomplished by God’s Son, the image of God is restored – we become “partakes of the divine nature”. That doesn’t mean that we are God, or that each one has as a little spark of divinity dwelling in side them. Such restoration is only experienced as on repents and trust the Lord Jesus for the saving of their soul – forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. The image restored in Christians is to enable them to be like the Lord Jesus Christ in thought, word and deed via the indwelling Holy Spirit. Thus Christians are restored to a new and living relationship with the God of Heaven and Earth – the God Abraham, Issac and Jacob – Israel.
The Gospel according to The Flying Spaghetti Monster says that The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the ONLY true god, and he’s a hell of a lot more fun than the preachers god.
Here’s the thing…. God sees all sin the same. Once we accept him we are to allow him to remove that sin , that hurts us , and others . If we murder shall we go on murdering , if we lie do we go on lieing, if we steal do we go on stealing ,? Sin is sin to God as well as sexual immorality is sin – do we go on sinning? He wants to heal our pain , our reasons for sin. That emptiness we try to fill ? Let Him fill it. He loves us more than anyone could ever love us.
No Lynn. It’s YOUR thing, not THE thing, and it sure as hell isn’t MY thing.
I really am disgusted at the state of many of the so called Christian churches. I think that Jesus would also be disgusted at them. They act like modern day pharasees and I have no use for such disfigured hearts that have no business running churches.