Fort Des Moines Church of Christ's 'Gay Is Not Okay' Sign Draws Protest (VIDEO)

A pack of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates descended upon an Iowa church last Sunday to denounce as homophobic a sign advertising that week's sermon on homosexuality.

As the Des Moines Register is reporting, the Sunday morning sermon at the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ drew an estimated 100 protesters, many of whom say they were angered by an illuminated sign displayed outside the church which read "Gay is not okay."

Carrying rainbow flags and other banners, the crowd gathered on sidewalks and a church lawn. Many of them had seen the marquee thanks to a photo posted on Facebook by Des Moines resident Patrick Boltinghouse. "[It was] like watching 'Family Guy’ except for it’s real life, not a cartoon, not being sarcastic and cynical," Boltinghouse said of the experience. "They were being real."

Rev. Mike Demastus told local ABC affiliate WOI-DT that he received threatening messages after the sign -- the message of which he says has been misinterpreted -- was posted.

"This is the community that cries wanting us to be tolerant and I said gay is not okay, I didn't say gays are not okay," he said, noting that he was targeting homosexuality, but not homosexuals specifically. Though he eventually replaced the word 'gay' with 'adultery' after the sign was vandalized, he noted, "When I did take it down it was when I received messages that indicated simply my address and the message, 'Hope you feel safe at home.'"

As for the sermon itself, the Register said Demastus compared sexuality to the purchase of an iPad and the instructions for how to use it. If people don’t follow those instructions, he said, they won’t be happy with the results. "They wrote those instructions for my benefit," Demastus said. "God created sex. He knows how it works."

Comments

[racmd]

03:02 PM on 02/15/2012

I only have one comment....would you be so bold to put "Black is not ok" or "Latino is not ok"? It is time to end the hatred...

It is time for gays and lesbians to STOP being guilty!! STOP being second class citizens!! It is time to find a leader..a leader who can truly lead us into the 21st Century and STOP this bigotry and hatred.

The 50´s and 60´s saw changes in the rights of African-Americans and Latinos...it is time to make the 2010´s the change for gays and lesbians of America!!! We no longer have to hang our heads and say we are bad or less than any other person.

Perhaps this minister needs to read the manual on being Christian over again. Seems he got many of the fundamentals wrong!!!

[capt hastings]

05:11 PM on 02/15/2012

gender
race
sexual orientation
religious affiliation
sexual identity
political affiliation
the list goes on.....

Fear and hatred are the weapons of the weak and small-minded.

[Jeremiah94]

12:28 PM on 02/17/2012

The sermon was teaching about sin, the sin of homosexuality, not about people. All men can change and come to God. There is forgiveness for the sins that we each commit. God's word is what man should listen to. Homosexuality is a choice as any other sin that a man chooses to do; (Lying, cheating, hate, murder, rape, etc.)

In I Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul said; “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”

Some had made the choice to leave the sinful life they were living and enter into the new life that God provides.

Anything that God called an abomination in one covenant is still an abomination in a new covenant with His people. God has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes forever.”

Isaiah said in Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” and we are seeing more of this in our society every year.

Jerry

[ez duz it]

06:42 AM on 02/21/2012

ICorinthians6v9 does not condemn homosexuality:

Ἁρσενοκοῖται (1Cor6:9), is a nominative plural noun and ἀρσενοκοίταις (ITim1:10), is a dative plural noun. Each appears only once in Scripture. Additionally, they’re found in no other literary references predating, or contemporary with, the Greek Christian Scriptures. Because the definite article is missing in the Scriptural passages and no other lexical forms exist, only their declension, number and case can be determined.

They derive etymologically from “ἄρρην,” (male) and “κοίτη” (bed). Whoever these “man-bedders” are, it’s completely unclear whether they’re grammatically male or female:

Though undeniably first declension substantive nouns, determining whether they’re masculine nouns with lemmas ending in -ης (cf. κριτής, -ου, ὁ), or -ας (cf. ταμίᾱς, -ου, ὁ) is as impossible as determining whether they’re feminine nouns with lemmas ending in -η (cf. τιμή, -ῆς, ἡ), or -α (cf. χώρα, -ας, ἡ), because all four noun types follow identical nominal and vocative plural, as well as dative plural paradigms.

