The transformed AR-15. (Photo: fatherjeremy.com)
Priest drops $3,000 on an AR-15? Coolest priest ever. Priest melts that AR-15 into a “symbol of hope”? Not cool, not cool at all.
Rev. Jeremy Lucas of Christ Church Episcopal Parish in Lake Oswego, Oregon, noticed earlier this year that a local girls softball team was raffling off an AR-15 to raise money to travel to a tournament in California.
“It was jarring,” Lucas told The Lake Oswego Review on Tuesday. “This is the gun used most often in mass shootings in the past decade.”
He used church funds (“discretionary funds and donations”) to purchase 150 raffle tickets worth $3,000. He won the rifle and, with the help of an outfit called RAW Tools, held a small ceremony this week to melt it down into a garden tool.
“We took a weapon designed to kill human beings, an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, and turned it into a tool for cultivating and growing food,” he said on his blog.
“It’s a small, symbolic act,” he told The Review. “But this gun will never be used to kill kids in schools, kill people in a movie theater, kill people at an office party or at any other place of mass shootings. This gun will never be found by a child who accidently shoots a friend, or accidently used by a police chief who’s had too much to drink at a barbecue and shoots a friend.”
Of course, there is a flip side to his logic. This firearm will never be used to save lives. It will never be used by a young mother to protect her family, nor will it be used by a teacher to save her students, nor will it be used by a law enforcement officer to stop a mass killer, etc., etc.
Yet, from a cost perspective, if Rev. Lucas really believes AR-15s are responsible for violence (and not the person pulling the trigger), he could have bought and destroyed four rifles with the money he coughed up on one.
The blacksmith. (Photo: fatherjeremy.com)
Lucas claimed his stunt “isn’t about politics.” It’s just an “expression of faith” meant to “highlight the idolatry with which we worship guns in America.” He has yet to explain why his “small expression of faith” required blog posts, media coverage, and national attention.
Some of his parishioners weren’t so comfortable with his symbolic act, but not because they value their Second Amendment rights.
“I’ve never seen [an AR-15] before,” said Susie Coffman, highlighting how much Rev. Lucas’s congregation knows about the tool they’re dead set on destroying. “It made me very uncomfortable, even though I knew it wasn’t loaded and that we were seeing it being cut into pieces.”
Ironically, Lucas’s great symbolic expression of faith and hope nearly landed him in hot water with law enforcement. He gave the rifle to a brave parishioner who was willing to keep the evil killing machine in his home until it could be disposed of. What Lucas didn’t know is that the Oregon State Legislature recently passed a law mandating a background check for every firearm transfer.
The Oregon State Police let him off the hook due to “insufficient evidence,” so he was free to lead the world into a new age of peace, where tyranny no longer exists and people have no need to defend themselves.
What he wishes to do is his business, but he should have to replace the money from the church out of his own pocket.
This is a lie. There’s not enough steel and no wood in an AR15 to make a pickaxe. The AR 15 is mostly aluminum and plastic with a steel barrel and bolt Assy. But I’ve seen an AK 47 style rifle receiver made from a shovel.
If he wants to make a statement, buy a car and make garden tools out of that. Look at the stats of people dying on our roads in machines intended to bring pleasure…..not horrific death. How about the 480,000 people dying from tobacco every year. That boils down to about 55people every hour. It’s their choice to smoke? What about the 41,000 that die from second hand smoke. Seems some people need to do a better job on prioritizing causes of death that can be avoided.
It’s his money. He can spend it on any stupid thing he wants. It’s still a free country thanks to the 2A.
If he wants to make a statement of love and peace with his money that’s fine but it wasn’t “his” money. It was parish money. Will you say, “Well, it’s his money,”, if he spends $3000 of those discretionary funds on liquor and strippers? I suspect his parishioners might not agree even though liquor and strippers aren’t illegal.
Was not his money, belonging to the church.
“Those who beat their swords into plows shears….will plow for those of us who didn’t” .
“Those who beat their swords into plowshares usually end up plowing for those who kept their swords!” BenjaminFranklin
I don\’t have statistics for this offhand, but I have to think more human beings have been killed with pickaxes than with AR-15s, right? So if you measure the \”evilness\” of an object by the number of people who have been killed with one, I think this heretical \”priest\” accomplished the opposite of what he intended.That being said, I expect he\’s going to see somewhat smaller than usual collections over the next few weeks/months as people react to how the money they contributed is being spent …
I know a Catholic priest who CARRIES. I’d like to get those two together and listen to the conversation. LOL
I’m not an expert on the AR-15, but couldnt he have proved his point for a little over $500?
“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.”
