Interracial couples banned from Church in Kentucky

[AMT]

Linky here

In a move to "promote greater unity" among its body and the Pike County community it serves, a small Kentucky church voted to ban interracial couples from membership and from participating in certain worship activities, Kentucky.com reports.

Though reminiscent of some Jim Crow-era mandate, the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church actually made the decision earlier this month, following a visit from 24-year-old Stella Harville, daughter of the church's secretary and clerk, and her 29-year-old fiance, Ticha Chikuni, a native of Zimbabwe.

According to Harville's father, Dean Harville, Stella brought Chikuni to the church in June where they performed a song for the congregation.

Following the visit, former pastor Melvin Thompson told Harville that his daughter and her fiance could not sing at the church again. Thompson later proposed that the church go on record saying that while all people were welcome to attend public worship services there, the church did not condone interracial marriage.

His proposal, which was accepted by a 9-6 vote last week, also suggested that married interracial couples be prohibited from becoming members and used in worship activities, except for funerals.

"It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form," said Randy Johnson, president of the Pike County Ministerial Association, according to Kentucky.com.

While Pike County and the surrounding community come to grips with the church's decision, researchers at Ohio State University and Cornell University say black-white marriages in the United States are soaring, increasing threefold, from 3 percent in 1980 to 10.7 percent in 2008.

I'm friends/formerly dated Stella Harville's sister in college, so been watching this with great anger. Sickens me that this would be allowed anywhere.

[Anguirus]

Why wouldn't it be "allowed?" Neither the state nor anyone else can tell a church what they can and can't do.

Your friend and her fiance just learned the hard way that some churches are racist circle-jerks.

[Darth Lucifer]

If the US government can compel the LDS Mormons into allowing black priesthood holders by threatening their tax-exempt status, why can't the power of government be used in the same way for all of these other churches that are nothing more than pulpits for bigotry?

[Zaune]

If the US government can compel the LDS Mormons into allowing black priesthood holders by threatening their tax-exempt status, why can't the power of government be used in the same way for all of these other churches that are nothing more than pulpits for bigotry?

Because Mormons are a considerably smaller voting bloc than conservative "mainstream" Christians, and also (I believe) tend to be less heavily armed?

[spaceviking]

Would these people be considered mainstream Christians? Also Mormon may be a smaller voting bloc, but are highly concentrated. The mormon church basically runs a state.

[SpaceMarine93]

[Deleted by poster]

Sorry about that.

[Thanas]

Just repeating your comments from the other thread is also not a good way to get about this, Spesswannabenumbers.

[Mayabird]

Perhaps having realized what a bunch of yokels they looked like, the church furiously backpedaled.

Ky Church Overturns Ban On Interracial Couples
by The Associated Press
PIKEVILLE, Ky. December 4, 2011, 09:49 pm ET

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An eastern Kentucky church under a firestorm of criticism since members voted to bar mixed-race couples from joining the congregation overturned that decision Sunday, saying it welcomes all believers.

Stacy Stepp, pastor of the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church in Pike County, told The Associated Press that the vote by nine people last week was declared null and void after it was determined that new bylaws can't run contrary to local, state or national laws. He said the proposal was discriminatory, therefore it couldn't be adopted.

Stepp said about 30 people who attended church services voted on a new resolution that welcomes "believers into our fellowship regardless of race, creed or color."

The issue came up at the tiny all-white Appalachian church after the daughter of church secretary Dean Harville visited over the summer with her boyfriend, who is from Africa, and the two sang for the congregation.

Harville said he was approached in August by Melvin Thompson, the church member who crafted the resolution to bar mixed-race couples, and was told that his daughter and her boyfriend were no longer allowed to sing at the church.

Thompson has said he is not racist and called the matter an "internal affair."

Stepp said the Sandy Valley Conference of Free Will Baptists declared the vote on Thompson's resolution null and void during a meeting on Saturday.

He said he told church members on Sunday about the decision and proposed a resolution to promote "peace, love and harmony."

He said the resolution to welcome all believers passed with a unanimous vote.

Or perhaps the church's split is imminent, with those families who had voted against interracial couples running off to form their own church where they do obey that commandment from Jesus that's gotta be around here somewhere where he says the races are supposed to be kept separate, leaving the rest to sigh, "Thank God."

[Simon_Jester]

Yeah, that happens among the more fervently religious communities in the US. There's really nothing to stop a Protestant denomination from splitting over and over and subdividing more and more finely until the remaining members of the group are an intellectual monoculture.

The flip side of that is that the monoculture is usually very small and out of touch. Their existence may be disturbing and unpleasant for everyone who's caught up in them directly, but they don't do all that much harm to the community at large. A 5% minority of people who are just utter, flaming racists and can't stop it aren't much harm, because given time they'll die out entirely. They're not a long term threat, just the wreckage left behind from a dead movement.

[TheFeniX]

Following the visit, former pastor Melvin Thompson told Harville that his daughter and her fiance could not sing at the church again. Thompson later proposed that the church go on record saying that while all people were welcome to attend public worship services there, the church did not condone interracial marriage.

Harville said he was approached in August by Melvin Thompson, the church member who crafted the resolution to bar mixed-race couples, and was told that his daughter and her boyfriend were no longer allowed to sing at the church.

Thompson has said he is not racist and called the matter an "internal affair."

I just don't get this shit. There's absolutely no way to defend the idea that being opposed to interracial marriage doesn't make you racist. Even the bullshit line about "interracial marriage is tough on the kids" is a racist remark because you're demanding people acquiesce to other people's racism rather than helping to get rid of it.

I've heard this argument before and I'm sure other people have: "I'm not racist, just don't move into my neighborhood, date my daughter, etc." Personally, from my talks with my buddy from Kentucky, I think this is more a woman dating a black man. I could see this passing with little incident if the sexes were reversed, but I could be wrong.

I have to admit, these types of racists actually worry me more than overt racists. At least proud racists are upfront about their bullshit. These types of "I'm not really racist, but get away from me darky" bigots are just so fucking sleazy with their rationalizations. It's even more disturbing listening to them try so hard to justify their hatred unlike the "My daddy hated blacks and so do I" people. At least I know where I stand with people who will be completely upfront with their bigotry.

[DPDarkPrimus]

I ain't racist, it's just that my god is!