This is topic Why I am not at church in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
 
I set up my lesson in the little classroom I use to teach the 5 & 6 year olds. This is a job I love, both for the children and the back-to-basics studying of important principles. Today was a topic I especially enjoy, and I'd created little handouts for the children.

It is all still sitting in the classroom.

After I set up, I went into the chapel where all the children meet to sing songs, listen a talk prepared by one of the children, and have an opening prayer. About the time we were dismissing to classes, a police officer came in and whispered to one of the ladies by the pulpit. Suddenly, we were herding children outside, each teacher responsible for those in her class.

Outside, there were police cars. Soon there were fire trucks. We were told that they did't want anyone in the parking lot. Everyone needs to go home. So I held onto my students until their parents gather them, and I get my own kids in hand and then we head to our car where Vladimir is waiting. There were firemen on that side of the church, looking in every bush.

Vladimir, who teaches the 14-16 year old boys, said, "I guess someone didn't want to come to church."

And that is all I know. Except that, thankfully, we haven't heard an earth shattering kaboom.

[ September 07, 2003, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Amka ]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Why would your church have a bomb threat? I doubt you attend a black church -- are you LDS in a Baptist-dominated area, or what?
 
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
Oh, Amka, how terrifying! I hope it was just a threat, with no actual explosives. Still horrible and cruel, but at least less dangerous. Stay safe!

(((((Amka)))))
 
Posted by Toni (Member # 5620) on :
 
Aye Carumba!

Be safe. [Frown]
 
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
 
No, I'm LDS in an LDS dominated area.

The most likely reason is what my husband said: A teenager who is angry at his parents and at the church.

A second likely reason would be an adult who is angry at the church.

I highly doubt it is from someone outside of the church.
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
Dang..

When I was nine, our church was firebombed. We have pictures from the clean-up. That's scary stuff.
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
[Frown]

I thought, "You can come worship at my church if you want."

And I didn't think of it as trying to convert, or insulting, but more like, "You're house is inaccessible, come use mine while you need it."

Does that make sense?

I hope this all clears up, amka.
 
Posted by Foust (Member # 3043) on :
 
Wow, wish I'd thought of that when I was kid.

Church was insufferably boring.
 
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
 
Thanks, mack. It makes sense.
 
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
 
[Frown]

What a scary situation. Glad everyone's ok.

**Ela**
 
Posted by T. Analog Kid (Member # 381) on :
 
Eddie,

white, conservative churches get bombed and burned, too... just FYI.

I *do* hope this was just a kid wanting to get out of church... and am likewise glad everyone's ok.

[ September 07, 2003, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: T. Analog Kid ]
 
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
 
[Eek!] (((((((Amka))))))))
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
((((((((Amka))))))))

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
 
((((Amka))))
 
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
 
I just got my things back. Apparently they called all the organization leaders to let them know they could come in the building to get people's personal belongings and return them.

It was just a threat, made from a pay phone.

It is pretty irritating. I wonder how much this actually cost the city.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
I'm glad you're OK! ((((Amka)))) I wonder what the punishment for a bomb threat is... [Dont Know] Maybe they should watch as their family almost falls off the edge of a cliff. [Mad]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Because that would be fair to the family, to have to suffer that as a result of some relative's idiocy.
 
Posted by cyruseh (Member # 1120) on :
 
I feel as though I need to stand up for any baptist that may be members on this board. I think there are a few.

Lalo, what you said was totally uncalled for. While baptist may feel that mormons are not saved, it is NOT a baptist ideal or doctrine that they should bomb mormon churches. Is there any certain incident that you know of that would cause you to believe this?

It just frustrate me that you would think that if she lived in a highly concentrated baptist area that they would be the prime suspects of a bomb threat.
 
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
 
*DELETED FOR BETTER JUDGEMENT*

[ September 07, 2003, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Hart ]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
quote:
Because that would be fair to the family, to have to suffer that as a result of some relative's idiocy.
Well I was going more for the whole digital image thing. Your right though, I would never want to put the fmaily at even am inconvience just because their relative is a ... well I'm trying to stop swearing. [Mad]

Hobbes [Smile]

[ September 07, 2003, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]
 
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
 
i would just like to point out to our belovedly ethno-obsessed eddie that there are black mormons.

just perhaps not in utah, where there are, in fact, five whole persons of african ancestry.
give or take a few.
 
Posted by KEGE (Member # 424) on :
 
It doesn't matter whether you are black, white, LDS, Catholic, Baptist or in what area you live!

I think events over the past 2 years (and more) tell us that anyone can be at risk - from anyone else. Be it a "disgrunted" co-worker, fundamentalist terrorist, "fat, lonely kid", trusted priest/minister or close relative, our perception of our safety is just that - perceived.

I'm sure Amka is correct that someone either thought it was "funny" or was playing a "malicious" prank in calling in the bomb threat. Either way, I hope they are caught and punished appropriately (in Hobbes' VR simulation?).

Sorry your lesson was spoiled Amka. I'm glad that it turned out to an "inconvenience" rather than a tragedy.
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
Was someone scheduled to be the Youth Speaker?

Just a thought. [Razz]

One of the funniest meetings I've been to was when the scheduled speaker came, realized he'd forgotten, and ran out during the announcement he was to speak. If the bomb threat had occurred to him, he would have been overwhelmed with gratitude.

[ September 08, 2003, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: katharina ]
 
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
 
Well, actually that happened to my husband twice in the same ward, but both times he simply wasn't there. If he'd been there, he would have shot from the hip, which is how he typically does it anyway. The first time he was sick and forgot to call in until I realized it during sacrament meeting. The second time kids were sick, we forgot about his talk and I had responsibilities, so he stayed home. It was most embarrassing.
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
I forgot about teaching Relief Society once. It was in my current ward, and it still gets brought up occasionally.

What I can't believe is how completely I forgot. No vague itching in the back of my mind, no wierd feeling going in, nothing. I was sitting there happily, and there was announcements:

"Thanks for the song, now we'll have a lesson from Katie."

Shock. Disbelief. Nervous laughter. "Are you kidding?"

Shock on other side. "Nope."

I pick up my scriptures. "Okay, I'll just wing it."

It turned out well, I think. I absolutely adore my scriptures, because I mark everything and take notes and put little tabs for most of the topics, all for this purpose. I've done it before, I'll probably do it again, and I just try to prepare so that I can do it even when I completely, utterly, and totally forget.
 
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
 
Kat, that's so cool... I totally love my scriptures too and do the same thing you do. In fact I actually type up quotations or explanations of verses or chapters from the institute manuals, and print them in thin strips to glue in the margins of my scriptures. My whole NT is done that way. It's helped a few times to add to lessons or resolve little issues in classes.
 
Posted by Deirdre (Member # 4200) on :
 
Yikes! I'm glad you're okay, too. The Kingdom Hall my mom and sisters attend was burned down several years ago, and they never did find out who did it. No one was hurt, and it's since been rebuilt. But still it's pretty unnerving.
 


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