Thomas Jefferson…
Rev. Jeremy Lucas is a total deusch bag by all definitions of the term… Rather than actually do something with the CHURCH member’s money that would make a difference like donate it to the food bank, he decided to pull a publicity stunt to get his name out there. He probably also drives the most expensive car at the church….
I keep looking at that pick axe . It can be no bigger than a prospector hammer!!
That is no regular size pick axe you find in a hardware store!!
There is no way you can add steel to steel by forging. Steel can only be added by melting.
Not true–forge welding is a thing. It’s used for laminated steel swords and knives for the last thousand years or so (for example traditional samurai swords and Damascus steel). It just requires the appropriate carbon steel heated to yellow-white heat, clean mating surfaces, flux (borax, etc) to keep oxides from forming between the layers, and lots of pressure.
I hope the good Father learns how to throw that pick axe. It might do him good when Issus breaks down his church door!
He’ll probably just “trust in God”. We’ll see how that goes for him…. Hopefully, it will never happen, because if it does, he’s toast.
In my opinion he is suffering from dementia, destroying something he could have at least sold to feed the hungry, now its only worth $10 at best, can you say RELIGOUS ZEALOT, IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He has the lower he can sell!! What did he do with the lower that is the question we should all be asking and should letting the authorities know!!
You can not forge Aluminum!!
HE should stick the axe right up where the sun doesn’t shine!
Perhaps he should have made a Chalise to celebrate the Lord, instead of a pick axe to attack with or dig a grave.
Apparently his parish has an over abundance of funds to piss away 3m on a sorry statement !
He mis-stated himself, he should have divided the melted down AR15 and fashioned a hammer and cickle from it.
Typical liberal. Symbolism over substance. He accomplished nothing but sending a girls softball team to tournament.
Pretty silly, bordering on stupid. The money would have been better spent on the needs of his parishioners or others in his community rather then on a pointless publicity stunt designed to get his name in lights. Not much of a spiritual “leader” but more of a self centered clown.
It is not bordering on stupid, it is stupid.
I grew up in the anti-gun, anti-hunting environment of the NY Metro area. I drank the Kool-Aid until I met my future father-in-law, who was an Episcopal priest. He owned firearms and hunted, was an NRA member, but was clearly not a “gun nut.”
Knowing him set me on the way of seeking the truth about firearms and gun control politics.
As a wedding gift he gave me my elk rifle, a Winchester in .30-06 and a membership in the NRA.
Since then – now over 30 years – I have been a strong advocate for gun safety and our Second Amendment rights. All it takes is an open, informed mind.
Now THAT’s my idea of a priest.
Outside of actual war actions (where it is just one of many tools), how many people have AR15s killed?
Now, how many people has the christian church killed, in its own name?
Juuuuust wonderin’
Careful, there. Those that do what you put forth are not walking in the way of the Lord, but for their own greedy desires-misdirecting, obfuscating and misinforming the ignorant. Perhaps that is what you meant. The best reason and example of being an informed and enlightened person if ever there was one.
I would suggest that you enlighten yourself by un-misinforming yourself with your own inquisition into Inquisitions (the “unexpected” Spanish Inquisition was only one branch of them). Then, ye might consider thine self more informed by what the light reveals.
Hey, Kurt, throwing out anti-religious buzzwords like “inquisition” only show your lack of knowledge. The Spanish inquisition was vital in screening out Muslim terrorists in Spain after over 700 years of Muslim occupation (AD 711-AD 1492). Their “screening” techniques may have been harsh but absolutely necessary. We will eventually have to resort to some unsavory means like waterboarding and such to save your butt and your family’s.
As you say, “Careful, there.”
Muslim fanatics can use that same argument. Both are bogus. If “believers” use that as a motivation, who’s to say they’re not right about what the religion “directed” them to do? As many have said, too many have died because of others trying to prove who is right about what “God” wants them to do to the people who dare to either believe something else, or not to believe at all.
I don’t think too many AR-15’s have even been used in wars. M-16’s and M-4’s definitely. AR-15’s, not so much. 😉
(End Pedantic Comment)
If you are truly “just wonderin'”. Read Characters of the Inquisition by William Thomas Walsh. This is a good start. Then look up the Battle of Lepanto on WikiPedia. Also BBC documentary on the Inquisition should also be on YouTube. BTW BBC isn’t exactly a bastion of conservatism. 700 years of islamic terrorism on Iberian peninsula and threats to Europe needed drastic measures. If it weren’t for the church you’d be speaking arabic or persian right now. Just sayin’.
That’s one opinion. It’s just as possible that without the church(es), we might be just fine.
Riiight.
And what church did Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, Ceausescu etc, etc belong to? State sponsored genocide is bad unless it’s directed at religious people then it’s okay. Got it.
Merry Christmas!!!
