Scenes from the German Lutheran Convention

Cafeteria is Closed ^ | June 10, 2007 | Gerald Augustinus

[NYer]

Literally "Evangelical church Day". The Lutherans have theirs as do the Catholics. Germany having been an ecclesial bother for quite a while, with the "we are church" segment among older people, the Lutherans nonetheless manage to outdumb them. Here photos from an "erotic service" in the "Carthusian church" (guessing it no longer belongs to Carthusians). People got to massage each other. One hopes Catholics will stick to the hand-holding. Admittedly, the man who unfortunately is archbishop of Los Angeles, might like this, he likes to have dancing and prancing going on around him after all.

After the dancer you see below floats down from the ceiling, accompanied by drums, jars of oil are distributed. People are supposed to anoint each other's wrists and foreheads and, while doing so, tell each other of God's love. Some people start to make out quite heavily, others giggle insecurely. At the end, the pastor invites people to walk out on bare feet as rose petals rain down. (this is how the official press release describes it)







A former Catholic priest (bad for him, good for the Church) and family therapist gave a talk denying the existence of the Devil, according to my partner website Kath.net. Denying his existence, he said that good and evil came from God, citing Matthew 5,45 (God letting the sun rise/rain fall on the just and the unjust). He said he imagined God appearing in the concentration camp Buchenwald, saying "I did this."

He also rejected the notion of a "clean conscience", calling it the "greatest enemy of love", because a person having one rejects others. A Lutheran pastor/talk show host also there claimed he wasn't responsible for his failings, since the church also taught that one isn't responsible for one's fortunes.

One more example - a discussion about sexuality, under the title "Can love be sin?" (title based on a Marlene Dietrich song). The official Lutheran press release states: "Between outdated moralistic concepts and too much liberty, Christians have to find a new approach towards sexuality." One theologian from the well-known University of Paderborn said "All forms of sexuality are God's creations, as long as they are voluntary". Important was to create together and freely. He earned applause. Another, evangelical (in the American sense) speaker got some applause but was also booed and whistled at. He said he was outraged by his son's textbook which, in sex ed, showed a man and a woman next to man/man and woman/woman.

Later on, it was discussed whether loveless sex was sin. The theologian from Paderborn said "not according to my concept of sin", since responsibility was possible in that context, too. The evangelical professor didn't think so. A sex therapist then said "In light of reality, one cannot expect that sex will be tied to love", therefore it was important to teach young people responsibility.

Teenagers were asked, too. A 15 year old girl said "Why is this supposed to be sin? You're born with it (sexuality) and prohibitions don't accomplish anything". Her 15 year old friend agreed: "The Bible says after all: Go and multiply."

[Dr. Thorne]

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! - 2 Timothy 3:1-5

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

Wow....These are Lutherans? Yikes...I thought they were one of the more common sense sects.

[NYer]

A former Catholic priest (bad for him, good for the Church) and family therapist gave a talk denying the existence of the Devil ..

Hell is populated with those who deny its existence.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

I see London, I see France...

[wagglebee]

In light of the fact that there are those who claim to be Catholic who act just as bizarre and sinful, I will refrain from expressing my disgust.

[trimom]

God appearing in the concentration camp Buchenwald, saying "I did this."

This chills me! This is calling good evil and evil good. God help us all.

[siunevada]

"In light of reality, one cannot expect that sex will be tied to love"

Let us settle for less. Amen.

[Nihil Obstat]

A 15 year old girl said "Why is this supposed to be sin? You're born with it (sexuality) and prohibitions don't accomplish anything". Her 15 year old friend agreed: "The Bible says after all: Go and multiply."

$20 says they are both on birth control

[dighton]

“Mr. Sonnenschein, don’t you perhaps think that when everybody’s so, you know, ahead of everything and knowing it all and everything, that it’s a bit up to you to be jolly crusty and jolly full of hell-fire and sin and damnation and jolly hard on everybody, instead of, you know ...”

— Kingsley Amis, The Green Man.

[MarkBsnr]

Wheee!!!!

What fun. What’s next? The animal-lovers? How many different ways can one find to go to hell in a handbasket?

Athough if that dancer was going to act the exhibitionist, she oughta have lost the grannie panties. : )

[Greg F]

What happens to people who are honestly taking their first steps seeking God that walk into Churches like this? The young girls being taught that it is “ok” to sin, in a church, frightened me . . .

Mark 9:42 “What if someone leads one of these little ones who believe in me to sin? If he does, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.”

[siunevada]

I love the pensive gazes on the people in the pews.

This is Serious and Important Art.

Otherwise, it would be incredibly stupid.

[Greg F]

having a form of godliness but denying its power

This part of the verse in Timothy has always intrigued me. It makes the "lovers of pleasure" more likely to fool those who aren't careful, and more likely to appear spiritual and attractive.

[MarkBsnr]

Kinda reminds me of my kids watching television. One must take cloths and wipe up the drool or else they’ll just float away.

[trisham]

These are Lutherans? Yikes...I thought they were one of the more common sense sects.

*************

I confess to being more than a little surprised as well.

[DesScorp]

My wife attended a Lutheran church for awhile...that ended after a few months. The last straw, so to speak, was the probably-lesbian pastor they brought in.

[Pinkbell]

"'All forms of sexuality are God's creations, as long as they are voluntary'".

So man/man, woman/woman, incest, group sex, polygamy, beastiality, and sex with consenting teens are all created by God, huh? I think this church needs to read the Bible.

[MarkBsnr]

After the dancer you see below floats down from the ceiling, accompanied by drums, jars of oil are distributed.

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Is this what goes on in the San Francisco bathhouses?