Sunday, December 30, 2007

Priests Scuffle, Throw Brooms, Stones Inside Bethlehem Church

It's just like I said, put a bunch of Christians together of different denominations and watch them fight with each other. Our Christians here in the USA may not get into many physical scuffles, however they get into many verbal wars as we are seeing in this current political campaign for "Pastor in Chief." Catholics against Protestants, Protestants against Catholics. Evangelical fundamentlists against moderate Christians of all sects. Evangelicals against Mormons. Mormons trying to explain their magic underwear beliefs. It's insane!

Here is the story from Yahoo News:


BETHLEHEM, West Bank —

Robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones inside the Church of the Nativity on Thursday as long-standing rivalries erupted in violence during holiday cleaning.

The basilica, built over the grotto in Bethlehem where Christians believe Jesus was born, is administered jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic authorities. Any perceived encroachment on one group's turf can set off vicious feuds.

On Thursday, dozens of priests and cleaners came to the fortress-like church to scrub and sweep the floors, walls and rafters ahead of the Armenian and Orthodox Christmas, celebrated in the first week of January. Thousands of tourists visited the church this week for Christmas celebrations.

But the cleanup turned ugly after some of the Orthodox faithful stepped inside the Armenian church's section, touching off a scuffle between about 50 Greek Orthodox and 30 Armenians.

Palestinian police, armed with batons and shields, quickly formed a human cordon to separate the two sides so the cleaning could continue, then ordered an Associated Press photographer out of the church.

Four people, some with blood running from their faces, were slightly wounded.

VIDEO

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pathetic.
I mean, really .. they are pathetic.

Supposedly they are worshipping the same friggin Gawd thing, and they still can't get along.

Tommykey said...

I wish I was there to egg them on!

:-)

Anonymous said...

lol tommy!