Think of the lives he could have saved if he had bought ammo with that $3,000.00 and given it ti his congregation.
Actually I think that is a great idea but not as a symbol to point to need for more gun control. It should be seen as a symbol to find a way to reduce gun violence overall. The world is a violent place, in case anyone hasn’t noticed. If the priest was doing this as a gun control gesture then it is short-sighted, however reducing aggressive gun violence overall is not a bad message. I’m sure people reading this also want gun violence to be reduced. Gun control for law abiding citizens is not, however, a satisfactory method to attempt to reach that goal.
So, he commits two crimes breaking the Oregon law, yes. Then he commits another crime by taking the money donated by the church members to support the spiritual activity of the church. So, he takes these $3,000 and wastes it on a gun?, and also on a gun he could have bought for 1/5th of $3,000? Then he melts that gun and turns it into a garden tool? Now he should roll up his sleeves, take this tool, and get to work growing food with it, then harvest and sell this food to reimburse the church members that have donated money to the church, or feed the needy. And he should hang on to his symbolic garden tool at all times so some wacko would not get a hold of it, run over to some school, and butcher a bunch of defenseless kids with it. And these are our “spiritual leaders” doing their work as priests as the “expression of faith”?
Exactly!
As a former Episcopal vestryman, I’m troubled by the priest’s choice to spend discretionary funds on a political stunt.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
While Eisenhower qualified the statement by saying “in the final sense” to show he meant that a world in which defense programs weren’t necessary could afford to feed its hungry and keep its poor warm, in an immediate sense, Fr. Lucas stole from those who could otherwise come to his parish and receive help with food, clothing or housing expenses. If i sat on his vestry, I’d want to know why Fr. Lucas decided to spend that money not helping the parish’s poor.
The priest is a jerk. “Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.”
So he commits a crime under Oregon law (transferring a firearm without a background check) and then commits another crime by destroying the evidence (the firearm which was transferred) and is not charged with either crime? I just want to be sure I understand what I read…
Yes, he in effect help render the law here in Oregon null and void.
No surprise as Oregon is a liberal state.
He only destroyed the barrel the only steel he could forge on the AR . So the question is where is the actual firearm which would be the lower receiver?
If he has the lower reliever fine but if he gave it to some on then he should be investigated for transferring a firearm without a background check!!
Others may have posted the same but I suggest that this clearly illustrates how utterly out-of-touch the church is with the people it should be serving. When priests were charged with molesting parishioner’s children, the church moved those priests and not only protected-defended the accused, the church attacked the parents of alleged victims.
So, melt a rifle in a gesture based upon Scripture? That was very motivating. It motivates me to return to firearm sales sites and treat myself to another AR-15.
Ok so he made a pick axe .
So the only useful steel fron an ar is the barrel.
The only other steel he could use is the upper and lower parts but everything would have to be melted together not forged.
The upper and lower made from aluminum can not be forged or melted with steel.
So he should be investigated if he still has the lower or he has to file with the local police that the lower was destroyed.
He should also be invetsigated to see if any local and state laws were voilated.
Can’t tell the scale from the picture. That’s either a really small pick axe or that AR had a really big barrel. Do you suppose the Reverend was telling a lie? Do liberals lie? I feel faint. Gotta go.
Or, he made up the whole damned thing.
You’re right! Looks more like a small hand pick and even looking at that picture he must have added additional steel to make that even. And to think the church will get a tax deduction as well. I belivebtge complete left coast is beyond help. I have to spend an over night in Seattle at the end of May on my way to Vancouver B.C. and I am not even Looking forward to that adventure. Tooo f&)&@ liberal brain dead for my taste.
Should have taken that $3,000.00 and donated it to charity. The church is always begging for charity money. Leave the political grandstanding to someone else, stick to preaching the gospel…
The Rev is clearly preaching a gospel, unfortunately it’s not The Gospel. His, if I may properly infer from his selfless act of using other people’s money, is a social justice gospel and has no resemblance that other real one.
Had his vows of charity, chastity and poverty been properly deployed according to his claims of expiating an idolatry from his flock, he’d have excused himself from camera view, spent all his money on dangerous guns, quietly disposed of them without pomp and then moved to Chicago to community organize against law abiding citizens.
My advise is better repent and rent the U-Haul, I hear the community organizer in chief is headed back to Chi-Town soon, so that post won’t be available much longer.
On the bright side, the girl’s fundraiser was a success!
I think he’s taken Isaiah 2:4 literally. The usual response to those who would beat their swords into plowshares is that they’ll always end up plowing for those that didn’t.
the libtard idiot spent 3000 bucks to win a drawing for a 700 dollar AR-25 then violated state law 941 by giving it to a parishoner to hold for him without doing a background check and said so on tv,yet the libtards refused to prosecute a fellow libtard.citing lack of evidence.I live in OR and followed this bs.
