Promise Keepers Rallies Now Going On In Prisons

[Khephra]

Prison population experiences Promise Keepers

snip...................

Violent crimes including murder, assault and rape led many of Marion Correctional Institution's inmates to prison. At the first ever Promise Keepers rally to be held within a prison's walls, they credited God and the prison's religious programs with setting them free.

More than half the prison's population participated in an afternoon of praise and worship organized by the men's ministry. Area pastors volunteered to spend time with the inmates after the rally and advise them on how to lead a Christian life.

snip....................................................

Other than the inmates' prison blues and the guards' uniforms, the afternoon resembled more a Christian festival than a day behind bars. Volunteers served ice cream, pop and Gatorade as men raised their arms to the sky and danced beside their chairs.

Tim Brant, the prison's public information officer, said no disruptions were reported during the event. The prison also did not bring in extra guards, using only its regular contingent of officers on duty.

Clergy from area churches helped organize the event, which was funded by private donations. Columbus pastor Buddy High complimented the prison for taking risks and holding the rally, crediting Warden Christine Money for the prison's faith-based programs.

more...................................................

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/news/stories/20030814/localnews/61397.html


If you think the PK's aren't that bad, then check out this link:

The Promise Keepers are Coming:
The Third Wave of the Religious Right
http://www.cdsresearch.org/nation/nation1.htm

[Best_man23]

1. A person in one of my support groups

Went to a Promise Keepers meeting this past June. He has since turned total Freeper.

[CO Liberal]

3. Promise Keepers - Brainwashing With a Bible

They're as worthless as Focus On The Family, which has provided financial support in the past to keep PK afloat.

[madfloridian]

2. I wonder if domestic violence in part may be linked to this mindset.

It says to "take" back your role as head of the home, not "ask."

That is totally insulting to women.

That is fast becoming the view our former church, Southern Baptists, holds. Wives should stay home, not work. It is a "God will provide" idea that is totally unrealistic.

Baptist churches and others preach wives should be subservient. This is a dangerous thing to be preaching in some ways. Responsibility is one thing, but advocating they impose this on wives is outrageous.

[CO Liberal]

8. Just HOW Are These Guys Supposed to "Take Back" Their Role....

....when they're doing five to ten in the slammer?????

[Loonman]

4. So long as they're using private funds

Promise Keepers are scary people.

Their spouses are usually "surrendered wives".

Frightening.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. heh, good old fundie Dominance and Submission

It's a sexual fetish is what it is, but they can't admit it yet.

Any movement that segregates the genders is scary, imo.

[trogdor]

5. PK is a cult.

It operates kind of like AA - the other cult members are constantly policing each other. OTOH, it's a racket kind of like Scientology, where the main focus seems to be the commericalization of Christianity.

As for the article, I remember reading it before, in 1996 at the Fort Clayton base library in Panama (now closed). I was involved with a quasi-PK group at the time (what WAS I thinking - or not thinking?), and my reaction then was, "boy, the left must be shitting their pants over PK."

From experience, I can tell you the part about PK'ers and other members of the religious right being hypocrites is pretty much accurate. PK'ers are every bit as willing to stab each other in the back, when the heat is on, than ordinary people. Perhaps more so. I won't go into detail, both for the sake of brevity, and because it still pisses me off after 7 years' time. Suffice to say, being betrayed by one of them (my former boss, a rather stupid Army lieutenant who used me as a fall guy) was more than enough to shake that silly shit out of my head.

[Loonman]

6. The maggot punks know all about hypocricy

http://www.maggotpunks.com/mp.html

Entertaining commentary by women's clinic escorts on Fanatical Fundie Freaks.

[maxanne]

19. gimme a break

AA is not a cult, and members do not police each other. It is not a religious group. :eyes:

It hardly compares. Have you ever been to a meeting?

Promise Keepers on the other hand are religious fundies who advocate female submission. No one's ever suggested that to me at an AA meeting. :eyes:

[trogdor]

23. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words.

What I meant was, my understanding of how AA works is that its members take care of each other. PK takes this concept to the extreme by including every aspect of human behavior. Miss church, and one of them visits you at your house, etc. I did NOT mean to disparage AA in any way, shape, or form. If I appeared to, I apologize.

No, I've never been to a meeting, but I read a lot. It ain't the same, so I guess sometimes I know just enough to be dangerous. Sorry.

[catmandu57]

7. I wouldn't worry too much about it

A distraction from prison life is very welcome especially if someone is providing free pop and ice cream. Day to day life is dreadfully dull and treats such as these are damn near non existant. So, if there is an outside distraction the inmates will go listen to the sermon eat your goodies then talk about what assholes they were later in the barracks.

