Church learns vet was gay, cancels memorial

[SLCPUNK]

ARLINGTON, Texas - A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.

Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.

?It?s a slap in the face. It?s like, ?Oh, we?re sorry he died, but he?s gay so we can?t help you,?? she said Friday.

Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.

The church?s pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men ?engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing.?

?It?s not that we didn?t love the family?
Simons said the church believes homosexuality is a sin, and it would have appeared to endorse that lifestyle if the service had been held there.

?We did decline to host the service ? not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle,? Simons told The Associated Press. ?Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it ? yes, we would have declined then. It?s not that we didn?t love the family.?

Simons said the decision had nothing to do with the obituary. He said the church offered to pay for another site for the service, made the video and provided food for more than 100 relatives and friends.

?Even though we could not condone that lifestyle, we went above and beyond for the family through many acts of love and kindness,? Simons said.

Wright called the church?s claim about the pictures ?a bold-faced lie.? She said she provided numerous family pictures of Sinclair, including some with his partner, but said none showed men kissing or hugging.

The 5,000-member High Point Church was founded in 2000 by Simons and his wife, April, whose brother is Joel Osteen, well-known pastor of the 38,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston. Now High Point meets in a 432,000-square-foot facility in Arlington, near Dallas.

Wright said relatives declined the church?s offer to hold the service at a community center because they felt it was an inappropriate venue. It ultimately was held at a funeral home, but the cancellation still lingered in some minds, she said.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

this is so gay

[Communist China]

I just hope these people get to heavan and find themselves surrounded by homosexuals. Then they can apologize to every single one individually for being such high-n-mighty hypocrites. But that's just my little dream.

[Axl4Prez2004]

How fucking ridiculous is that?  Unfortunately I'm not at all surprised. 

[DevilHatesALoser]

I understand why many people would be upset, but this individual was not a member of their church.  He had never set foot inside.  Homosexuality is viewed as a major sin in most churches.  I'm not here to argue if it truly is, personally I don't care what two adults do with their lives.  But it's common knowledge that Christianity bars homosexuality, and to expect a church to hold services for an open gay man who's not even a member of their congregation is a bit unfair.

Would you expect the NAACP to hold a funeral for a person after they found out he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan?  Probably not. (and for the really slow ones, I'm not comparing homosexuality to racism.  I'm simply pointing out the conflict each represents to those groups charters and beliefs)

[Prometheus]

I just hope these people get to heavan and find themselves surrounded by homosexuals. Then they can apologize to every single one individually for being such high-n-mighty hypocrites. But that's just my little dream.

i guess that would called their own personal hell then

[Axl4Prez2004]

Walter, they canceled the service the day before it was supposed to be held.  That's pretty cold.

Also, you mentioned, "it's common knowledge that Christianity bars homosexuality," again, that's a pick n' choose like all religions.  The same exact passage that calls homosexuality an abomination also forbids followers to eat shellfish, and if your wife is not a virgin when you marry her, you are to stone her to death.  I'm not making that up.  So again, pick n' choose and it's too bad these f-heads can't pick tolerance. 

[DevilHatesALoser]

Walter, they canceled the service the day before it was supposed to be held.? That's pretty cold.

Also, you mentioned, "it's common knowledge that Christianity bars homosexuality," again, that's a pick n' choose like all religions.? The same exact passage that calls homosexuality an abomination also forbids followers to eat shellfish, and if your wife is not a virgin when you marry her, you are to stone her to death.? I'm not making that up.? So again, pick n' choose and it's too bad these f-heads can't pick tolerance.?

I know the Bible quite well.? You're absolutely right that people pick and choose.? However, I repeat that it is common knowledge the the Church turns their nose at Homosexuality.? However they justify these opinions is not for you and I to decide.? Like all groups, they have a right to form their own beliefs.? I agree that it was somewhat cruel to pull the carpet out from underneath them the day before, but I also agree it was pushing the envelope for the family to include photos of sin for the funeral - they were kind of asking for it.? I don't care what the man did in his private life, but you can't expect a Church to deviate from its own values and beliefs for someone who wasn't even a member of their church.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Walter, you are correct.  Good rebuttal.  This statement:  "I agree that it was somewhat cruel to pull the carpet out from underneath them the day before, but I also agree it was pushing the envelope for the family to include photos of sin for the funeral - they were kind of asking for it."......you're right.  I let my emotions get the best of me.  Just because I don't see anything wrong with that particular lifestyle doesn't mean the church doesn't, or shouldn't.    

[GeraldFord]

At E-Harmony we don't allow same sex dating, so I can see where the Church is comming from.

Homosexuality is a sin, and to allow the corpse of a homosexual inside a sacred space would be an abomination.

What's next, men and dogs having sex?

[Timothy]

At E-Harmony we don't allow same sex dating, so I can see where the Church is comming from.

Homosexuality is a sin, and to allow the corpse of a homosexual inside a sacred space would be an abomination.

What's next, men and dogs having sex?

I swear I seen you having sex with a goat.

[Prometheus]

ihave witnessed it as well.... though i saw him helping a herd over the fence one night.... it was like a car wreck you just couldnt help but watch...... i am still scared at night but images of him helping sheep.... 

[Timothy]

ihave witnessed it as well.... though i saw him helping a herd over the fence one night.... it was like a car wreck you just couldnt help but watch...... i am still scared at night but images of him helping sheep.... 

I think we should start a support group . Bound to be others that have witnessed this unholy acts.

Cause nothing helps one get over a problem like sitting and talking it over with coffee and old donuts. Then A group huge were we all cry.

[LawsonsLaw007]

wow what a shity thing to do


Peace

[fuckin crazy]

It is just another example of the hypocrisy of the church.

[tim_m]

That is so fucked up even worse that its not far at all from me. I live about 45 minutes to an hour from there.

[fuckin crazy]

^My condolences.

[mrlee]

thats pretty lame, the church shows itself as hypocritical in this to me.

[DevilHatesALoser]

Ok, two people have asserted this act as hypocritical, but have failed to justify that.  In what way is denying someone who lived an immoral life according to their standards a funeral hypocritical.  It would be hypocritital for the ACLU not to aide this man, but I fail to see how the church is a hypocrite in this.

[Natasha23]

Ok, two people have asserted this act as hypocritical, but have failed to justify that.? In what way is denying someone who lived an immoral life according to their standards a funeral hypocritical.? It would be hypocritital for the ACLU not to aide this man, but I fail to see how the church is a hypocrite in this.

I would say the hypocrisy comes into play when so-called christians choose to ignore the teachings of christ, who would not have supported this kind of blatant discrimination. 
and also to comment on the KKK/homosexuality comparison, that is really reaching.  you compare the two and in the same breath, say you're not??  which one is it?

I'm not trying to attack someone for their religious beliefs.  i come from an entire family of holy rollers so i would never try to convince someone their faith is based on fairy tales.  and in this circumstance with the church, it is a private organization and (unfortunately) they have the right to do what they want.  but they chose to condemn a dead man for his so-called sins, instead of honor him for the whole other parts of his life.  and to disrespect his family that way does not seem like a very christian thing to do.