This hypocrite is clearly off his hinges and incredibly ignorant. Statistically, ARs are hardly ever used in violent crime. It’s hand guns. But like the article said, he forgets the good that guns do in protecting good people from bad. What’s even more bothersome is that members of his congregation are willing to take this guys word as gospel and believe that it’s evil. They don’t bother to think for themselves. This shepherd has led his flock to the lions den, and right when ISIS just issued a threat to attack churches on Christmas. Wow! What a stooge!
AR-15 Assault Axe…I’m sure that the people of your church wanted you to use the money they gave to you for buying a weapon….BTW…AR doesn’t mean assault rifle….stands for Armalite the manufacturer. Assault weapon is a term coined by a liberal politician. There are no such things. Even the military doesn’t call them that term.
Armalite Axe, .. No Magazine needed, just good biceps !!
I think this Priest should get along great with the Pope who to me should stick to the teaching of theology. I don’t really know what is going on with priest and those in the religious order. If they go back and my memory fails me during the Crusades there was civil unrest and they may have not had guns but they had axes, bows, knives, swords.
One more time…Episcopal priest, not Catholic. Reading is fundamental….
Lmao!
So that’s where the collection plate money goes. I always knew it was shady business but wow!! Makes you wonder what else father Jeremy’s congregation is paying for….. perhaps his Cadillac payment, hookers, etc… another shady priest hiding behind religion to do evil things.
buahahahahahaha spends 3 g on a $600 rifle then nearly gets arrested. thanks for supporting the gun manufacturer, the ball team that was pro gun, and proving the stupidity of gun laws all in one shot! the NRA should make him a posterboy of exactly the kind of liberal we need to keep our gun rights safe.
***
At my Episcopal Church the Vestry would never have approved this Priest’s waste of valuable funds for his dream. We would have told him to go over to Walmart and buy a $14 buck pick axe instead! The money would have gone to our Food Pantry to help out needy El Paso residents. Or to a mission in nearby Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico to help feed hundreds of “throwaway” people living there. A place run by a compassionate Catholic woman.
***
Proving again, still, and yet–that just being a Sky Pilot doesn’t make a person any smarter. When you send a fool to Seminary–all you get back is an “educated” fool! This guy is too stupid to help anybody out.
***
John Bibb
***
very well put!!! he sounds as dumb as all of the other Oregon liberal idiots. I hope he stays in Oregon and out of Idaho.
Clearly that money could have been put to better use. He got his 15 minutes of fame at the expense of others.
This is a very interesting exercise and is actually quite supportive of the progun freedom point of view . He took a perfectly useful tool of free men and turned it into a tool a slave would be allowed to use to serve his master . Well done Fever and , you prove my point quite well free citizens have guns , slaves get to use picks and shovels for a SLAVE OWNER .
A rifle, like a pick axe, is just a tool. A tool that can be used for good or evil. Both can put food on the table and both can be used to kill innocents. If you’ll recall, David used a rock to kill Goliath and I don’t see any movement to regulate “assault rocks.” It’s the intent that matters.
Well said.
What is in our hearts can be seen in so many ways.
Let’s be tolerant of this Episcopal Priest and other clergy who want to “aim” towards good.
P.S.
The finest shot I ever saw was a strong 2nd Amendment Advocate Priest in Pottsboro, Pennsylvania who had a gun collection I could only dream of and friends far and wide that appreciated him being true to his core beliefs.
We are all entitled to agree or disagree with the AR story – but please show the world that we pro-gun types are willing to listen to the other side. It is the very defense of their RIGHT to express alternate views – that we stand and defend.
Actually, in this case, I think it is the priest who was the tool….
There isn’t much to be said that hasn’t already been well said but I the actions and statements of this ‘priest’ are so ridiculous that I can’t let it go without some type of response. It’s not that I don’t think that everyone has the absolute right to follow their conscience, because they do. But just as with all of the cry baby Clinton losers, all of the Hollywood liberals and yo-yos like this one – can’t they educate themselves even just a little before ‘exercising’ their freedom? Just the smallest little bit even? And the ‘priest’, did he ask or even inform his parishioners before hand that he would be spending the money that they donated to God instead on his personal political agenda? If so, was the whole congregation in agreement? Likely not. Did he ever consider that like the AR, a pick can be a tool or a weapon, used for either good or evil, all dependent upon the user and their intent? Clearly not. Finally, I would ask what did he do with the remainder of the rifle since the bulk of most ARs consists of Aluminum and plastic, I don’t know anymore about people. Freedom doesn’t mean free to be stupid.
