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Subscribe to RSSMississippi congregations rally together in a town where a black couple were told they couldn't marry in a "white" church. WLBT's Roslyn Anderson reports.
Hundreds of people turned out in Crystal Springs, Miss., to support an African-American couple who says a predominantly white Baptist church where they planned to wed turned them away because of race.
The city of Crystal Springs organized the rally to send a message of unity, NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson, Miss., reported. People held hands in prayer while First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs pastor Rev. Stan Weatherford and New Zion United Methodist Church pastor Rev. Fitzgerald Lovett embraced.
"I pray that God will take a very difficult situation and that he will turn it into good and that we will move beyond tolerating each other," Weatherford told WLBT.
Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson told WLBT last week they got the news from Weatherford the day before their long-planned nuptials.
A black couple in Mississippi say they were forbidden to wed at the predominantly white church they attend. WLBT's David Kenney reports.
"The church congregation had decided no black could be married at that church, and that if he went on to marry her, then they would vote him out the church," said Charles Wilson.
Couple say Mississippi church blocked wedding because they are black
The Wilsons regularly attend First Baptist but are not members there.
Weatherford performed the wedding at a nearby church.
Weatherford said he was taken by surprise by what he called a small minority against the black marriage at the church.
"This had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that," Weatherford said.
"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church, and I didn't want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te' Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," he said.
The leader and first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that the church's decision not to marry a black couple "is unfortunate" and "an isolated incident from which pastors can learn."
"What we can learn from it is that we need to talk to our membership about issues," Luter said in an interview for the Baptist Press. "I think if the pastor would have talked to more members about this … when this situation occurred … it probably would not have happened the way it happened."
The Wilsons are apprehensive despite the show of support at the rally.
When First Baptist Church member Greg Duke approached Charles Wilson with an invitation to Sunday School "to get to know the people, not just the ones that created some problems," Wilson revealed his misgivings.
"When you say come to the church, are the same people that put us out of the church still there? How have they changed? Do we know them when we see them, because remember, when I was there last time I was told, 'Welcome,'" Wilson said according to WLBT, as he stood beside his wife.
Baptist leader: Decision not to wed black couple must be a learning experience
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Wow, I guess nothing from the haters yet....
Nah - they're out there banning blondes from marrying, and people with brown eyes marrying people with blue eyes, Asians, left-handed people (because they're from Satan, ya know) and anyone who's ever sang a show-tune while naked.
How much do you want to bet that the majority of this wonderful congregation are republican?
AHEM aren't we talking about Mississippi ?????????????????????
Nothing new to see here people, move along !
It's amazing that the people of the church wouldn't come on camera and defend their actions. And it's amazing that the pastor, a man of God called to lead, did not take this opportunity to do so. Can you image if Jesus was told that if he kept doing what he was doing that he would get nailed to a cross and he said, oh well, I'll stop. This story would have ended so much better if the pastor had stood up to the church.
How can a "small minority" vote him out?
"The worst racists are never the "in your face" ones; they are the "closet" racists, the ones that look through the blinds at you as you pass by, kinda like that next door neighbor of yours whose dog always seems to be barking at you and nobody else...and even if a cat pass by, the dog still look at your ass....damn"
That's what my buddy down the street cracked me up with...lol
Exactly, that is just not acceptable. He is just as complicit in the racism as the 'minority'
Funny thing is, they just might live long enough to know what its like to be white AND a minority. The demographics don't lie. Whites will be a minority and it scares these racist southern pigs to death.
If these congregation members who werent the 'minority' don't leave the church, they are turning a blind eye to the racism .
Time to tax churches and have the ability to sue them for violation of civil rights.
Southern racist, teabagging pigs and their fictitious skygod. Carnival Barkers and cheats
How can a "small minority" have so much power over the church and its pastor? What happened to Christian principles? The pastor is the leader of a congregation and a teacher to his flock, not a yes-man or butt kisser.
He says it was a small minority, but maybe it wasn't.
And they tell people don't play the race card .... really!!!!!
Of course they won't come forward to defend their actions and their attitudes. Racists always hide behind something, and their sheets were at the laundry.
@2-lane Gypsy.....EXACTLY !!!!
2lane, how is your hatred any different than theirs? It is just as real, just aimed at a different group. My how we like to call names and criticize others. You are just as much a "pig" as they are.
And if we apply that concept to the entire nation? "If these citizens who weren't racist don't leave the country, they are turning a blind eye to the racism?" Yah, sounds just as silly.
