Christian's almost killed over proposition 8 in CA by an angry mob. (video)

Testimony:
[url=http://www.vimeo.com/2261269]click here[/url]

Footage:
[url=http://www.vimeo.com/2261292]click here[/url]

[edit]
THIS VIDEO WAS NOT POSTED BY ANY MEMBER OF THE GROUP JHOP. HOWEVER, BELOW IS AN ACCOUNT OF ONE OF JHOPSF'S TEAM MEMBERS WHO WAS THERE.
November 14, 2008
I went to the Castro (the homosexual district of San Francisco) with JHOPSF (I have been with the Justice House of Prayer San Francisco since April 2008.) like we usually do on Friday nights.
Normally, we sit on 18th and Castro, and someone plays the guitar, and we all worship God. Sometimes a person will yell at us, or maybe a few. Sometimes people will ignore us. Sometimes people will let us pray with them. This time was not a normal night. It was the first time we'd been back in the Castro to do our normal outreach since California Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "one man with one woman" was passed. We played the guitar and sang together and worshiped the Lord. After just singing and worshiping God for a while, Roger decided that we should all hold hands in a circle and continue singing. So we did. Someone (Actually a person who came up and hugged and kissed some of us who he knew from the past) convinced some people that we were there to protest against the no on 8 campaign. Then some guy who was dressed up like one of the sisters (The sisters of perpetual indulgence is a group of men who dress up like nuns and call themselves the spiritual authority of the Castro.) took a curtain-type thing (Which I think they use to curse people) and wrapped it around us. Then a crowd started gathering. We began to sing "Amazing Grace", and basically sang that song the whole night. (At some points we also sang "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" and "Oh the Blood of Jesus".) At first, they just shouted at us, using crude, rude, and foul language and calling us names like "haters" and "bigots". Since it was a long night, I can't even begin to remember all of the things that were shouted and/or chanted at us. Then, they started throwing hot coffee, soda and alcohol on us and spitting (and maybe even peeing) on us. Then, a group of guys surrounded us with whistles, and blasted them inches away from our ears continually. Then, they started getting violent and started shoving us. At one point a man tried to steal one of our Bibles. Chrisdene noticed, so she walked up to him and said "Hey, that's not yours, can you please give it back?". He responded by hitting her on the head with the Bible, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her. I called the cops, and when they got there, they pulled her out of the circle and asked her if she wanted to press charges. She said "No, tell him I forgive him." Afterwards, she didn't rejoin us in the circle, but she made friends with one of the people in the crowd, and really connected heart to heart. Roger got death threats. As the leader of our group, people looked him in the eyes and said "I am going to kill you.", and they were serious. A cop heard one of them, and confronted him. (This part is kinda graphic, so you should skip the paragraph if you don't want to be offended.) It wasn't long before the violence turned to perversion. They were touching and grabbing me, and trying to shove things in my butt, and even trying to take off my pants - basically trying to molest me. I used one hand to hold my pants up, while I used the other arm to hold one of the girls. The guys huddled around all the girls, and protected them. Soon after, the cops came and stood between us and the mob. When it was getting more heated, the cops were like "You guys should leave." and Roger said "We want to stay." Someone tried to steal my backpack, but I tapped a cop on the shoulder, and said "Hey, that's my bag." and he got it from him and gave it to me. Others weren't so lucky. Probably half our team got their jackets stolen. Eventually, as the crowd was getting more and more uncontrollable, the cops were afraid for our lives, so they escorted us to our van. (The cops were very nice to us from start to finish.) Our van was parked pretty far because it was hard to find parking that day. As the cops escorted us, the mob followed us, until the cops formed a line, and held off the people so we could drive away. We took the long way home, just in case anyone tried to follow us. When we got home, we prayed and sang more, and then prayed over each-other. Please know my heart. All of what we do is for the Love of Jesus Christ, and the love for those in the Castro. The Bible says to love God, and then love people. We can only love because He loved us first. We can't hate the people because they are just broken and blinded by the spirit of this age. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities and Powers. It's not a political thing, we just love the people.

Hi everyone.

I have not seen the videos here but I wanted to leave a few comments on this subject [b]in general[/b]. I [b]don't[/b] intend for them to be made for or against what has happened here.

I have been to some of the festivals that they hold here in the city and have spoken to the people there in very strong and plain terms about sin, and the law, and Christ. But I never saw anyone become aggressive against me. In fact I remember one woman asking me to talk to her more because she believed that I believed what I was saying strongly.