What a totally stupid move. There is no other word for it, or you, preacherman. Stupid. What is the second most used gun? Glocks? Will you melt down one of them too. Was this because of a divine revelation, or just a personal brainfart?
what a stupidity. we had a simmilar one in swiss that did that say around year 2000 and he messed up a couple arms, mainly original amd ak’s and some sig stgw 90 pe, the sig had back then a price of around 2500 dollar in swiss. i remember his name, wont post here to give no advertising for that stupidity. i also remember that it was in the news and newspaper and that i did bypass the place and saw that messup he did – utterly disgusting!
sidenote, the swiss gundealer that did sell him all the arms back then did rip him off, did charge usual price but kept the bolt heads and did resell that to other people for a horror price. guess everybody there is a cheater – i did emigrate long time ago and by by swiss forever.
Dumbarse!
He’s a PRIEST??? Spending $3,000 more to destroy a weapon that might have originally cost $1,500 makes him better suited as a POLITICIAN!!! But, if he must, it falls that his next work of art will probably to convert a symbol of individual freedom into a “HAMMER & SICKLE”. That would define just what type of Priest he really is!
What NO Background Check. Lock him up! Laws are for everyone!
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. This Priest(?) for sure is one. That garden tool could be a weapon as much as the AR-15. What was he thinking . Was he capable of thinking? The AR-15 has saved lives as well as used to take lives. Please (PRIEST) strain that small brain very hard and try to THINK before doing stupid things and being a bad example.Act like the man of God you claim to be . Be a protector of our God given rights not a defector.
I couldn’t agree more. Guns of all sizes and shapes were part of the struggle that created the free state of the United States of America and keeps us free to this day. Without that God give right as described in the Constitution, specifically the Second Amendment, those plows would belong to a government controlling the land to plow. IMO, what that priest did he did only to bring attention to himself. Or he is truly a fool.
Congratulations, you’ve proven that a gun is nothing more than a piece of metal.
Rev. Lucas seems pretty prideful about his ridiculous stunt. I recall pride as one of the seven deadly sins. “Hubris is the gateway through which all other sins enter the mortal soul.”
As others have pointed out, spending $3000 culled from church members on a raffle to try and “win” an AR from a raffle is outrageous. The members should send this idiot packing.
Or “picking”… 🙂
Since so many priests and ministers want to dabble in politics using church money perhaps it’s time to start taxing them.
Episcopal? Is that the kind of mind at the pulpit? I was thinking of going back to an Episcopal church. Won’t be this one! “Is the Pope Catholic?” Oh wait…….. these days he might be Muslim.
Interesting…
You’ve been out of the Episcopal Church a long time if you just now noticed some parishes hire complete morons as priests. Most of us don’t, no more than most other Christian sects place idiots in charge of their congregations. It’s been my experience, however, that the less a priest actually has to do within his own parish, the more mischief he can get into.
I hope the priest sees the report that recently came out. It shows that opioids are now killing more people than guns in the USA. I can’t wait to see what the law does when he buys $3g worth of heroin so he can symbolically turn it into… something???
Maybe he can buy $3000. of meth and have it turned back into sudafed lol…most of the lying crap he spewed out sounds like an echo from obama and hillary . he needs to do as the bible says and beat his plowshare into a sword…… Idiots.. The lot of em
I want to take a moment to speak to the Pastor here, as he surely will read all of these comments.
Are lying, cheating, and theft all sins? All of us here reading this realize that you “Sir”, have committed these sins in the process of making your “political” statement. You can feel good about what you did, but remember that you did as much bad as you did good here.
Stick to your day job. Hopefully your better at it.
This boneheaded priest (probably a Jesuit) can do whatever he wants with the gun. The important thing is that a gun Mfr. has 3Gs in their treasury. He’s probably bucking for bishop. Hopefully his socialist/Marxist pope (Francis) was told.
Article said he was an Episcopal priest. One of your fellow prognathous fundamentalist Protestants.
Reading comprehension not your strong point?
I’m a Fundamentalist, Pilgrim, and I suspect less of a bigot than are you.
\”Suspect\” all you want. I had no dog in the fight but do now after +30 years of being boneheaded pursuit and abuse – my wife, kids and myself – by such as yourself on how \”yer not SAY-YYVED lessen\’ yew know Jeebus lak we do.\”Bigot: \”a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (e.g., other religious) with hatred and intolerance.\”Look in a friggin\’ mirror…..
Now, now, “…do unto others…” I feel like you have sone personal issues with the Catholic Church there brother.
Thanks for letting us know you’re woefully ignorant as well as bigoted.
First, the term “prognathous” was a favorite pejorative of Nazi “race-scientists”, so we know what historical tradition informed your comments.
Second, the Episcopal Church of the United States is not a fundamentalist church. It belongs to the Anglican Communion, which encompasses both Anglo-Catholic and Protestant religious traditions.
