(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . MAGA-pastor whines about accessible parking at church - says the wheelchair-bound should just walk [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-17 Many American atheists are ex-Christians. They moved on from belief and religion because they found no evidence for God’s existence — and being told to have faith without proof was unsatisfactory. In some cases, the embrace of reason resulted from the sadism of the pastor. They found it hard to square Jesus’ fundamental message of compassion for all, with the flint-hearted dismissal of LGBTQ, foreigners, other religions, women with careers, and Democrats. MAGA Pastor Greg Locke exemplifies the Jesus-trashing Christianity practiced in many conservative fundamentalist churches. This past Sunday, he lectured an appreciative congregation in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, about the lack of faith that condemns disabled parishioners to their wheelchairs. Locke also seemed peeved that he had to pay for providing accessible parking and ramps to accommodate them. His exact words were: "Churches in the American culture — you know one of the largest expenses we have in buildings? The amount of handicap parking and handicap accessibility that we have in our churches. Now I'm gonna make you mad for a minute and I don't really care. Why is it you pull up to a church that says they operate in faith, and you have fifty handicapped parking spots?" Is he a pastor or a cost accountant? And what is his beef with the disabled? Jesus ministered to the sick. Greg seems to wish they would bugger off. He goes on: “Anybody lay hands on them handicapped folks yet? I don't care what Twitter says. You can get mad all you want to. Fold your arms. Stick your lips out. Poot [sic] your mouth. I don't care. I’m so unafraid of what anybody in this tent thinks about me, right now in my life, I could care less.* It is less than 30 seconds into his harangue, and he has already said he does not care four times. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say, “I don't care” even once in his three-year ministry. Locke then gets to the meat of the matter. “We just expect that people are going to leave church the same way they came to church. We ought to have some signs out there, that don't have like handicap accessibility … people in a wheelchair. We want to have signs of a wheelchair laying down and someone just walking up.” [The audience cheers]. [Locke then pretends to be a heckler] “Well pastor, you are just being insensitive.” [Locke then replies to the imaginary heckler] “I think you just don't have any faith is what I think!" Damn. Who knew that changing parking signs was the way to cure paralysis? I bet all those poor students who spent years and gold to become doctors are kicking themselves. But it does raise the question: If changing signs works, why hasn’t Locke put some up? The reality is that faith does not cure. Do not get me wrong. If a sick or disabled person’s beliefs comfort and alleviate their symptoms, I am glad for them. There is nothing wrong with positive thinking — although that does not need God. But spouting bullshit — and giving false hope to the despairing — is gratuitous cruelty. And telling the disabled that, if only they tried harder, they could walk, is rubbing salt in the wound. Bless his heart, Locke realized he stepped in it. However, instead of pursuing the path of grace, he doubled down in a rant on Facebook. "It’s an unbelievable shame and disgrace the things that have been said to me and about me today simply because I said yesterday that people with handicapped conditions can be healed and the Church in America should believe for and expect miracles. WOW!! The evil comments and messages from people steaming mad that I have Biblical faith is utterly ridiculous. #WheresMyChair" Jesus went willingly to the cross. Locke breaks down because some people said some things. Why are conservatives so thin-skinned? Locke is on the MAGA evangelicals’ A-team. He established his cred by scoring a lifetime ban from Twitter for his enthusiastic COVID-19 denial (NB Twitter’s new management has restored his right to promote potentially fatal propaganda). He banned masks in his church and demanded the flock (pastor comes from the Latin for shepherd — who are the sheep?) shun the vaccine. He has also Promoted a Halloween “mass deliverance service” for kids where he would burn household items “related to witchcraft and the occult." Lost his homophobic mind in partnership with his wife Tai: “Spirit of molestation, spirit of abuse, get out right now! Every spirit of homosexuality, lesbianism, come out, come out. Transgenderism, gender dysphoria, come out.” Organized a “witchcraft” book burning of the Harry Potter and Twilight series Promoted and attended the Jan 6 insurrection Said Democrats cannot be Christians , "If you vote Democrat, I don't even want you around this church. You can get out. You can get out you demon. You can get out you baby butchering election thief. You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation." Claimed OCD and autism "could be" demonic possession : "Are you telling me my kid's possessed? No . I'm telling you your kid could be demonized and attacked, but your doctor calls it autism." Left his mentally ill first wife in a shelter “because of the comfort.” There is more. But it is hard to contemplate how someone could be so nasty. So I am going to stop. *I do not care how Locke says it — the correct way is “I couldn’t care less.” This formulation defines an ultimate position. Locke’s version “I could care less” means he is at some undetermined point on the care scale, leaving him room to care less — the opposite of what he is trying to say. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/17/2200004/-MAGA-pastor-whines-about-accessible-parking-at-church-says-the-wheelchair-bound-should-just-walk?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/