Promise keepers is not doing too well these days, a few years ago they would come into Kansas City, rent out Arrowhead stadium which will hold upwards of 88,000. They wouldn't fill it, and most of the attendees were traveling groupies like deadheads. This year they bowed to reality and rented Kemper arena, which will hold in the neighborhood of 18,000. Same story though most of the attendees will be keeperheads.

[trogdor]

24. That's the appeal.

Prison...basic training...some BS deployment where the old man doesn't let you go out after work...the same thing. All are captive audiences, more or less, who would come to just about ANYBODY's meeting if it meant a break from the daily grind.

When I was in Panama with the 10th Mountain Div. for four months, that was what the deal was. MAYBE, if the battalion commander was in a good mood, he MIGHT let you go to the club on Saturday for a couple of hours and drink ONE beer. Go back for seconds, and you not only earned yourself nonjudicial punishment, but you farked it up for your whole company in the future. Going off post was out of the question, that was, UNLESS you were a part of this group the chaplain put together. We got to go on tours of the city. We got to go to the national zoo. We got to go to the El Dorado mall. We EVEN got to go out to dinner (they have a couple of surprisingly nice restaurants in Panama City).

I better get off this thread before I get a relapse of the shit that made me go on antidepressants for a year.

[CO Liberal]

9. The Founder of Promise Keepers (Bill McCartney)......

... is an alcoholic, adulterous, wife-beater. One hell of a role model........

[SaintLouisBlues]

15. Promise Makers, not Keepers

I know one of the main PK fools around here, and the guy is the biggest deadbeat in the industry. Lots of unpaid bills and lots of disgruntled employees due to his dictatorial ways. I call him the Promise Maker because he sure as hell doesn't keep any of 'em.

[noonwitch]

21. I call them the "Power Keepers"

They're just using religon to justify (mostly white)male dominance over the world. I would rather die a virgin than be involved with a man involved in that group.

[newyawker99]

26. Hi SaintLouisBlues!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Le Taz Hot]

11. A funny story about PK

A few years ago they had a HUGE rally here. At the time, our mayor was a fundie who allowed CITY FUNDS ($150,000) to pay the venue. But I digress.

I worked with parolees for several years and many of the women earned their living, at one time or another, through prostitution. Anyway, several, independently told me that it was a GREAT week for business. I also got the same information from the owners of our two local strip clubs.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

12. "Reconstructionism" is just like Muslim sharia law

Launched about a decade ago in California, COR espouses "Christian reconstructionism." According to this religious ideology, the "inerrancy of the Bible states reality for all areas of life and thought," and the task of believing Christians is to "bring every society's judicial and legal systems into as close an approximation to the laws and commandments of the Bible as its citizens will allow."

They actually want to legislate their (mis)interpretation of ancient Jewish religious law into secular law in the US. Isn't this quite similar to Islamists who want to have the civil authorities enforce sharia?

Scary, very scary.

[Dob Bole]

13. I have participated in prison ministry

For the most part, prisoners are always happy to see us. They sign up to come on a volunteer basis.

That said, I have some serious reservations about the Promise Keepers program, because I believe that women and men are equal. Plus, I'm not big on the religious right. I wish I could click my heels and make them go away.

[kimchi]

14. Gives one a mind to have a Solstice celebration for the inmates. Hmmm....

that would take a serious organized effort just to get through the red tape, but it would cause a stir. Kephra?

Oooo, ice cream??????????? Pathetic.
Pagans know how to PARTY! Drummin', dancin', spicy food, and freedom to worship as you wish at the moment?

I swear to Goddess, if pagans DID prosletyze, we'd be the majority religion in 10 years. If we just stopped being fearful, spoke out, and organized we could bring the religious issue to the forefront. *Sigh* The sheeple have to be educated on so many levels....

[Khephra]

16. I've always thought that the Religious Left should be more aggressive

Maybe one day we'll look into ideas like that one. Give me a few months to set some of my current plans in motion...and gods, I couldn't take on anything else new until Primary season is over. :crazy:

[maxanne]

20. great idea, Kef

you might be able to get some of that faith based initiative funding for your efforts.

[Khephra]

22. Well, I don't know about conversion....I'm actually against that

But in some way and in some fashion the Religious Left has to organize under one banner, just like the Religious Right, or else we will keep getting rolled over.

[greekspeak]

17. I haven't heard of the PKs in a long time

My understanding of it this: "pick and choose" Christianity at its best. The pick the verses that say men are the kings of the castle, so to speak, and throw out those verses about the importance of women. They ignore all that "pray in private, not like the pharassees" stuff.

I also think it is part of mass produced Christianity, like the big "supercenter" churches. This is a lot more impersonal type of Christianity than that with which I was raised. Thus, I often wonder how one has a personal relationship with God when there are thousands of people surrounding you and raising a clamour.

[qb]

18. Do they have to promise to be faithful to their cellmates? nt

[catmandu57]

25. Maybe that's it

They're looking for prison sex.