Government to Use Clergy to Stop the Madness

If our country ever becomes so chaotic, like in the case of a nuclear attack, and martial law was enacted, Homeland Security in Louisiana has a solution.

Clergy.

Jeff Ferrell of KSLA news says this:

For the clergy team, one of the biggest tools that they will have in helping calm the public down or to obey the law is the bible itself, specifically Romans 13. Dr. [Durell] Tuberville elaborated, “because the government’s established by the Lord, you know. And, that’s what we believe in the Christian faith. That’s what’s stated in the scripture.”

Yes, that’s what we need in times of panic: Someone who can recite Scripture.

Who exactly are these pastors going to help? Atheists will most likely ignore them. People of other religious faiths won’t take kindly to being told what to do or how to act from a Christian leader. Some Christians will see all this as the End Times, anyway…

Here’s a PDF of a pastors’ training manual in these situations. There are a number of things these pastors are called to do which are outside their areas of expertise. There are reasons psychologists have degrees. Let’s use them instead.

Or why don’t we invest instead in people who can transport others to safer places? Or people who can help deliver medicine? Or people who can help those who are physically injured?

You can see video of the news report here.

(Thanks to Robin for the link!)

[tags]atheist, atheism, Jeff Ferrell, KSLA, Durell Tuberville, Christian, Bible, God[/tags]

gamb

So once we’re attacked by people who (most likely) want (their) church and State fused, we will counter by fusing church and State. Of course, people who don’t listen to clergy on principle will be labeled terrorists by default and preemptive measures will be taken.
BlackSun

Think the Patriot Act is bad? I’ve considered this scenario quite a bit. Two things are virtually guaranteed in a post-nuclear-attack America (aside from the millions of deaths, starvation, and economic ruin):

1) In addition to martial law; which includes censorship, universal surveillance and suspension of civil liberties and habeas corpus, the added controls of domestic passports (biometrics or chip implants) and checkpoints.
2) People with the shit scared out of them flocking to religion in droves.

Religion has always thrived in a climate of extreme fear. It’s the worst modern nightmare imaginable. Don’t think it could happen? Sleep well.
athenebelle

I’ve realized that i totally mis-understood your post. I’ll leave the original up below but I think that there will be many more churches (like my own) that would prefer to go underground in this instance than try to help subvert democratic society. I seriously doubt that it will ever come to that but I could see it happening.

Actually I’ve already heard of pastors and ministers who act as counselors. Many times they didn’t come from a psychology or social work background but they are given training in seminary (or at least most of the ones that I know of do, there might be some where it’s only an elective) which helps them to sit and actively listen (which is what many psychologists generally already do: unless I mis-understand psychologists). In many of those instances they try and put aside their evangelical streak to just listen and be supportive, I’ve heard of cases where if they do pray over an atheist (where the prayer has to do with the situation, NOT the fact that individual is an atheist), that individual takes it as “this person thinks enough of me to try and help me in their own way (even if it doesn’t physically help it sometimes helps emotionally)” which is another way prayer can be taken.
Greta Christina

How exactly is this not the government establishing a religion?

And athenebelle, if the government wants to provide counselors in a time of panic, they should provide counselors. Not people who think that “the government’s established by the Lord.” See above, re: government establishing a religion.
athenebelle

Greta Christina, I think you may have misunderstood what I wrote (only partially). I do not remember ever seeing pastors or minister acting as counselors because they were hired or taken on by the government. Most of the time they are acting in situations like chaplain care or social work situations. Sometimes they are hired by businesses to act as a business chaplain but rarely do they talk in biblical tones (i.e. proselytizing).

How exactly is this not the government establishing a religion?

It is, and is totally against the law (and against what many in my particular denomination believe in: separation of church and state that is).
Maria

great, just what we need in a time of crisis, the government pushing stuff more stuff on people……