Pastor gets a ticket for shooting a bow in church?

[WyoHunter]

What happened to a good old fashion sermon?

[Texastrophy]

I applaud the guy that stood up and warned the pastor that it was not safe. Too bad the pastor didn't have enough humility to heed his warning.

[TobyR.]

I have been asked and did shoot my bow in 2 different sermons...... totally safe and memorable. I don't know if Conroe has a "no missile indoors law" but I will certainly check it out before I do it again.

Sound to me like the dude with the "objection" had an axe to grind with the preacher..... I'm sure there is more to the story than the one side printed by our ever so un-biased media

[TobyR.]

.....So I guess we won't be having any indoor tournaments in Sheboygan Falls .... nor even an indoor range...... since firing your missiles would be illegal in that town........ I call it a crock!

[SOLID EAGLE]

Not many people can shoot a missle like you can TR!

[Tmag]

I'm guessing Sheboygan Falls isn't a redneck town! We've had baseballs, basketballs, footballs, golf clubs, guns, frisbees, and fishing poles in our service, I don't reacll a bow as of yet.

[Russ]

The restraining order is rediculous!!! Real church like. The pastor in my opinion should have granted the mans' wishes if that man was uncomfortable with the situation! He could have easily said that if any one was uncomfortable with the situation that he would not proceed. Sounds like the lady was concerned a well for peoples' safety. It's not like they didn't know where he was going with his sermon after such outburst.

[flufster]

saw similar deal at a "wild game supper" at a church in eastland last year.....didnt think much about it other than how bad it would mess up his message if he blew the shot...lol....was a cool deal and i didnt feel in danger at all...wasnt any yahoo jumping up in th back either yelling out any protests

[DavisHollow]

Well - which is it? If you have never heard anyone interupt the preacher in 47 years of going to church, how can you possibly say "that's actually not unusual for people who have a history of disrupting religious services" ??? How do you know what is "usual" or "unusual" if you have never heard anyone do it???

You have to be careful about reading into things. The gentleman they threw out may just be someone with a brain who actually uses it while others just follow what is being told to them. Ain't nothing wrong with that in my book. Or... he may have been a troublemaker. Who knows? Unless I was there and knew what was going on, I wouldn't pass judgement.

All the best,
Glenn

Argh, everyone wants to argue. I have never been in a service where that happened. That doesn't mean I don't know about trouble-makers at my church or others where people have a history of disrupting the service and diluting beliefs to the point that the church has to make a decision. I can elaborate but you miss my point.

Having a brain? There are 300-400 people in my service, it's not a roundtable discussion, it's a sermon. Uni-directional communication. A "message", not a "discussion". You don't like it, leave with your mouth shut or speak to the pastor after the service. You don't have the right to abscond the service because you think your brain is bigger than the polite person sitting next to you. That's rude. You want to speak, get your own church or stand on the street corner downtown. Being a malcontent is not evidence of higher intellect.

My point was fairly clear and specific, there's more to the story that we don't know that is relevant to taking sides. We think the way we do about this story based mostly on the way the story was written and how we read the story. I think both parties are stubborn, hard headed, and self-centered.

You're welcome in my church, especially if you have a Texas Bowhunter sticker on your truck.

[cajuntec]

Argh, everyone wants to argue. No, not argue. I was simply asking.I have never been in a service where that happened. That doesn't mean I don't know about trouble-makers at my church or others where people have a history of disrupting the service and diluting beliefs to the point that the church has to make a decision. I can elaborate but you miss my point. No, I understand your point, and I'm sorry if you took my question that way. Of course, you are right (And that isn't said sarcasticly - I do see your point here) As far as "diluting beliefs" - that's another discussion all together.

