Thread: 43 Pastors and Laymen Arrested in New York City for Tebowing

Tebowing. It’s a menace to society. So says the police department in New York City.

Police arrested 43 New York City pastors and lay people on Jan. 12 who were protesting the city’s ban on church use of public schools for worship services. The ban is scheduled to go into effect Feb. 12.

The arrests came after more than 200 people gathered in the rain outside a Bronx public school where New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was giving his state of the city address. After singing songs and cheering speeches, protesters walked out in orderly groups of five to eight to kneel in front of barricades and pray. Police warned them to leave and then made arrests on charges of disorderly conduct.

The city of New York is running a huge deficit. It needs money. But it does not need it badly enough to let churches rent abandoned public school buildings.

Here is the issue.

The New York Board of Education has banned religious use of schools on Sunday mornings or at other times the schools are otherwise unused — even though the churches rent the space, dropping an estimated several million dollars per year into the city cashbox. If the ban prevails, more than 150 congregations will have to move to other meeting space starting next month — and that’s hard to find in New York City.

The week before, police arrested New York City Councilman and pastor Fernando Cabrera, pastor Bill Devlin, and five others on charges of “criminal trespassing.” Their alleged trespass was kneeling and singing two hymns outside the doors of the New York City Law Department. Police held them in custody for three hours.

Their prayers were answered. Partially.

The following day, the New York Housing Authorities reversed its position to evict churches that meet inside community centers. Board of Education officials stuck with their ban on churches, though, saying it will protect the minds of “impressionable youth.”

Ah, yes. For the children. Keep them from going to church.

Bronx pastor Dimas Salberrios said the ban would be particularly harmful in poorer communities: Churches in boroughs like Queens and the Bronx successfully battle crime and poverty, and uprooting them is “destructive.” He pointed to lower crime rates, help for the poor and homeless, and educational assistance for children as examples of what churches contribute.

This argument fell on deaf ears. The ban will remain in place.

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43 Pastors and Laymen Arrested in New York City for Tebowing


totally amazing, yet occupiers can do all sorts of things in public and it gets ignored and the tax payers pay for it, but not tebowing. These places are paying for the space at the schools the schools are benefiting with added money..makes sense to me.

I remember years ago in school we had a class called religion. We went to our own churches etc, for religious education or instruction,which ever denomination we were all different religions were included. If we couldn't walk our church had some one pick us up or they provided transportation. If you didn't want to go you went to study hall...we liked it because we got out of school for the last hour or so. Some kids went to which ever place they felt like going to it didn't matter with parental approval of course.

But, it is OK for muslims to do demontrations, call to prayers and pray in the middle of the street on NY streets. Something is very wrong here.

Hundreds of Muslims Praying for the End of Police Surveillance


MSNBC -Hundreds gather to protest against a decade of police spying on Islamic communities




Things that make me chuckle Muslim man prays on his NYC cab

Muslims blocking the streets for prayers at the corner of East 42nd St. and Madison Ave. in New York City, NY, USA
BYDIO