Third, many congregations within the Episcopal Church are predominantly politically liberal. The Church has on various occasions spoken out for the rights of various minorities, and most recently been in vivid conflict with other churches in the Anglican Communion over the issue of gay rights.
So your calling Episcopalians “prognathous fundamentalist Protestants” shows you to be far gone in hatred of and bigotry toward others. You have absolutely no right or reason to look down on those who disagree with you – you’re an ignorant twit.
The Nazi’s used a word.
People use the word today.
Anyone who uses the word is a Nazi.
Wow…a real Aristotelean, you are. Syllo-gasming all over the page. Let me join you.
Lefties love the word ‘bigot.’
You say ‘bigot’ repeatedly.
You must be a leftie.
Lefties hate guns.
You must hate guns.
Why are you here? Trolling?
My comments were mainly addressed to your compadre who started this roil by insulting Catholics, wholly un-called for on a gun forum, and ignorant as the “priest” in question is not Catholic, something that seems to have escaped you in your defense of the prognathous (Sieg heil, y’all) one who started this exchange.
I note you addressed your screed solely against me, not at him. Therefore, you must be an anti-Catholic…bigot.
I don’t start these discourses, but I am wiling to engage.
You might as well call me ‘doodyhead’ as ‘bigot.’ Coming from an anonymous Internet source, it means about as much.
Use of “prognathus = Nazi? Quite a syllogistic leap, there, Wolfman. Suggest you crack a copy of Aristotelean Logic before you show your hairy palms in public again.
And angry…yeah, I am, and have reason to be. See my posts above. I shouldn’t have to put up with attacks on my faith on a firearms forum. Today, I got sucked in….my error. Good New Year’s resolution not to engage with adherents whose faith is defined mainly by what it’s against.
Merry Christmas….
Moron.
So yet another case where they don’t enforce criminal gun laws…the liberals want it both ways. Laws that apply to everyone except themselves. Typical.
On the other hand, he is free to buy whatever he wants and do with it what he wants – whether we agree or not with his actions. That freedom is what makes this Country great.
Excepting possibly the use of church funds – I think a parishioner has every right to question that and demand he repay the church those funds.
What a dumb sumbitch. All he proved is the ignorance and stupidity of libtards. People kill; not guns and not pick axes. Both are tools or weapons depending on the circumstance.
Spot on! My thoughts exactly! Liberalism truly is a mental illness,
Well, I guess he showed whomever,and he is know a legion in his own mind.
“he is know a legion”?
This is a trait of liberals—blame the gun , not the user. The $3000 of the “church’s” funds (not the priest’s personal funds), could have helped a number of poor families!——Oh, by the way, did anyone notice, a pick axe makes one hell of a close combat weapon?
Two things of note to clue one in on this libtard. Episcopal and Oregon.
Plenty of Episcopalians are conservative, or at least libertarian – not liberal, in any case..
While, apparently, you’re one of the minority of conservatives that feels comfortable slanging people for their religion.
I don’t understand spending $3000 in church funds just to gamble on winning an AR15 in a raffle. After all, there was no guarantee that even by buying that many tickets that he was going to win. The priest could have made the same expression of his beliefs by buying an AR for about $500, leaving $2500 of church funds that could go toward any number of deserving causes that could have put that amount of money to good use helping those in need.
Then the priest could have made that $500 AR into a pickaxe to advertise his beliefs, all the while leaving $2500 to do some real good for needy people at Christmas.
Besides, that AR would have never killed anyone. What these anti gunners will never seem to realize is that any gun is just a harmless piece of metal that will never kill anyone unless an evil person uses it to commit some evil crime.
*or a righteous person to stop some evil person using it to commit some evil crime.
For this Pastor’s information, obesity kills more people in this country each year than do assault rifles! It would’ve been a lot cheaper for him to make his point by melting down all knives and forks! He’s just another clueless and ignorant individual who is looking for his 15 minuets of fame by expounding on a topic he knows nothing about! Time for that parish to look for another pastor!
First, using church funds to further his own agenda was flat out wrong. Second, does he truly believe that firearm can never be used to kill someone? You cannot kill anyone with a pickaxe? When will folks realize that the gun is a tool and never animates itself to kill anyone. The person pulling the trigger or swinging the pickaxe is the one making that decision..!
Ramon Mercador used a pickaxe to murder Leon Trotsky after Trotsky fled to Mexico from assassins sent out by Stalin, so there’s abundant evidence that pickaxes as a class are potential implements of death.
I agree, too, that while one child remained poor in this man’s parish, Fr. Lucas had no business spending $3,000 on a political stunt. Definitely not what Jesus would do.
Well, that went well.
