FBI Questions Pastor

[apothanein kerdos]

I once called the FBI because I saw someone say they were planning to kill the president on a message board. Within 2 hours they called me back but I was at work...they sh owed up to my place of work to question me.

They take all threats seriously...if someone said, "This pastor is making threats" they HAVE to follow up on it.

[irishcowboy]

Yoh Friends  --

This has got to be worth a look.

FBI questions Pastor: Mount Vernon Preacher Shocked By Agents Queries

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2005/0...6f189690240.txt

MOUNT VERNON - As the senior pastor at Southwest Christian Church in Mount Vernon, Randy Steele thought he had encountered nearly every circumstance a minister could face.

The Rev. Steele recently found out he was totally wrong in that assumption, however.

The 32-year-old pastor, who has been a minister for 13 years, received what he called the "shock of his life" last November and is still incredulous about the chain of events that took place.

On Nov. 23 - the day before Thanksgiving - he received a phone call from an agent with the FBI who requested to speak with him in person. After the phone call Steele said he assumed that a member of his congregation might be in trouble.

"I was wondering if maybe somebody in my church might have done something, but still I couldn't fathom what they wanted to talk to me about," Steele said

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

GOOD FOR HIM

if he gets arrested for speaking the truth, then i hope he saves me a seat next to him, or at least get the next cell reserved for me.

mike

[IslandRose]

My concern isn't so much for the FBI questioning the pastor as it is that someone is reporting a pastor for the sermon he preached.

I have heard stories in recent days of people going to churches specifically to find fault with what is being preached. Reporting certain sermons as "hate speech." Reminds me of when we are in Cuba and told to watch what we say in church, because Castro has agents who attend church to be sure they are not putting down his government.

(IR needs to use spell check more often... )

Edited February 10, 2005 by IslandRose

[Ovedya]

My concern isn't so much for the FBI questioning the pastor as it is that someone is reporting a pastor for the sermon he preached. 

I have heard stories in recent days of people going to churches specifically to find fault with what is being preached.  Reporting certain sermons as "hate speech."  Reminds me of when we are in Cuba and told to watch what we say in church, because Castro has agents who attend church to be sure they are not puttting down his givernment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I completely agree, IR. There are certain organizations out there - Planned Parenthood and gay rights activists - that are sitting the pews of local churches and recording the sermons, and taking notes. These are the real culprits, and these are the ones that, in my opinion, need to be preached directly to, and then kindly escorted out on their ears.

[keslc]

My concern isn't so much for the FBI questioning the pastor as it is that someone is reporting a pastor for the sermon he preached. 

I have heard stories in recent days of people going to churches specifically to find fault with what is being preached.  Reporting certain sermons as "hate speech."  Reminds me of when we are in Cuba and told to watch what we say in church, because Castro has agents who attend church to be sure they are not puttting down his givernment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thinking the same thing. Well, not the part about Castro, because I didn't know that, but the rest of it, I was thinking as well.

[pretzelperson]

I one had a call by the FBI. Special agent so and so. It was pretty awsome. One of my good fiends was interviewing with the FBI to be an agent. He used me as a reference. It was pretty cool. My friend was subsequently accepted into the FBI as an agent. He fits the stereo type to a "T". He let me see his metal badge and his ID card. It was really impressive. The entire process took him about 12 months from application to acceptance. He went through many hurdles: physical training, medical records back to when he was a child, lie detector test, psychological testing and many character references. 12 weeks of training at Quantico. When I was interviewed about him the interview lasted about 20-30 minutes. Questionls like "does he have close relationships with individuals outside the US" and "does he have any hobbies or behaviors that seem unusual". FBI agents are individuals of high character. They are highly educated, intelligent and well trained.

He has some pretty interesting stories.

[serotta]

Ovedya

I think it curious that the FBI would

[Guest charlie]

This type of thing could have a "chilling effect" on freedom of speech especially when it is intertwined with the freedom of religion.

What if those FBI agents had taken a "disliking" to this minister?....dangerous times we live in, not all that danger is coming from "foreign enemies".

[serotta]

The way people think really amazes me. The same people that will jump all over the present administration because they knew something like 9/11 could happen and did not prevent it, are the same people that will take this account and say things like the FBI over-reacted, or "what if" the FBI to death. The FBI was notified that there was a possible threat, such as a bombing of an abortion clinic, and they followed up on it. THAT'S THE END OF THIS STORY! What on earth do you think should have happened?

Again the root problem here is that someone's values were so warped that they mistook the truth that the pastor spoke as a threat to national security. That's the only thing sad about this story, no matter how some may want to spin it.

[serotta]

The way people think really amazes me. The same people that will jump all over the present administration because they knew something like 9/11 could happen and did not prevent it, are the same people that will take this account and say things like the FBI over-reacted, or "what if" the FBI to death. The FBI was notified that there was a possible threat, such as a bombing of an abortion clinic, and they followed up on it. THAT'S THE END OF THIS STORY! What on earth do you think should have happened?

Again the root problem here is that someone's values were so warped that they mistook the truth that the pastor spoke as a threat to national security. That's the only thing sad about this story, no matter how some may want to spin it.