Jesus taught us to not repay evil with evil. Let us just hope that these lost souls find the light of God. Hate only breeds more hate. Love changes the world. Jesus would sit down with these lost souls and try and bring them back to the light of God. Let's follow his lead.
Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do.
To the pastor, please remember you're a representative of God and not the people who line your coffers. All it takes for evil to succeed is for a good man to do nothing. Lead your flock into the light don't let your flock lead you over the cliff. Be a good shepard for God.
2-Lane, as much as I vehemently disagree with the actions of this church, our Constitution protects churches and their beliefs. Let's imagine the outcome of your scenario: no church can have ideals that differ from the federal government. Do we really want that? I, for one, do not. It is my hope that ALL churches can learn to be loving to ALL people and do so on their own volition, not because the federal government requires correct behavior.
Hey!! I wonder if those dudes in that church will vote the re-elect President Obama?
I've traveled the world, I know what I'm talking about, and every time I hear from a white person "there's no racism in America," I respect them less!!! It's absolutely amazing the lies these people live. Now, I have a white friend or two whom I believe are NOT racists, just as I believe the vast majority of whites ARE racist. These friends have taken me to all white, red-neck bars, and after a few minutes we decided to leave for "their" safety, they seemed to hate the white guys that brought me more than they hated me, go figure that @!$%#, but, on the other hand, I brought three white guys to a majority black bar, in the ghetto, one guy was a lil apprehensive at first, but I told him, ain't @!$%# gonna happen while I'm there, brothers and sisters were all around these white guys, I was ready to leave after about 3 hours, but no, they were having a good time, they weren't ready to go.
Go figure that @!$%#.
First, it was not the "congregation" it was some in the congregation....second pastors are threatened with firing all the time, by those who seem to feel their opinion should be the only one that counts in the Church, and those with money.....When pastoring a small Church in Georgia, I made the "mistake" (according to some) of inviting a black family to Church which was acceptable, but then I actually invited them to set down in front. That evening when I came back to the Church the board notified me that I was terminated and was not welcome in their church....so on way back to my house I met one of the Deacons from the all Black church a little ways away who was without a pastor and he invited me to come speak at their church the next Sunday....wound up pastoring that church for several years.
Whenever you hear one of the bigots say "if gay marriage is legalized, the government will FORCE churches to marry gays," remember this. Loving v Virginia required all governments to issue mixed-race marriage licenses, nothing more. It will be the same with gay marriage once it's legalized federally.
While I admire the gesture, it's too bad that the Weatherford couldn't stand up and expose those inbred bigots that infect his congregation. If they are truly in the minority, they should be asked to leave.
And, contrary to anything that falls from their slack jaws, they are not Christians. They are bigots and haters hiding behind a perverted religious facade.
They are the American Christian Taliban.
i'm guessing the few who said no to the marriage were the biggest $$$ contributors to that church, and that's why the pastor gave in
Time to Tax Churches and the right to Sue them over Civil Rights violations.
The worst of all was the coward pastor who did not take a position. Loser!!!!!!!!!
Racists hate persons of different color, 2-Lane hates persons of different religion. Hate is hate, bigotry is bigotry. You are the same thing you seem to abhor. Hypocrite.
I live in MS. The pastor of the church I attend said it best: the federal government, military and schools desegregated long before the church ever did. At least from what has been reported, it was a small minority, not the vast majority of the members that protested the wedding. Unfortunately, that small minority screamed loud enough to get what they wanted.
I wish the Wilson's the best.
It was NOT the minority that caused this - it was the MAJORITY THAT STOOD BY AND LET THEM.
It's what Christians have done since before the story of Christ was made up, written down as fiction and then that FACT forgotten.
They lie - they hate - they lie some more and then they smile as they put the knife in your back, while twisting, and tsk-tsk at you because you're not thanking them profusely enough for harming you.
Point? If the wonderful loving "majority" are still attending they are part of the problem. Take your sad excuses and defense of the indefensible somewhere else.
How can a small minority vote him out?
simple: money; they most likely threatened to stop donating to the church; they are the money bags (therefore the blow-hards) in the town
Its a shame that after all of these years, some still haven't moved forward....
Yes, let's all join a church where we can praise the lord then place judgments against his creations! Got to love religion! Bill Maher is so right on!
Step One- Remove the church's tax exempt status
Step Two- Call Jessie and Al and have them react to an actual case of racial discrimination.