The kids maxed out their raffle earnings.
The Priest got to show-off with other peoples money.
The Blacksmith made a buck.
The media got a story.
DA wimped out.
American Free Enterprise and Politics at it finest.
And the media can not understand why people voted for Trump and against the “KoolAid” peddlers?
If he used his own money to do this, ok……. If he used church funds or donations of any type that isn’t right and is purely political, not only figuratively but literally. That is what politicians do, take and use others money in whatever way they deem appropriate whether all that paid agree with them or not. In todays American anti-church politics the priest is walking a thin line to losing his church’s non-profit status.
The guy’s an idiot, priest or not, stupid is stupid.AR’s went down to 400 yesterday, what the heck did he buy? Or did he pocket the money, and buy that thing from a hardware store.
Very misguided man. A gun is just a tool and as a person who professes to be a man of faith, he should know the problem lies within the hearts of people and not an inanimate object.
Completely concur, and to title the story with “Priest” (nothing on the writer) adds to it. Is easy to be charitable when it’s not your money! That money could build two homes in Nicaragua where guns are used for more nafarious purposes and the pick axe is used as intended. I know he’s making reference to Isaiah 2:4, but on building a home in Nicaragua see Matthew 25:45, or any other act of the sort. No, instead he’ll stand In front of the judgement seat and say as Steward of the church, see ‘The Parable of the bags gold’ Matthew 25:14-30, that he didn’t use the use the resources entrusted to him to benefit the least of his brethren.
Jesus Christ is the only real source of hope. As a Pastor he should know that. Then again, that explains the problem here.
I have a couple of old ARs I would like to sell him. Or better yet, I have a pick I will sell him for $2500.00
That guy sure has a lot of money to blow….
I have no problem with what he did, it’s their’s to do with what they want. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing, but the good thing is what he did is not going to cause government growth, that’s a good thing.
He’s wrong headed and doesn’t even see it. His comment it will never be used to kill anyone is just ignorant. They don’t mine AR’s out of the ground, they use metal in the exact same way he created a pic to create an AR. Someone could take this pic, melt it down and create another firearm.
It cost 150 raffle tickets, not 3000 unless each ticket cost 20 dollars. If each ticket did cost 20 and he gambled it to buy the weapon that cost just that amount, he is severely wrong headed.
Those who beat their swords (or guns) into plows (or pickaxes), will plow (or dig) for those who don’t!
MOLON LABE!!!
I guess it’s all in your perception of what is “evil”. For me , the AR-15 is a representation of freedom. As for the “garden tool” , it reminds me of thr hammer and sickle of Marxist communism.
I guess it’s all in your perception of what is “evil”. For me , the AR-15 is a representation of freedom. As for the “garden tool” , it reminds me of thr hammer and sickle of Marxist communism.
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those that don’t!
Since the gun was being raffled off to a law-abiding citizen, it’s highly unlikely that it was ever going to be used to kill kids on a playground anyways. This dumbass accomplished NOTHING
Two kinds of people , those without guns , they dig !!
“but the tongue who can bridle?”
That wagging piece of meat in his mouth [ 🙂 ] is the far more dangerous weapon. He would have made a more impactful point by having his mouth sutured shut.
Merry CHRISTmas fellow deplorables!
GOD bless the US and her American President Donald Trump!
MagnumOpUS………If you were here in Tampa, I’d give you a big hug! Love your comment……it was right on!! Merry Christmas to you and yours!! Ron……Ret. LEO….
Thank you for your kind comments, Brother Ron.
Thank you for your service to our magnificent nation!
While there are probably a few good priest, pastors, reverends etc it never ceases to amaze me how so many people react to these terms, priest, pastors, reverends etc as if they were saints. Every time I hear these terms I want to cringe and ask okay what the hell are you hiding? Just continue to watch the news, how about Wright, Sharpton, Jackson? Even violent and crooked Popes throughout history. While religions manage to help some to develop faith in their self , viewed the other way it gives religions faith in indoctrinating.
Spiritually gives hope, religions divide.
Now the Mexicans can use it to defend themselves from the cartels.by the way only orthodoxy and catholicism have “priests” this guy’s a minister.dont think this includes all of catholicism or orthodoxy.
Walt K needs to study history. Priests are not a Catholic or Orthadox monopoly. When Henry VIII who founded the Church of England retained the Catholic order and their Archbishops do ordain Priests. That this particular Priest is a publicity wannabe celiberty is not a debatable issue and the fact that the metals used are not all compatible and hardly enough to make a Maddox that cost after the blacksmith is paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,300.00 is something his bishop and congregation should investigate and hold the glory hound accountable for. That $3,000 might have helped a poorer person have a good Christmas or give some Laborers some food.. not very Christian.
