Christofascist Lunacy Watch

They're crawling out of the woodwork, folks:

Baptists:

Nine members of a local church had their membership revoked and 40 others left in protest after tension over political views recently came to a head, church members say.

Some members of East Waynesville Baptist Church voted the nine members out at a recent scheduled deacon meeting, which turned into an impromptu business meeting, according to congregants.

Chan Chandler, pastor of East Waynesville, had been exhorting his congregation since October to support his political views or leave the church, said Selma Morris, a 30-year member of the church.

“He preached a sermon on abortion and homosexuality, then said if anyone there was planning on voting for John Kerry, they should leave,” she said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard something like that. Ministers are supposed to bring people in.”

Repeated phone calls to Chandler today have gone unanswered and he was not available at the church or his home to comment on the allegations.

It's not clear whether the church's tax-exempt status could be jeopardized if the claims about Chandler are true.

The Internal Revenue Service exempts certain organizations from taxation, including those organized and operated for religious purposes, provided that they do not engage in certain activities, including involvement in "any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

The "child molestation is OK as long as we're the ones doing it" Church:

An employee of the Diocese of Palm Beach said Thursday that Palm Beach County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Alvarez, a Catholic, should be denied communion for allowing a 13-year-old foster child to have an abortion.

Don Kazimir, who works for the diocese's Respect Life Office, which opposes abortion and the death penalty, called Alvarez's office Wednesday to ask which church the judge attends. Kazimir said he wanted to speak with Alvarez's priest, who he said might have a problem with a Catholic judge agreeing to an abortion.

Alvarez was angry about the call. It is wrong, he said, for the church to try to intimidate a judge into putting his faith above the law.

"This isn't a religious state yet," he said.

Kazimir was disappointed by Alvarez's decision in the case of L.G., the 13-year-old who became pregnant after running away while under state care. Although officials from the Florida Department of Children and Families objected to an abortion, Alvarez ruled this week that the girl had a right to choose.

L.G. subsequently ended her pregnancy.

The original message relayed to Alvarez by his assistant said Kazimir was investigating the issue for the diocese. But Kazimir said Thursday he was speaking only for himself and did not talk to supervisors before calling the judge.

Bishop Gerald Barbarito said Thursday night he did not know about the phone call but would look into what happened. The bishop has never said he would deny communion to anyone, diocese spokesman Jim Brosemer said.

Alvarez said he thought Kazimir's call set a dangerous precedent. He said it was unfair for any judge who takes an oath to uphold the laws of a state or the country to feel pressured to follow the doctrine of his church, synagogue or mosque.

What's interesting about all this is that for now, the various Christofascist sects are joined in their battle against a common enemy: the rest of us. So for now, the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" rule applies. So what happens when they actually get the theocracy they want? Whose brand of Christianity will be the national religion?