Step Three- Remind Mississippi that it's 2012, not 1861
Um Todd, You do realize that your "Step Two" is not very cool. Al and Jessie investigate racism all over the place. They are a voice to those that get stepped on and forgotten about. The fact that you deem the issue in this article as being racist doesn't make it so. It is on its on merit, a racist issue. The fact that you believe that only instances in which you deem racist, are the only true racial issues, is on the border line of being racist yourself. If you truly feel that it's not 1861, then listen to what the community has to say and don't try to dictate to the community what its actions should be.
fisslemisslefoshizzle, I see 2, count 'em, 2 up arrows for you. Go ahead and take that to heart that you aren't making sense.
blueinnm
SO in your universe then, Civil Rights violations are OK if the local community accepts it? . You may just be as racist as these church drones are. That church sounds like just the place for you.
fisslemissle: I think you're missing the point. To most of us "majorities" even those of us who consider ourselves well advanced of racial differences and liberal (like me) we see Jessie and Al as two folks who take advantage of situations to scream racism and never come back to say "I messed up and called you racist, i'm sorry". Take the Duke incident for a great example of this....I believe racism exists a lot in America including in the north but AS and JJ cause more hate than they ever prevent. They are racist themselves.
Same nonsense. Blacks trying to force themselves on people that don't want a thing to do with them. White Supremacy at it's finest. Well, white folks, you taught these fools that you were god. Now, this is what you get.
A church that would love Romney.
As Reverend Jeremiah Wright's church loves Obama?
Rev. Wright is a patriot who VOLUNTARILY joined the Marines after hearing President Kennedy challenged Americans to "ask what you can do for your country." He then transferred to the Navy, where he became a cardiopulmonary technician, and was on the medical team that treated President Johnson after heart surgery.
Rev. Wright built a church of 87 to 8,000 members. His "chicken coming home to roost" and "God damn America" sermons - the ONLY sermons that the Rethugs could criticize out of approximately 3,000 sermons he has given - is spoken to indict our country for the evils in which it too often engages. This is what God calls on pastors to do - speak uncomfortable truths.
Rev. Wright was criticized because he spoke the truth. The Wall St. barons, with their silly-minded no money having white conservative so-called Christian lackeys (such as some of those in the story above) shut him down.
Ralph Ellison,
Well said. Kudos.
Churches have always been a hotbed of bigotry and exclusion. They preach one thing but practice something else. If you are different they will use their bibles as justification for excluding those that are different which goes against EVERYTHING Jesus preached.
If Jesus were to walk in there in the flesh as he appeared two thousand years ago, they would throw him out and call him ugly names as well. Talk about crucifying him afresh!!
You two don't know the first thing about everyday Christian churches. You sit back in your ignorant unholy bias and wait for stories like this to condemn all churches and justify your lack of faith in anything except yourself. Your bigotry is pathetic.
Your incessant and obstreperous railing against any criticism of hypocritical Christian behavior only serves to example. that hypocrisy.
While I whole heartedly think that what the church did with not marrying them was wrong wrong wrong. Anybody else see a bit of an age gap between the bride and groom, looks to be quite a difference.
And?
You mean like Larry King and his wife? And Kelsea Grammer and his wife? And so-and-so and his wife??
Great. Now we'll just substitute agism for racial prejudice. Good thinking, Dustin.
okay dustin, and wtf is your point?
Weatherford is a coward. Shame on him. Shame
Yep, "isolated incident" and a "learning experience" indeed! Why didn't they just say that they thought he was a "secret muslem" or requested his long-form birth certificate to prove they were not being overtly racist! So much for the "Peace and Love" in the Baptist Bible!
I'm most disappointed in Weatherford. A few in his congregation may look to him with respect, but I'm not sure I could look up at him again in front of the church and believe that he is nothing but a coward preaching to me.
In 2012 this should be a huge embarrassment to all the bigots in this "church". Shame on everyone of them.
Strip ALL churches of their tax exempt status. What's it gonna take for this to happen?
Whether it be race or sexual orientation; churches have no business dictating who marries who!
Shame on these bigots!
Obama/Biden 2012
Was the church a fundamental, independent, King Jame Bible only, Baptist church?
Its a racist church
If I were the minister I would ask for a transfer to another church. Evidently his sermons are not working at the church where he is now.
Weatherford is a spineless example of a man and a poor example to Christians!
