BG45 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 [quote] [url="http://abcnews.go.com/US/church-stages-fake-kidnapping-youth-group-students/story?id=16012844#.T3RaYNXQuVr"]By COLLEEN CURRY[/url] [url="http://abcnews.go.com/US/church-stages-fake-kidnapping-youth-group-students/story?id=16012844#.T3RaYNXQuVr"]March 27, 2012[/url] [url="http://abcnews.go.com/US/church-stages-fake-kidnapping-youth-group-students/story?id=16012844#.T3RaYNXQuVr"]A church pastor in Pennsylvania could face felony charges for staging a fake kidnapping of youth group students in order to teach them about religious persecution.[/url] Teenagers at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Middletown, Pa., were surprised when they attended a youth group meeting at the church on March 21 and were ambushed by what seemed to be real kidnappers. Adults, including an off-duty cop, brandished weapons and put bags over the heads of the children, ages 13 through 18, and forced them into a church van. The group was driven to the home of an assistant pastor, who was presented before the group with a seemingly bloodied and bruised face, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. One of the adults used a real AK-47, though the gun was unloaded, Chardo said. The church leaders who organized the fake hostage situation later told law enforcement that the event was meant to be a lesson to the children on how Christians are persecuted in places around the world, but the "educational" event may actually constitute a crime, Chardo said. "We are conducting an investigation. False imprisonment of a child is a felony offense, and carries up to 10 years in prison," Chardo said. "We are still in the investigative phase, trying to find out what happened." Chardo said law enforcement officers are interviewing many of the children and adults involved in the event. One 14-year-old church member who was terrified by the kidnapping told [url="http://www.abc27.com/video?clipId=6871564&topVideoCatNo=193231&autoStart=true"]ABC affiliate WHTM [/url]that she was outraged the leaders did not warn the children or stop the exercise once they saw how upset everyone was. "They said, 'Just do what we say and you won't be hurt,'" she told WHTM. "I thought, 'Why not tell us that it was a joke?'" The girl and her parents have filed a complaint against the church, citing both physical and emotional harm, according to WHTM. The pastor, John Lanza, told the news station that the teens were not let in on the truth "to secure the shock value of it and to make it much more real because those who are threatened don't have a warning. It was a youth event to illustrate what others have encountered on a regular basis." Lanza and the church did not immediately return calls for comment. [/quote] You know, back when I was a Baptist, they did something similar at my old church. And by similar I mean "pull the church van up alongside walking youth group members to be creepy and ask if they want 'kidnapped' to a pizza party" and by "pizza party" I mean "pizza party". Good pizza too. I'm pretty disgusted at the actions of this church, though not entirely surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 This church and pastor is messed up. They should be charged with felonies. I can't believe this is for real. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 well... someone's going to be taught a lesson, one way or another... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) But guys! They were trying to be razzle dazzle and hip! Idiots. I know how we can teach the youth leaders about religious persecution. Send them to Egypt. I swear I hate this thing where fundies want to be persecuted. No one wants to be persecuted. I mean, sure, there will be Copts who will say they are proud their son/daughter/mother/father died a martyr, but inside, you know they're saying, "man, screw this." Edited March 29, 2012 by Selah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulBride Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I cannot believe this actually happened! Where was their common sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 There was something kinda similar at a non-denom group at college. At one meeting, they suddenly had people storm in to break up the meeting and such. Here was more, but I don't remember all of it. I tend to get irritated with emotional stunts like that. Yes, we should be aware of persecution and pray for those who are truly persecuted. You needn't stage omething like this to get the point across. How about reading about modern martyrs? Or making a point to pray? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 just think if a catholic parish did this....... wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 They are lucky that one of the teens didn't have a weapon and actually fight back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 Glad to see I'm not overreacting in my disdain in my lack of sleep...I agree heads should roll. For instance, let's put aside the 14 year old... "Adults, including an off-duty cop, brandished weapons and put bags over the heads of the children, ages 13 through 18" If even one person was 18, that's an entirely different set of charges not related to the slew that could be brought against them for what they were doing to the minors if one wanted to prosecute a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 [quote] including an off-duty cop, [/quote] He'll be lucky to keep his job at this point. "hello, yes, this is internal affairs. We need to talk to you..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Intimidating children aside, while they were trying to show the kids what religious persecution was really like, it still was nothing compared to what people in other countries actually go through. Overall, a fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 [quote name='Lisa' timestamp='1333034647' post='2410114'] Intimidating children aside, while they were trying to show the kids what religious persecution was really like, it still was nothing compared to what people in other countries actually go through. Overall, a fail. [/quote] And I would guess not too many kids will be going back to that youth group...so, even more fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 [img]https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/522953_10150651309981225_106036541224_9643420_55326187_n.jpg[/img] fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 A fine failboat that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 that actually happened the other day not far from where I live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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