Saturday, February 16, 2008

California Pastor’s ‘Death Prayer’ Campaign

Vjack at Atheist Revolution has written a post bringing attention to this latest news story about controversial Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake urging his followers to pray for the deaths of staff members at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This isn’t the first time this radical Christian has been calling on his “heavenly hit man” (as Americans United executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn put it).

Last August, Americans United filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service about Drake’s use of church letterhead and a church-based radio program to endorse presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Federal tax law forbids tax-exempt groups from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.

In a Feb. 5 letter, the IRS notified Drake that his First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park is being investigated.

In response, Drake issued a Feb. 14 e-mail appeal to followers to engage in “imprecatory prayers” (curses) against Americans United and three of its staff members.

In agreement with Barry Lynn, “There is more than a whiff of the Taliban in this action”

9 comments:

vjack said...

Thanks for the links. This is one disturbing story, and I hope word of it reaches more Southern Baptists. Assuming that this sort of thing is not an accurate reflection of their beliefs, they need to denounce this cretin lest they are associated with him.

Stardust said...

Hi vjack, when I read this over at your blog I knew it was something that had to be spread around and brought to everyone's attention. This shows just how dangerous some religious thinking is. It doesn't take much (a voice in one's head) to take these "prayers" one step further.

tina FCD said...

I posted this story also...Weird!

Tommykey said...

This story has been around for a while. I posted about it last August. I remember calling for any religious people who read my blog to pray to god to cause my flights to Chicago and back to crash and kill me.

Stardust said...

As vjack pointed out this story had been in the news back in August, but the story has recently resurfaced with a renewed prayer campaign for the demise of the AUSCS staff.

"Controversial Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake has again urged his followers to pray for the deaths of staff members at Americans United for Separation of Church and State."

It didn't work the first time, so try and try again? Wiley Drake is crazy. What if he hears a voice from on high telling him to take care of the matter himself?

Anonymous said...

Amazing that they call themselves "christians" and yet pray for the death of people they don't agree with! It will be a "blessed" day when atheists and agnostics become the majority on this fucked-up planet.

Stardust said...

greg, too bad that most likely won't happen till after our lifetime...but it will happen. Christianity is just another passing mythology in history.

Stardust said...

and I wish I could be here to say "I told you so!"

DoctorE said...

Religion is the nemisis of humanity & knowledge