You can't "transfer" from one congregation to another in most protestant churches. The congregation, or the leaders of the congregation, hire (and fire) pastors based on whatever rules their denomination has in place. This is true for Baptists, Presbyterians, UCC, Congregationalists, some Lutheran synods etc. Espiscopalians and Methodists (as well as Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches) "assign" and "transfer" pastors.
It is likely this is a very small church with a even smaller cadre of lay leaders who are old as dirt and have held power for years and years. They likely have the power to hire and fore the Pastor without the input of the rest of the congregation, that's how most of these small independent Baptist churches work. If he went against what this "minority" of people said he would likely been out of work and looking for a place to live as well, as housing for Pastors is often provided by the church.
All that being said, the Pastor in this case should have done what was right, not what would appease the bigoted minority. If a Pastor can't lead by example and be willing to suffer for following Christ's teachings, he doesn't deserve to be a Pastor.
"The leader and first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention said Mondaythat the church's decision not to marry a black couple "is unfortunate" and "an isolated incident from which pastors can learn.""
The SBC is full of bigots and haters of all stripes and colors. This is not an isolated incident. Most of these things get swept under the rug.
And you know this how? Do you have something to back up that statement or is it just an ignorant generalization by a bigot trying to justify his hatred?
Once you get beyond the local 100 member church they are a for profit company owned and operated by one person!!!!!!!
Yes the race thing... bla bla, bla.
What the hell is that old man doing getting married to girl that looks like a teenager.
Kyle Nelson - since when did it become something wrong for two consenting adults, no matter what they look like, to marry? It's their life. What the church did was flat wrong. And the minister is a total coward. I agree that church should be stripped of it's tax exempt status.
Remember - evil exists everywhere. All it takes is for good people to do nothing and it flourishs like flowers after a spring rain.
And, for the other commenters who think that's an old man, I've been totally white-headed since my late 20's. Does that make me look old? Or is it just genetics.
Oh well. Ignorance is as ignorance does.
You're absolutely right, Kyle. The old b******! What right does he have to marry someone younger? Maybe we should just euthanize everyone over thirty to protect the young.
Because he can, its not illegal...so that means that you are just replacing racism with ageism, freaking brilliant, Kyle. That church sounds like your kind of place
I couldn't help but lend some sarcastic levity to this ageism deal.
When my wife turned 50 I told her I was going to trade her in for two 25 year olds. Now, while this was crass and got me an elbow in the ribs, I don't think that two adults of differing age getting married is cause for the moral police alarms to go off.
Maybe you should look at the rich republican white guys with the super young wives...Newt, Donald Trump, etc. Are you outraged that Newt dumped his wife during cancer treatment for a young chicka..And of course Repubs aren't alone in this. John Edwards is another example.
If an older guy can get together and marry a younger woman...Good for him, as long as he isn't abandoning a wife his own age to make it happen.
I have to agree that Weatherford was weak. If it really was a minority making the complaints (and I doubt seriously it was) then he should have sent them packing. And then for the congregation to have the gall to invite them to come back to the church! Whoa!
Such loving Christians... Jesus would be so proud! Now go have a chicken sandwich!
Some thought the battle for civil rights was over. We had overcome. Think again. Racism is alive and well in
the old US of A. Then again look at it in world wide perspective and it is all to obvious this is a scourge of mankind that never ends. If not race, religion, political affiliation, class (money), you name it and we will find a bias to use against others. It is an unending circle of our existence. Each person must fight the battle over and over again in each and every different circumstance.
Sad.
mx2000
This is the South. It hasn't changed. The people who voted down the black marriage are the same who will start every other sentence with "I'm a Christian" and "It's the Christian thing to do" and "Christians are forgiving". They leave out the half of the sentence that says "only they're White.
Ok...would any one here care to take a guess at how may ALL black churches there are in the South that NO white person is welcome to attend? Thought not. We just don't talk about that right? There are allot! I am not saying either is right-what is, is. And BTW. Not just the South. I live in Kent, WA (one of the MOST liberal States in the Union). Three miles from my house is an ALL black baptist church and no one else is welcome-FACT! In my opinion it is not prejudice it is preference. But that is just me. Me, I believe very much in God, Jesus Christ, Mom, Apple Pie and I will NOT go to any church. They are all a bunch of lying hypocrites. No matter what race. Again, that is just me and then again, Jesus was not a Christian either.
I am sorry you tried to attend an all black church 3 miles from your house and they refused to let you in but I hardly see how that made it right for this church to not allow a black couple to get married in that church. Now personally I am more concerned with white christians just because I am a white christian and when they deficate in Jesus' mouth I kind of take that personally. I especially take offense to it if they, like you, no what they are doing is wrong and LIE about it just to encourage others to deficate on Jesus. Just my thought on it.
