http://thewellingtonnews.co.uk/content/volunteers-join-street-pastors%E2%80%99-scheme

>To be a Street Pastor you need to be over 18 (no upper age limit), a church member...

WHY? Why must you be a church member?

I know the local Christian Council (that's a group of all local Christian churches, not a local authority council) is organising it, but members of other faiths and of no faith are barred from the scheme and that doesn't seem right to me.

PS It also discriminates against non-Christians and agnostics, too.

there'd be rioting in the streets

Scooter Wrote:
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> there'd be rioting in the streets

Too bloody true, mate!

Scooter Wrote:
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> n/t

Will do!

We have her on a new diet. Less store bought seed formula and much more fresh fruit a veg. Grapes, carrots, sprouts, fruit smoothies, yoghurt for her calcium, more cheese, etc.

Yet more special privilege for christers.

Where is all the outrage from the gay satanists ?

A Christian group is organizing it; what's wrong with them requiring participants to be Christians (or at least church members), exactly? If you had an exmo organization getting together to do something, wouldn't you feel within your rights to exclude TBMs, especially if you felt their vision didn't line up with your mission?

This group is not the government. And yes, the government's working *with* them, but only tangentially, and it would be crazy not to. There's nothing to say that atheists, other non-Christians, or other groups can't form their own "street pastor" initiative (presumably calling it something else). Sorry. I just don't see anything wrong with this.

It appears that the government will arrest non-christians for being "street pastors".

The government is directly involved contrary to your pipe dream !

Out of curosity what are the laws in the UK regarding Government and church working together?

luckychucky Wrote:
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> Out of curosity what are the laws in the UK
> regarding Government and church working together?

The head of the government is also the head of the church. So the separation between state and church does not exist in the UK.

If it is a "community safety" shouldn't ALL the community be invited to be involved in the safety of the "community"? I mean, seriously, if the real goal is "community safety" then they should welcome any broad based support from the COMMUNITY. It seems to me that they have some agenda other than "community safety".

MJ Wrote:
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> If it is a "community safety" shouldn't ALL the
> community be invited to be involved in the safety
> of the "community"? I mean, seriously, if the real
> goal is "community safety" then they should
> welcome any broad based support from the
> COMMUNITY. It seems to me that they have some
> agenda other than "community safety".

That's a good point, MJ. But seeing that this is Britain, they probably failed to realise they were marginalising people of other (or no) faith group. Not malicious, just daft.

http://www.thewellingtonnews.co.uk/content/brewdog-marks-sainsbury%E2%80%99s-launch-punk-ipa-cans-%E2%80%98crap-beer-amnesty%E2%80%99

Brew Dog Brewery will exchange a can of branded cheap beer for a can of their beer! This kind of community action I can go for! ;o))

but they are not doing Christian work per se....they are just like a community watch group that helps people out when they are reveling...at least that what i read..... so the question is.... why cant the helpers be of any religious persuasion? or none? they just want to help fer Christs sake!! :)

Sure, the article does not say outright that they are doing any Christian work per se, but the Street Pastors have to undergo 12 weeks of training. Since the "street pastors" have to belong to a church, I wonder if the 12 weeks includes how to do missionary work, preach, hand out bibles, etc.

Skunk Puppet Wrote:
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> Sure, the article does not say outright that they
> are doing any Christian work per se, but the
> Street Pastors have to undergo 12 weeks of
> training. Since the "street pastors" have to
> belong to a church, I wonder if the 12 weeks
> includes how to do missionary work, preach, hand
> out bibles, etc.

It would probably be diversity training, respect for other people's views, basic first aid (recovery position, etc) how to recognise potentially dangerous situations and how to defuse them.

Even though it is a churches run scheme and does, in my opinion, discriminate against people of other faiths or of no faith in recruitment terms, there would almost certainly be no preaching. (Hell, this IS Britian we are talking about! ;o)) )

He's the English equivalent of Fred Phelps.

Skunk Puppet Wrote:
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> He's the English equivalent of Fred Phelps.
Oh, yes. You mean Stephen Green, the wife and child beating psycho.

Actually, has anyone heard of Fred Phelps beating his wife and children?

This yet again...

Christians dont have the right to say they have the only organisation that helps people like they tend to beleve because they see christ as the only person that was ever good. They are just yet another relegion and quite frankly if they want to step on others toes they shoudnt have leagal backing they should just have the right to have thair toes stepped on back like everyone else.

blindmag Wrote:
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> This yet again...
>
> Christians dont have the right to say they have
> the only organisation that helps people like they
> tend to beleve because they see christ as the only
> person that was ever good. They are just yet
> another relegion and quite frankly if they want to
> step on others toes they shoudnt have leagal
> backing they should just have the right to have
> thair toes stepped on back like everyone else.

Unless it just happened to be someone on a churches joint council thought of the idea, yet failed to realise it should be inclusive, not exclusive?

Brits are stupid but not that stupid maybe someone should point it out to them.

blindmag Wrote:
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> Brits are stupid but not that stupid maybe someone
> should point it out to them.

Thanks for your opinion. NOT!

They exclude atheists, then bitch that atheists are not helping.