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Bigot starts ground zero church: Where's the outrage?
By Justin Elliott
A bigoted pastor who has assailed gays and Muslims is launching the "9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero" a mere two blocks from the World Trade Center site this Sunday, but so far the project hasn't drawn a peep of protest from those who are outraged by the "ground zero mosque."
Pastor Bill Keller of Florida said today he will begin preaching Sunday at the Marriott at 85 West Street (see proximity to ground zero here). A weekly service is planned at the hotel until the $8 million 9/11 Christian Center finds a permanent space. (Fundraising is going well, Keller told Salon today.)
To get a sense of where Keller is coming from, consider his project's website, which calls Islam a religion of "hate and death" whose adherents will go to hell. It also says: "Islam is a wonderful religion... for PEDOPHILES!"
Keller is the same pastor who hosted a birther infomercial that encouraged viewers to send him and a partner donations to advance the birther cause. His Internet ministry explicitly calls President Obama the new Hitler. He calls homosexuality a perversion. And in 2008, he targeted presidential contender Mitt Romney for being Mormon with a campaign called "voting for Satan."
In short, if critics of the Park51 Islamic community center, which is explicitly welcoming of all faiths, truly believe that there is a "zone of solemnity" around ground zero (as Gov. Pat Quinn put it), they should be horrified at Keller's 9/11 Christian Center.
Ditto for those who believe that religious leaders should not build "deliberately provocative" projects around ground zero, as another mosque opponent put it.
(An enterprising reporter could no doubt find some Sept. 11 families who are offended by Keller's project, just as an enterprising reporter did in the beginning of the Park51 controversy.)
And if there was ever a case of insensitivity to Sept. 11 -- another frequent argument of the anti-mosque crowd -- consider the fact that Keller has a history of seeking to profit from his various projects (one, called Gold for Souls, involved telling people to simply mail him their gold and jewelry). The 9-11 Christian Center appears to be no different. The project's website features a prominent link telling viewers to "Earn $$$ - Click Here!" It goes to a letter from Keller offering people a 10 percent referral cut on donations from their friends to the 9/11 Christian Center.
To be perfectly clear, Keller should be permitted to build anything he wants as long as it's legal.
But the only logic by which Keller's project would not be horrifying to those who oppose Park51 is if they believe all Muslims, including the progressive Muslim Americans behind Park51, should be treated as suspicious or even in the same category as the Sept. 11 terrorists. If mosque opponents' concerns are truly about sensitivity to the neighborhood around ground zero -- and not about Muslims -- we'll hear them denounce Keller loudly in the coming days.
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If mosque opponents' concerns are truly about sensitivity to the neighborhood around ground zero -- and not about Muslims -- we'll hear them denounce Keller loudly in the coming days.
It is incredible the level at which the left is so out of touch with the language of this nation of people, it's issues and concerns, that it borders on parody.
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Except for one minor fact.....the left is the majority of this nations people.
It strikes me as odd that an apparent supporter of Glen Beck and Sarah Palin and the rest of the right wing extremists would have the balls to use the word 'parody' when talking about the majority of Americans.
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Isn't it a little odd that porn shops, peep shows, strip joints, and gambling establishments have drawn nary a peep from those who claim anything within that area is "sacred ground"?
Or that prayer by members of ANY religion is allowed right AT "Ground Zero", but not on the sacred ground of the old Burlington Coat Factory?
"It's a crazy world, but I live here..."
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As you wish.
My comment is even more appropriate repeated now.
Ironically, I do enjoy Glen Beck and Sarah Palin. If only for the fact that their mere existence causes the left, the so called intelligentsia, to expose its true core of vile, irrational and rabid hypocrisy to the people of America. Through that, America - even your "majority" - is understanding the left cares not who, how, or what they destroy in this country as long as what remains is controlled by them and their ideology of government.
Enjoy November 2.
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It isn't odd at all. Nor is it odd that prominent Democrats also want the mosque moved.
Already the developers of the Ground Zero mosque have an out.
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Actually, Bree, you're right.
Anyone with half a brain knows that there's really nothing "sacred" about a place with any of those establishments, or bars, or restaurants, or drugstores, or a Burlington Coat Factory.
In fact, we have laws (here in the south, at least, and I'm guessing in many other states as well) banning those kinds of establishments within so many feet of ANY church (or school, for that matter). Here they go even further - we still have "Blue Laws" to accommodate the Christian Sabbath, considered a "sacred day" by some.
And it's NOT really odd that there are people who use "sacred ground" as an excuse for objecting to a community center and place of worship rather than admitting they hate Muslims. It's also not odd that politicians would play to those in their base that they want to help them get re-elected - we see that every single election cycle, when they start talking about "taking back the country for God", constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage, etc etc.
It's also not odd that churches that preach hatred and intolerance will not receive criticism from those same people who are bitching about the Islamic community moving two blocks closer to where they, and others of different religions, already openly pray each day.
It's an election year - cooler heads have a harder time prevailing, and playing to ignorance and fear is much easier than dealing with people on a logical level.
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The developers of the mosque have a number of outs, welcomed ones or not.
$22,400 in taxes owed the State, including $19,895 from 2007.
$227,000 in real estate taxes owed the City for semi-annual bills January and July 2008.
ConEd lawyers looking into possible lease violations for the half of the building the developers do not own.
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Why should they take an "out", instead of practicing their right to assemble and worship in the same neighborhood and even farther away from "Ground Zero" than where other Christian and non-Christian congregations worship?
What about the church that is the actual topic of this thread - do you have any objections to THAT church, or to any of the other churches of different religions that are closer to "Ground Zero"?
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First of all, must like the mosque isn't a mosque, but rather an islamic center - the christian center, isn't a church, it's (much like the islamic center) an over sized community center. Secondly Keller, is an ex-con. If anyone in their right mind, thinks he's going to pull this off...well.....guess again. he's just looking for a way to make a quick buck. Keller is just looking for some pub....and thanks to articles like this - people are being turned on to his relgion/politics. Kudos to TVi and other left wingers for helping Keller spread his message.
Now ask yourself - how does El-Gamal go from being a waiter to a real estate moguel in what....two years? And if we're going on morality, then you should ask El-Gamal how it felt to have seven run-ins with the law, including a scrape for ...well....trying to get a hooker (funny how all the islamists wack jobs lust for hookers).
Speaking of tolerance, ..ummm can anyone tell me what happened to the Buddhas of Bamyan? Oh and continuing on that topic of tolerance, can anyone tell me what happened to the Christian symbols that once adorned the Haiga Sophia? they seem to be missing. Oh and what's under the Dome of the Rock?
Personally, I want to a pork BBQ place to go right next door to the mosque...but that's just me.
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