I love facts. SO I assume you tried to walk in to the church or talked to the pastor. WHat did they ACTUALLY say to you, did they look at you and say you aren't welcome?
Have you actually attempted to attend that church and been turned away?
I have attended many "All Black" churches and I am as lily white as they come. I was never met with anything but welcome, an offer of a place to sit, help with locating hymns and prayers in the handouts and usually an invitation to lunch afterwards.
The big reason there is such segregation in church attendance, with many blacks deciding consciously to attend "all black" churches, is that the style of worship and the traditions surrounding the way the service is done are quite different between "black" churches and other mixed congregations of the same denomination. Many blacks just prefer a different style worship than is offered in mixed or majority white churches. In my experience they do not, however, exclude ANYONE and are quite delighted whenever a visitor of any race / ethnicity comes to their service...Just as EVERY church should be.
Don't project your preconceived notions of discriminatory behaviors simply because many African Americans prefer to worship in a unique style that leads to congregations where African Americans are in a vast majority.
Nobody loves me; Everybody hates me; I gonna whine to the liberals because I'm a minority and what the majority wants doesn't matter because we no longer live in a democratic republic.
Cunical, my guess is nobody does love YOU - nor would they rally around you like they have this couple. Angry because people like black people more than they like a slack-jawed, semi-literate bigot such as yourself? You are angry and alone because you deserve to be. Go swallow some more come from the drug addict Rush Limbaugh, you pathetic tool.
Are you saying that the majority are racist bigots like you? Then you're wrong.
"...and what the majority wants doesn't matter because we no longer live in a democratic republic." So with that logic should you be able to vote to kill or eliminate the minority should that be done because it's a democracy and majority rules?
Scary times we live in, when the word democracy is bent to distortion and is made to represent the oppression of others.
Nothing really surprising or new to see here, the Baptist church in the south has a long history of racism. I will say they have made more of an effort to open up in the last decade but they haven't come nearly far enough.
The South and racism, blah, blah, blah. So I have heard all my long life. My little Georgia town school was integrated in the 60's without a single incident, while places like Boston and DC were having all-out race wars. Why don't you ignorant haters check the facts. Racism was not limited to the South, and it is not limited to a race or a religion. People hate simply because they can. Hating Baptists or Christians or Southerners is just a wrong as whites hating blacks or blacks hating whites. Another failing of man is that he always sees the fault in someone else but never the same fault in himself.
This has nothing to do with religion. As a child grows up being taught that mommy and daddy are never wrong they ultimately adopt the value system of their parents either through blind obedience, social pressure, loyalty to family or all three. Once in awhile some kids will break away and become outcasts for life. This is why you see quite a few states that are predominately red and blue states in politics and why you see so much racism in the South.
In time things can change but it takes a lot of effort and some times you will see a revival of the "old" values resurp its authorty before it completely dies out but die out it will and today in the political arena we see this happening more than ever. Just when it was unthinkable that government would be led by a pastor as president we are again seeing surge of life in the "old ways" before it finally dies out forever.
Christianity will do what all religions have done throughout time, it will adapt to the culture of its day. These are the growing pains of a new age we are seeing. An age where, in time, consideration will come before judgement. The days of living by the law are over and evil people can't handle it. They fear what it is coming because evil can't hide behind transparency. Evil can only hide behind layers of legalism that discards the truth for deformed representations of the facts which can later be used to promote propaganda.
In the future people will only have their heart to heart hide behind and no mercy for the guilt they feel if they crap on someone.
Really? Do you know why the SBC was founded?
It was founded to promote the cleansing of all black people from Christian churches to fulfill God's 11th commandment that all black men should die or serve whites.
What is your point?
My point is that those traditions live on in the SBC, even if they don't want to admit it.
skrekk racism is alive in the south whether they want to admit or not. The heart of Republican power is in the south and is controlled in the south. The Midwest may say otherwise but the back bone of Republican politics is in the south and they try as hard as they can to keep Obama's race as a major rallying point without appearing to be racist.
This is why Republicans keep hammering away about state rights and how evil big bad federal government is. They want the principles of the confederacy to dictate what the United States does. One day we will see the South rise again for another attempt to overthrow the government. I welcome this day that is just around the corner because we can finally destroy the southern ideas like we should have done 100 years ago.