Moreover, since the homosexual population is partly made up of Lesbians, stating that a homosexual woman is a “man-bedder” is logically impossible.

Your implication that “ἀρσενοκοῖται,” or “ἀρσενοκοίταις” = “homosexuals” is unsupportable.
---------

Also, in 1Corinthians6v9, “μαλακοὶ” and its different forms in the four other Biblical references do not refer to sexuality, much less homosexuality. The same holds true for the twenty-seven cases the term is found in secular literature written before, or at the same time the Christian Scriptures were penned.

[Cape May Donna]

12:56 PM on 02/15/2012

One comment to the church-PLEASE take all the energy you have on fighting issues regarding GLBT and contraceptives and put it toward stopping clergy from sexually abusing children! My Catholic HS along with many many others, had to close due to insufficient fundings-well, if ya didnt have to pay off MILLIONS of dollars to victims you'd have the money to keep said schools open! GLBT do not hurt the church! YOUR hatred and disregard for actual problems within your house does!!!
Just think, if you would only leave GLBT alone you would have the time to get rid of the "sick" clergy instead of simply moving them around...nuff said!

[capt hastings]

05:13 PM on 02/15/2012

excellent comment that would be supported by hundreds in Milwaukee where the church is hiding its assets in bankruptcy status to avoid being held financially accountable to its victims

[Jeremiah94]

04:38 PM on 02/28/2012

1. According to “The New Analytical Greek Lexicon” by Perschbacher, effeminate and homosexuals are both masculine gender nouns. Perschbacher defines both of these Greek words as “one who lies with a male, a Sodomit,” and references I Corinthians 6: and I Timothy 1:10.

2. “Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament” defines these Greek words as “one who lies with a male as with a female, a Sodomite” and references I Corinthians 6:9; I Timothy 1:10 (Anthol. 9, 686, 5; eccl. Write)

3. It would seem that the phrase “one who lies with a male as with a female, a Sodomite” would certainly be speaking of unnatural and ungodly sexual relations. Of course the word “Sodomite” has reference to the homosexuality found in Genesis 19:4-5 in the city of Sodom. “Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus” defines sodomy as “any sexual intercourse held to be abnormal, as between two men.” And of course I Corinthians 6:9-10 is referring to “the wicked” who will not inherit the kingdom of God.

[capt hastings]

12:28 PM on 02/15/2012

Is preaching hate OK?
Oh, he differentiated between hating the 'gayness' and hating 'gays.' Huh???

[William Graham]

10:39 AM on 02/15/2012

I wrote the pastor, RE director, and secretary stating my objections to their message and the harm it does. A friend had also done so and prompted my action. We need to step up and stop being door mats for conservatives who promote intolerance. While entitled to their opinions, they are entitled to criticism of them when they criticise others. That's politics, and it works best when both sides are reasonable, non-hostile, but firm. I do not approve of vandalism, threats, or other snarkiness.

[esso man]

03:51 PM on 02/14/2012

Hi reality !! yes I have seen your comments & at least by me are valued,(I see my comments were not by AOL as they have AGAIN been removed) that is why i am replying via this link(hopefully you are looking at it) as you so rightly say there IS SO MUCH bigotry & "perversion" within the church,that is why they need to be restricted before the become "ALL POWERFULL" as you know I personally have no problem with them AS LONG AS they do not try demanding I follow "THEIR" rules,thats not to say i do not follow normaly accepted rules (outside of christianity) that are to be expected from a careing human being,& just because i am a non believer does not mean that i am a bad person,hard in as far as feelings may be but thats only due to the horrors that i have seen & been part of ,but i do take offence at being,not so much demanded but expected to follow something i do not believe in.

