About Church security. I knew someone that did this in the 90s and never thought I would understand the need.
My father was a pastor and in 2013 he is having a meeting with someone we both know and he complains that this woman is disruptive in services. I overhear and suggest they ban her. He is like no we don't do that we just tell her to keep quiet and she repeats such behaviours every service she attends. I think ah what an environment for trolling but of course I couldn't do so because of the professional courtosies. I have to engage in a large amount of political correctness and attend regardless of what I believe or don't believe. I also have to attend a service or more every week or be thrown out.
Well some months later I get invited to attend a service but it isn't on the usual day but I'm like ok since some of my young friends are also going. Only it wasn't to where I expected but a different demonination. It is a VBS. I think ah perfect I'll meet some girls. Well I get asked if I can be in this group of older youths because their numbers are low. I agree because they weren't giving me a choice.
I see another there I know and we scheme up to disrupt this event by a planned arguement. I also gave some Hitler salutes when they were waving their arms but that did little more than get me invited to the Knights of the Klu Klux Klan by buisness card the next day. They were planning a fund raiser for some women's shelter, which I oppose on the grounds that it is a front for Feminism, so i talked people into bringing onlky one cent each(later this would be my downfall.)
I felt fairly safe in these actions because this denomination is independent. Sometime in the past when I was involved in some socialist projects with various denominations I tried to file some complaints about a different church with someone of that demonination over something like selling salvation and was told there is no oversight no one can do anything. So it seems they are totally on their own or so I think. Then there is little fear that my father will hear about this and even if it does I didn't expect much would be done about it. I could just say they are exaggeragting things and get out of trouble shortly later.
Next day I come armed with pennies and some printed out memes. I ruin the fundraiser and get kicked out like within the hour. I had to sit with my friend's grandma until my ride came hours later and was told don't come back.
My friend is all upset and confused that I was even let in to begin with. But we drink and I tell him how I was trolling them and he tells me his grandmother didn't appreciate it or his aunt and his friends just cant come there to cause problems.
Now fast forward a bit to 2014 and 2015. I talk the old youth group into coming back together. This was quite an accomplishment I must say. I say this because they are athiestic, antitheist, kaffirs of every type. But I make deals to attend pubs and maybe we drink expensive alcohol at church, and watch IS videos of christians being executed. It is really great deal and they are very much interested.
At some point this Dylan guy shoots up a church but why should I care? I didn't know they were black and I don't really care so much for christians usually. My friend read about it but I don't really care at all.
Then there was this video. I had seen these terroist execution videos before but didn't really care at first. Then they started being in English and better yet an American gets killed which is fun for everyone. But they start getting better. They make a film with an American in it and he takes part in the killing of chirstians. Like seriously it was the best thing I had ever watched. I tell my friends and they all agree to attend a service and we can watch it together.
Some old man gets up and says he is thankful the youth group is back together, not knowing why they are all there. We watch the video and one complains that this whole situation is wrong and unethical, etc, etc. The rest like the video though.
Sometime goes by and I have a falling out with my friend and some woman in the community calls me a t'rist on facebook. My coworkers tell me because I don't use it. I decide to go back to disrupting that service.
I pick a time when police shouldn't be around and wear a mask. I do so because I need to be able to deny it was me and still be a productive member of society the following day.
I enter in and get surrounded but they let me go. I leave on foot and they call the police in the following hours I without even trying manage to evade them twice. I didn't know they were after me until I read some reports months later.
I plan to do it all again the next week but someone from the US intel community infomrs me that DOJ is after me. I look up a list of agencies and none seemed good
I cancel my plans but it isn't enough. On the next monday some agents show up at my house. At first I think it is city police detectives but they flash credentials and it is the FBI. That was probably the scariest moment of my life. They didn't like a long list of activities they thought I was involved in. It is nearly a hate crime what I was doing and they were real interested in me not joining IS, not funding IS, and not supporting IS.
Local police was at the service outside with a gun with orders to shoot if I showed up. Because of that Dylan a*hole they thought I was an active shooter.
I get followed around for 60 days the police harass my mother my coworkers, and my neighbours. Once I calm down I step up my efforts at harassing the neighbourhood and some Karens.
Eventually I get arrested but a good lawyer is all it takes to be back out committing further crimes. I get banned from some churches one permenently.
Some things happen some crimes happen I go to prison. Some things mainly the COVID 19. American media being the worst we all thought it was like Marburg or Ebola and everyone was going to die. Americans being nothing but scum packed large groups of people together to make it spread easier. I was like the second to get sick with it. Only I worked through the flu on many occassions even walking 6.2 miles to work each way made me a bit more durable.
Well when these things happen people start caring about religion. I was the only one with a Bible and I guess they seen me doing the readings. I try explaining to this Hispanic gang that they should find another person because of somethings I did but they know from Pacer and it doesn't matter they need someone. So I lead the service in Eng and Esp. I read from the Holy Bible in English then they read from Santa Biblia. I say a prayer they say a prayer.
People get worse no one leaves a bed. I assume its over. I collect peoples details for their computer accounts and summon medical aid but they have no medicine. I write to peoples families. This is the end I think. A muslim needs water and I get it he tells me he used to be a christian too but they are too greedy so he converted. He just wanted to hear Psalms. I read him a verse every day. People get better life moves on.
Then I get moved to this place in oklahoma, well a different place there. They don't like t'rists at all there and they treat me bad from day one. But I got to meet some real ones at first a guy that joins IS but he doesn't seem so religious. Then someone I read about it the news one that had murdered a US soldier. He was being moved being the victim of a racially motivated attack. Well I tell one joke about Hasan being a real American hero and he snaps. I'm locked in a very small cell with him. I have nowhere to go and I can't really fight. I'm unarmed and helpless. I think its gotta be over at this point. He calms don't and tells me Hasan is such a terible person don't make jokes.
Later on under a door I talk to a man making prayer calls. He is IS. I talk about some videos, jihadi nasheeds, and other stuff and we hit it off. It was at this point I got designated as an international terrorist. He got sent elsewhere and tried to murder a federal employee and I went off to work unofficially in the religious programme policing common faire on the commissary and made a religious programme that was designed to prevent cheating. I was also in the Catholic Choir by invite. The irony.
But yes there is a need for security in churches or houses of worship be it Christian, Jewish, or Islamic. They get targeted by shooters, trolls, and hate criminals. I found all this out the hard way with FBI JTTF and local LEAs.
Where I live maybe it isn't so serious but a state away from me, where Streamlight is located, there was that Tree of Life shooting. Nowadays it isn't like Mayberry anymore.
I do think that less security might be needed if your house of worship engages in activities designed to help the community. If the members live pious lives. Oh and if the women aged 30-60 didn't use telephones and facebooks to gossip and create endless rules and double standards that make everyones lives a living hell. I don't care if so and so is cheating on their spouce, I don't care that a deacon is drinking a shot of whiskey before bedtime you probably drove him to it, I don't care if you think the youth group is having an orgy, I don't care that you dislike a tv show, song, card game, D&D, or video game. I don't care if you are thinking of suicide or worse you want to report some neighbour that talks about it. I don't care that some demonination that doesn't bother people and sticks to theirself bothers you. I don't want to hear about why your marriage is failing. Oh and I definately don't want to hear that you think I'm a t'rist.
I had to keep quiet on these topics for decades. Maybe instead of getting a light for security go help an elderly person or do volunteer work. Maybe do some of the things that Jesus fellow did and the rest will take care of itself. Trouble doesn't happen for no reason usually.
In the county beside mine 10 different churches work hand in hand to help the community with love in their hearts and a desire to serve G-d. I didn't bother those people at all.
