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Pastor Points AR-15-Style Rifle at Congregation While Preaching About ‘Spiritual Violence Toward Unbelief’

Michie

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During his Sept. 28 sermon titled “Clearing the Room,” Dauphin County Pastor Philip Thornton wore an unloaded AR-15-style rifle and occasionally pointed it at congregants. “You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith,” he preached. “You have to learn to isolate the voice of unbelief and deal with it.”

After some people raised concerns about the prop, Legacy Faith Church in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, said it was grateful for the attention. “We pray many more [people] will watch the message in its entirety and contextually learn how to defeat unbelief in their life,” the church said.

Dauphin County Pastor Assures Worshipers Rifle Isn’t Loaded

As seen on video posted to YouTube, Pastor Philip Thornton wore the rifle around his neck from the beginning of the Sept. 28 service. “This is for an illustration a little bit later, but I figured I [would] go ahead and get your nerves out,” he told worshipers. “It is not loaded. There’s nothing in it. Praise the Lord. So you understand, it’s an empty clip and it’s been cleared. So fear not, everybody.”

Continued below.
 
  • Wow
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Tuur

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During his Sept. 28 sermon titled “Clearing the Room,” Dauphin County Pastor Philip Thornton wore an unloaded AR-15-style rifle and occasionally pointed it at congregants. “You have to overwhelm your enemy with a violent action of faith,” he preached. “You have to learn to isolate the voice of unbelief and deal with it.”

After some people raised concerns about the prop, Legacy Faith Church in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, said it was grateful for the attention. “We pray many more [people] will watch the message in its entirety and contextually learn how to defeat unbelief in their life,” the church said.

Dauphin County Pastor Assures Worshipers Rifle Isn’t Loaded

As seen on video posted to YouTube, Pastor Philip Thornton wore the rifle around his neck from the beginning of the Sept. 28 service. “This is for an illustration a little bit later, but I figured I [would] go ahead and get your nerves out,” he told worshipers. “It is not loaded. There’s nothing in it. Praise the Lord. So you understand, it’s an empty clip and it’s been cleared. So fear not, everybody.”

Continued below.
It is several magnitudes of stupid to wave a muzzle around pointed at people. I know of fatal accidental discharge where they firearm was thought to be unloaded. One was the cliche shot-while-cleaning-a -firearm. Another was someone showing a firearm to a friend. I know of a Department of Natural Resources officer who opened the cylinder of his revolver, thought all the cartridges had dropped out, only to find, to his horror, that a cartridge was still in the cylinder. He passed that along as a word of warning. I don't care if you've made sure the magazine is empty / dropped and the chamber is empty: You don't point the muzzle at anyone.

Yet I've been in a store that sold rifles and shotguns, and seen a customer hold the weapon on the level, with the clerk saying nary a word. That's just not done.

Demonstration or not, there is no justification in a minister or anyone else in pointing a muzzle at someone "to make a point." Too many people have been killed by an "unloaded" firearm.
 
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seeking.IAM

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That would happen once and I would be looking for a new church -- if, that is, I had ever chosen to go there in the first place which seems particularly unlikely.
 
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