[OlongapoEd]

03:38 PM on 02/14/2012

As a practical matter, any right of action based on belief cannot be absolute. Therefore, the right to practice a religion cannot mean that any individual or organization should be allowed to do whatever they want and justify it as their "sincere religious belief". There is nothing automatically sacrosanct about action based on religious beliefs, no matter how sincere. Furthermore, all religious supremacism is intrinsically and necessarily bigoted.

[LisaLore]

05:12 AM on 02/15/2012

"Sincere religious belief" doesn't justify anything one wants to do? Dang, canceling my human sacrifice ritual. Freedom of religion indeed! *grumble grumble*

[William Graham]

10:42 AM on 02/15/2012

Along that line of reasoning I have been reposting this because I see so many arguments about the first amendment.

The decision in 1878 regarding the religious practice of polygamy seems to me to wholly justify Mr. Obama's decision regarding equal treatment of workers in ancillary Catholic institutions such as hospitals.

From Wikipedia comes "The LDS Church believed that their religiously-based practice of plural marriage was protected by the United States Constitution, however, the unanimous 1878 Supreme Court decision Reynolds v. United States declared that polygamy was not protected by the Constitution, based on the longstanding legal principle that "laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may with practices.""
The case is online at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=98&invol=145

The finding that is relevant is fascinating. "So here, as a law of the organization of society under the exclusive dominion of the United States, it is provided that plural marriages shall not be allowed. Can a man excuse his practices to the contrary because of his religious belief? [98 U.S. 145, 167] To permit this would be to make the professed doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land, and in effect to permit every citizen to become a law unto himself. Government could exist only in name under such circumstances."

[jimharvard]

01:22 PM on 02/14/2012

let me borrow a phrase that most of the readers of this blog will recognize: "We're Christians, We're Here, Get Over It!!!" God and his Son Jesus Christ taught that homosexual sex IS NOT OKAY! Period, end of discussion. The Gays want Christians to leave them alone - Great. You Gays need to leave us Christians alone! As a Christian, it is my RIGHT to believe in my God and my Jesus and MY BIBLE! If you Gays don't like those beliefs ... TUFF S....T!!! Go ahead. Keep pushing people of faith. One of these days, you may not like what response you get.

[uncooperative]

02:57 PM on 02/14/2012

it also states in Leviticus "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord" -- if' you are going to adhere to one verse, should you not adhere to the others?

[jimharvard]

05:00 PM on 02/14/2012

in re uncooperative: i am not going to write an unkind response to you but will assume that you simply do not know the bible. the cardinal mistake pro-gay appologists make about the bible is that they pick out a line or phrase here and there and then try to use it to defend their point. all the books in the bible have to be read in total to understand the context of each paragraph and idea offered. if you read the entire writings, there simply are NO supportive thoughts found ANYWHERE in the bible that supports homosexual behavior. since you quoted leviticus in the old testament, go back and read genesis 19 on why sodom and gomorrah were destroyed. after that, go to romans 1, 18 to 32. you can look at the catholic bible or any of the protestant bibles. they all say the same thing - GAY IS NOT OK. yes, one is not to "hate" a homosexual - one is to "hate" the sin of homosexuality - just as one is to "hate" other sins like adultry, murder, theft, blaspheming God, etc. will there be celebrate homosexuals in heaven? yes. will there be practicing homosexuals in heaven? NO.

[alto2]

04:36 PM on 02/14/2012

Please cite one passage in which Jesus of Nazareth even mentions homosexuality. I ask this as a person of faith.

[jimharvard]

05:15 PM on 02/14/2012

dear alto2: you have asked a complacated question which requires more space than is available here. please go to the following site and read that writer's analysis as to why jesus opposed homosexual behavior. i think you will find it illuminating.

http://thebible.net/modules.php?name=Read&itemid=81&cat=9

[AOK2]

12:02 PM on 02/14/2012

So if a protestor shows up on Sunday, they are not allowed on the church property and will be arrested. Is this the same church that is exempt from paying taxes? What if I am not protesting but just want to hear his message so that I am very clear on the context? All the messages in the bible and this is the one important to preach about?

[G-Major Fanatic]

11:47 AM on 02/14/2012

God created masturbation, too... All the fun of regular sex, but this tango only takes one.

