There is another Jonestown in the making out in Long Beach, CA. Please help spread the word about this. We could help prevent a huge tragedy a la Heaven's Gate. I am serious here I have contacted law enforcement in Long Beach, yes. Read for yourself:
JESUS CHRISTIANS NEWSLETTER #81, LATE AUGUST 2006
SPECIAL REPORT
We are planning to do something in the next monthor so which could turn out to be as controversial as anything we
have ever done before.
We felt that we should share it with our
supporters first, as it is
not easy to explain our reasons for doing this in
a few words.
As most readers know, Reinhard was brutally
attacked by Joe's family
and left lying unconscious in a pool of blood
several months ago. We
will not re-state the many serious injuries that
he received as a
result. Joe's mother, Sheila Simpson, held a
loaded gun, and Joe's
brother, Joshua, physically restrained Joe to keep
him coming to
Reinhard's aid, while Joe's father, Jared Johnson,
and his
stepbrother, John Onyejiako repeatedly kicked
Reinhard in the head and
body after he had lost consciousness.
We have been debating amongst ourselves (as we
have done before on
some lesser sins/crimes against ourselves) what
should be the proper
Christian response to such injustices. We feel
that Reinhard himself
nobly fulfilled the law of Christ, in turning the
other cheek for as
long as he was conscious. However, we feel that
the church in
particular and the Western world in general has
totally abused the
concept of grace, and that they have, in doing so,
despised the true
meaning of the cross of Christ.
> >
> > In order to bring a little appreciation back into
> what it really means
> > to forgive sins, and hopefully to make people
> think through these
> > issues more deeply, we plan, in the next month or
> so, to hold a
> > trial in Long Beach, California, where the
> attack took place. It is
> > almost certain that the family will be found
> guilty of a serious
> > assault, if not attempted murder.
> >
> > We will, if they are found guilty, pass sentence
> on them, and we
> > expect that the sentence will be a form of
> corporal punishment (e.g.
> > 25 lashes with a whip).
> >
> > We will not carry out this sentence on members of
> Joe's family unless
> > they sign papers saying that they agree to it, and
> that they are sorry
> > for committing such a crime. They will be given
> an opportunity to
> > defend their actions if they wish.
> >
> > However, we have discussed it amongst ourselves,
> and several of our
> > members, including Joe himself, have said that
> they are willing to
> > take the punishment for his family.
> >
> > The whippings will, most likely, be administered
> without delay, in
> > order not to prolong the process. When they have
> been completed, we
> > will consider the matter finished (apart from
> settlement of the huge
> > medical, dental, and optical bills that Reinhard
> has incurred as a
> > result of his injuries).
> >
> > We expect that people will argue that there is
> something wrong with a
> > teaching about forgiveness that also exacts a
> penalty. It flies in
> > the face of church teachings that Jesus has
> purchased a licence for
> > you to sin all you like without any
> accountability. However, we do
> > not see anything in the teachings of Jesus which
> says that we have
> > such freedom. Even his forgiveness is only given
> to those who show by
> > their lives true repentance.
> >
> > Jesus instructed his disciples to take up their
> crosses and to follow
> > him...
> > whatever that means. Even the death of Jesus
> himself baffles people
> > who cannot understand why the couldn't-care-less
> God of the churches
> > could not have just absolved everyone who says
> Lord, Lord
> > without letting his
> > innocent Son suffer.
> >
> > Our answer is that God was actually ratifying the
> need for punishment
> > in order to maintain law and order in society.
> The punishment Jesus
> > received was extreme, but it was because God
> wanted to make a very
> > serious point... a point which seems to have been
> lost on today's
> > world. A couple of minutes of pain (during the
> whippings that we have
> > planned) represent a small price to pay in
> contrast to the years of
> > wasted life that result from prolonged
> imprisonment.
> >
> > Even if we take the punishment ourselves (which
> seems most likely, as
> > no member of Joe's family has made any effort to
> accept responsibility
> > for their actions), all that we will be doing is
> accepting a token
> > punishment on their behalf--kind of a mini-cross,
> like the ones Jesus
> > instructed his followers to take up in imitation
> of him.
> >
> > We ourselves have been heavily challenged by this
> new concept of
> > justice and mercy. We have been debating the
> exact meaning of the
> > cross, the role of law in a supposedly Christian
> society, the issue of
> > pain and the morality of inflicting it on others
> or on ourselves, the
> > wasted lives through imprisonment, and even the
> future implications
> > for our plan in a world where people have become
> polarised between
> > those who scream for revenge and those who shirk
> from having anything
> > to do with punishment... least of all corporal
> punishment.
> >
> > We will try to keep the location of the trial and
> the administration
> > of the sentence secret, with attendance by
> invitation only, in order
> > to minimise unruly elements. We have a serious
> message to communicate
> > and hope to do so with minimal disruption.
> >
> > We invite people to visit our website <jesuschristians.com> and to
> > click on the button on the homepage marked THE CROSS (or
> go to
> >
>
[
cust.idl.net.au])
> > to read
> > more of our thoughts on this subject. We welcome
> your thoughts as
> > well, and fully expect that it will take some time
> for most people to
> > see the good that can be accomplished through such
> a flogging.
> > But we trust that our
> > best friends will not be too quick to judge, and
> that they will listen
> > sympathetically to what we are saying.
> >
It is plain that they are planning on some vigilante activity, or at worst another mass suicide. Long Beach citizens, be on alert!