I have spoken to a small group of people at a table sitting outside a resturant about the issue of marriage from the Bible, and after I was able to talk to them for a while, and to get past the idea they may have had of me from people that stood and shouted at them holding signs, they invited me to sit with them and asked the waiter to bring me something to drink. And though I did not compromise on the message of the Bible on marriage, they said they respected me for it.

I've spent a lot of time, hours upon hours, walking the streets here, speaking to people like this, even on streets where they congregate, and have had very very few incidents of when I have ever been threatened by them.

I hope that [b][u]we[/b][/u] do not make enemies for ourselves and God by the way we represent Him to others.

Thank you for your time and I wish you all well,

Chris

ChrisJD
I don't really get what you are on about. What you have experienced in the past has nothing whatsoever to do with what this peaceful group of worshipers experienced on this ocassion. I suggest you take the time to look at the video.
Blessings Greg :-o

The video links aren't working for me... they connect to the right page but don't display anything... is vimeo malfunctioning, or what?

David, can you post the files to youtube?

I have not seen the videos here but I wanted to leave a few comments on this subject in general. I don't intend for them to be made for or against what has happened here.

Smokey and John, I thought that I had made it clear my comments were not intended to be about the events that happened here. [b]I thought they were relevant to the topic in general.[/b]

I think the way these groups have been treated by some people is important to keep in mind.

I appologise if this was innapropriate.

Thank you.

Sorry to comment here again but I thought I should say something else to be more clear.

I do not think that we have gotten to this point in a day and so I think it is important to keep in mind how these groups have been treated by others who claim to be confronting them in the name of God as we consider their reactions.

I have not watched the videos. Something seems disturbing to me about the idea of posting these things here.

I know that real violence to the point of death has been raging against Christians in India for months but I do not know that GFA has been releasing videos of the mob attacks and rampages.

Something seems very wrong about that to me(EDIT that is, about posting videos of violence). Again, I'm sorry if I have been wrong here.

Thank you.

Chris,

Your commenting is always welcome. It is just that what you are writing doesn't apply here and it wouldn't be good if people perceived that what you are writing applies to this post. Especially since this is an open forum. I know you did note that you were not but this is just a pre caution lest someone views it that way. It was my fault however for not elaborating more fully therefore it can be perceived as what you are talking about. I will correct my post and write more thoroughly.

I watched the video and it doesn't surprise me. It has been more than ten years since I've been on the streets witnessing with a team the Lord put together, but back than personaly I was hit and assulted physically, had a gun put to my head, several knives pulled on me and my team, and even had people drive thier vehicals up on the sidewalk and try to run us over, not to mention the numerous insults and curses. I was raised up in Christ to believe that was the cost of being a christian. When I recieved Christ as my savior I understood what could be.
As a side note I have watched God judge many who attacked us unto death, the real thing physical death, I have seen bars close down, and best of all I have witnessed the Lord save many who would today be eternally in hell, Paul said it right Rom 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.

Thingsabove,

watch the testimony video first.

Kinda reminds me of the Romans escorting Paul out through the crowd.

But I never saw anyone become aggressive against me.

Chris,

I understand what you are saying. I also agree with it. There are many people who are hungry for God and seeking and when we come to them the right way reasonably and wisely we are able to minister to them without offending them. There is a time however to sharply rebuke people. Like Jude says that we have to make a discernment some we are to be gentle with and other we have to pull them out of the fire saving them with fear. Then there are also those who will just hate us for being a Christian like Daniel was hated and so on. There are places and people that are more aggressive in this sense and the gay community I believe to often be one of them though not all the time but it may be escalating as the wickedness of man grows the the society corrupts. Lastly, I would like to mention what Jesus said once again this is not in complete contradiction to what you are saying only the other side of the coin, "the world hates me because I testify against it that its deeds are evil".

Dohzman,

with all due respect.

As a side note I have watched God judge many who attacked us unto death, the real thing physical death,

Mike,

I don't know that is weird. I have them on my Facebook. I don't know what I am going to do I might get a better quality version first.

Hi Deepthinker, thanks for the comment.

it's difficult to find a New Testament example of Christians taking to the streets like this,

it's usually the world that gets upset and reacts this way.

Paul admonishes us to lead a "quiet and peaceable life" 1Tim2:2.

Davidt and John, thank you both for your patient and gracious responses.

I think you are both right that I miss-spoke here, thinking that the video was portraying acts of violence against Christians. I had this impression from the title of the thread. I'm sorry.

Please forgive me for any confusion here.

God's love to you,

Chris

EDIT Smokey, please forgive me also.