[Atwill]

11:29 AM on 02/14/2012

I wonder how this church and it's cult members would feel if a church down the road put up a sign that said "Jesus was gay."

[capt hastings]

05:18 PM on 02/15/2012

Hey Mr. JimHarvard poster what about Atwill's comment???
I don't recall reading anywhere in the bible that Jesus ISN'T gay, so....

[Atwill]

10:04 PM on 02/15/2012

true. i am not saying he was or not. heck, he might have not even lived. but, unless we can build a time machine and go back, we dont know.

[rockysparks]

11:26 AM on 02/14/2012

Conditional love --- how "Christian' of them ...

[uncooperative]

11:11 AM on 02/14/2012

I wanted to clear up a misconception about the so-called vandalism to the sign. The "not" had been attempted to be covered by a piece of paper and some band-aids, and he yelled them off the property and called the cops, second was a manilla folder taped over the "not", later removed, the third was 2 or 3 rainbow stickers. His message was not there for just a few hours, it was a day at least. Vandalism is wrong, he may have some sticker residue,it was not damaged as it has been portrayed. I saw most of the facebook posts as it was happening, I did not read any that I feel would make the man feel threatened. The crowd consisted of gay persons and straight and were BEAUTIFUL. ( beauty in stocking caps-- but I assure you that under those coats everyone there was gorgeous in their own right) I want to apologize for the post I posted earlier that had quoted the pastor's words, those were not my own, but he claims his sign was "misinterpreted" when his words clearly show his intent. And I left out a word in another post that greatly changed the meaning. I was there not to protest his right to free speech, but to protest the irresponsibility of his words, that his words were furthering prejudice and harm to those in the gay community. I was taught that Christianity represented love, and his words did not speak that

[UnqleFungus]

10:35 AM on 02/14/2012

From ZC1968: Corinthian­s 6: 9-10:
"9 Know ye not that the unrighteou­s shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicator­s, nor idolaters, nor adulterers­, nor effeminate­, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortione­rs, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Revilers? How do you and this pastor not consider yourselves revilers?

[Asmodean1]

11:14 AM on 02/14/2012

These are words written by people that had no idea what the sun really was or why it moved across the sky.
These words were set down by men that had no idea why the tides washed onto the shores or what caused thunder after lightning.
Most of these passages in a book wrote thousands of years ago have little to do with the world we live in today - - - - - they cause little productivity and much misery.
War.
Religious hate.
Bigotry.
Social hate.
Repression.
Political hate.

[UnqleFungus]

09:50 AM on 02/14/2012

I have a friend who thinks God is not okay, but at least he's polite enough not to put it on a billboard :{D

[Asmodean1]

11:17 AM on 02/14/2012

I have a question.... Is it "god" your friend has a issue with or the man made religious vehicle that carries him about? I have no issue with "god" its the man made book claiming to be from their deity ...that is my issue. Just curious.

[UnqleFungus]

11:28 AM on 02/14/2012

He's a bitter believer, and blames God for all the pain in his life. From my point of view, he is angry that God gave him a bad childhood, then let him make many stupid choices in his life. He's miserable, and figues that it must be God's fault.

[WHTrout]

11:18 AM on 02/14/2012

SCREW BEING POLITE!! For 2012 years these christers have been inciting violence against you and me -- being polite to them strikes me as "Stockholm Syndrome" on steroids.

[UnqleFungus]

02:06 PM on 02/14/2012

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned. I find that being polite works pretty well for me. It's the societal equivalent of keeping motor oil in your engine to reduce friction. Less heat, less wear, less noise.

[UnqleFungus]

09:47 AM on 02/14/2012

Shelfish is an abomination. Look it up - it's in your Bible. Clam Chowder is NOT okay!

[Asmodean1]

11:19 AM on 02/14/2012

AND the blending of cotton and wool!
Pork?
Divorce?
Work on the sabbath?.

[capt hastings]

05:22 PM on 02/15/2012

and let's hear it for sacrifices!!!