Having a brain? There are 300-400 people in my service, it's not a roundtable discussion, it's a sermon. Once again, you are correct, and I apologize for my original reply (again - I'm being serious here, not being sarcastic). However, the main reason that I no longer go to church any longer is because of this reason - It's a sermon. I've heard the sermon so much, I can recite it from memory. It leaves absolutely no room for independant thinking. Once I got bored with listening and not getting anything else out of it, I left. Uni-directional communication. No such thing as "uni-directional communication". That is a misnomer. "Communication" is between two or more parties. Otherwise, it's just a speech. A "message", not a "discussion". Once again - you are right. Sorry. You don't like it, leave with your mouth shut or speak to the pastor after the service. Yep, that's pretty much the attitude I got from parishoners when I had questions during a bible study. My point was that we blindly follow. Most of the people in my Catholic Church would recite prayers along with everyone else - using a monotone voice. Stop one of them and ask them what the prayer MEANS to them, and the vast majority wouldn't have a clue. They just learn the prayer and recite it. I was looking for meaning. I WANT to learn. I WANT to understand. I was told that I would have to just "Trust" and go with "blind faith". That wasn't what I was hoping for. Searching for spiritual meaning seemed to be offensive to my fellow parishoners. You don't have the right to abscond the service because you think your brain is bigger than the polite person sitting next to you. That's rude. Absolutely correct. If you took what I said as meaning that, I ask that you please reconsider what I wrote, as that is not what I had in mind. However, if you see something that you deem dangerous, wouldn't it be prudent to point it out before someone got hurt? If we don't agree on that point, then I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend. But I'm not going to budge on that position. If I were that guy, I probably would have done the same thing. If that makes me a "troublemaker", then I guess I'm a troublemaker. But my concience will be clear when someone gets an arrow through the head, because I did my part in trying to stop it from happening. You want to speak, get your own church or stand on the street corner downtown. I've actually considered this several times. And no, I'm not joking either. I wish I could gather people together in a building and have a round table discussion. No name for my religion, other than "We believe in God". Period. No seperation of beliefs. Just tolorance of all who come to discuss the Lord. But I know in my heart that it will never happen. The arguements would occur 5 minutes after the first discussion started. "I believe in blah, blah, blah". "Oh yeah? Well you are going to burn in hell because I believe in blah, blah, blah...." and so on and so forth. It saddens me that we have such seperation of all these people that believe in the same God, but cordon themselves off in a certain group because of minor differences. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been told that I was going to "burn in hell if I didn't (insert item)", and these people didn't even know who I am. They didn't even hear my beliefs, as I had not spoke a word, but they had already passed judgement on me. Being a malcontent is not evidence of higher intellect. I agree. That is not what I meant. I have no illusions of having a higher intellect. At all.

My point was fairly clear and specific Unfortunately, I missed that "clear" meaning. Sorry., there's more to the story that we don't know that is relevant to taking sides. Right. I agree. But why do we have to "take sides" at all?We think the way we do about this story based mostly on the way the story was written and how we read the story. I think both parties are stubborn, hard headed, and self-centered. Agreed. 100%.

You're welcome in my church, especially if you have a Texas Bowhunter sticker on your truck. I greatly appreciate the welcome. However, I have decided a long time ago to follow the Lord in my own meaningful way. I haven't (unfortunately) got anything out of church for several years, and I've tried many. I'd love to find one that I feel welcome in, but the message always seems the same. I get bored, and it doesn't have meaning to me anymore. I believe in God, and I thank him for the blessings that he has bestowed upon my family and I, but I feel "lost" quite often... and simply "going to church" has not provided the guidance I seek.

I am very sorry if I have offended you in any way, as that is not my intent. I am hoping that we may better understand each other, and I sincerely hope that my reply to your second post is better understood.

All the best,
Glenn

[txdukklr]

if it were my church i'd pay that citation for my pastor

[Legdog]

Apparently some bad judgment at play here from both sides (hence the train wreck).

Most of us prefer bows over guns as a weapon of choice. Can you imagine if the pastor pulled out a glock?

Of course, none of us reading along would have a problem with a bow demonstration to "target" a point, but for people who are not accustomed to guns, bows and weapons in general, it was bad form. Pastor should have thought this one through a little better.

What a mess.

[SPUD]

Must be gettin bad when you have to use "props" to make the word of God more interesting.

What happened to a good old fashion sermon?

As a Christian, I have listened to people talk about the "wow" factor at Church. I used to work with a guy when I commented on having a motor-x jumper on their stage for a "demonstration." His comment was "why shouldn't I be entertained? Church is boring!"

I actually understand what samsdad is implying here (first time for everything). Thank God the Almighty I go to a church that believes in preaching the Word of Salvation and His Mercy as our "wow" factor. Too many churches are getting wrapped up with having 2, 3 and even 4 different types of services to "accommodate" what people would like to see, when they should be concerned with the the teachings coming from the Bible.

People want to be entertained

[DavisHollow]

cajuntec, I think we're pretty much on the same page. I just get frustrated in my ability to communicate some times (most of the time on message boards). I understand what you're saying, you make good points unfortunately, wish I had answers for you -- if I did I would be a preacher.

[RiverRat1]

I can see how it could be done totally safe. Not hard to do. I have always gone to small Churches with 100-130 members. Yes they can get crowded but the only real risk would have been the organ LOL or the piano if the pastor was left handed.

But I agree we only have the "story" that everyone should know is written to get attention. I've seen reporters write stories, they rarely show on TV or write in the paper just what happened. A lot of things are screwed up in this mess. I do not judge anyone. It was fun to read and sad to see that I can not shoot a missle indoors LOL