Now the Mexicans can use it to defend themselves from the cartels
The poor misguided child of god…………..let him see the light.
A pointless gesture…
“it is not true that good can follow only from good and evil only from evil, but that often the opposite is true. Anyone who fails to see this is, indeed, a political infant.”
― Max Weber- June 14, 1920
Just made it an unregulated weapon that anyone can buy
Yup he just modified a firearm without a licence to do so and created an A.O.W. Throw the book at his dumbass.
Stupid is as stupid does,the previous comment about the misappropriation of church funds rankles me because at this time of year there are many out there who could have been fed and clothed with $3000 .Any church that supports such a cowardly cretin needs to go under.Free speech aside,there are other ways to protest things you don’t agree with.By the way my M4 cost far less then that 3000
Dumber than a pick axe.
Why waste the churches money on symbology.?
This is just another example of how liberal logic destroys the host.
I wonder if he got the blessings of his popeness before he did this and especially since he spent the people’s money given honestly by them to be used to run the churches business not making political statements. He should continue to do what he’s best at. Leading people astray
He’s Episcopalian not Catholic.
“Those who beat their swords into plowshares usually end up plowing for those who kept their swords.” – Benjamin Franklin
(Thumbs Up emoj here)
I guess he knew what he was talking about!
Franklin did not publicly speak out against slavery until very late in his life. As a young man he owned slaves, and he carried advertisements for the sale of slaves in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. … On April 17, 1790, just two months later, Franklin died in Philadelphia at the age of 84.
Luke 22:36. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
This man is an idiot. How far would 3 grand have gone to feed the less fortunate, to help someone within his own church in need, or helped fund a missionary?
Essentially it was a selfish act performed in order to seek attention for himself and I believe that falls under the category of “vanity.”
There are numerous verses in both the New and Old Testament supporting self defense.
Thou Shall Not Kill is one of the most misunderstood dictates of the 10 Commandments. Literally it means Thou Shall Not Murder, (to take someone’s life with malice, anger, and forethought.)
The Hebrew word translated as ‘kill’ or ‘murder’ in the 10 Commandments actually falls someone between the meaning of those two English words. It doesn’t forbid all killing, permitting self-defense, punishment for capital crimes, and warfare (as correctly noted). Not only does it cover murder, it also includes negligent killing. So causing an accident because of texting while driving would be an example of the kind of negligent killing that Commandment forbids.
I agree totally that this was wasteful grandstanding. The Bible does give a picture of turning weapons into tools for growing food:
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
— Isaiah 2:4
What he misses (or deliberately ignores) is that this will _only_ be the case after Jesus returns. (The “He” at the beginning of this verse.) Since weapons _won’t be needed_ at that time, they become a good source of raw materials. Does he think he can personally make this come about _before_ Jesus is ruling the Earth? If so, he thinks _far_ too highly of himself!
If he really wanted to show the picture given here, he could have spent a 100 bucks on a cheap sword and done the same process. They are kinda useless today already. And that can be a symbol of hope for what to look forward to, not something can be achieved on our own.
The Hebrew word used in the OT translates as murder.
“Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”
— Joshua 20:2–6
“Manslayer” in this passage is the same basic word. As I said, the meaning is broader than simply “murder”. When doing a translation where it is necessary to avoid long explanations of word meanings, “murder” is closer than “kill”, but not precisely accurate.
“…falls _someone_ between…”???
Ah, the joys of failing to proofread. It should say “…falls _somewhere_ between”.
Vehicles kill people too.
He can melt down his car, and turn it into an even bigger pickax.
Next up: Muslim Fanatic Kills Priest with Pickaxe
Ok kiddie-fiddler, impress me, now turn a $12.99 pick-axe into a $3000 AR-15
this priest can do what he wants but spending three grand on a gun is really stupid! and just how much metal can you smelt an AR into? the only metal would be from the barrel and if he made it into a pick ax it would have to be a damn small one and could never be used normally. if i were a member of his church i would be really pissed if my priest took 3k out of donations.
Very misleading title. He is NOT a Catholic priest.
Catholicism is not the only faith with “Priest”. It dennotes the authority of the office. Judge for yourself, is he executing the position entrusted to him accordingly.
The title doesn’t mention “Catholic” at all…
Wish folks would read this stuff before they get all exercised (or should I say “exorcised”) about this stuff.
What people fail to comprehend is that private ownership of firearms is the best example of FREEDOM. Furthermore when a man stabs another do we call it knife violence? Drunken driver kills people is it drunken violence? Inanimate object do NOT kill…. people do. And with almost 100% of all gun crime committed with illegally owned weapons, almost half of all gun murders (avg 11,000 annually) being black on black and mostly gang related is it a gun problem? It is estimated there are over 250 million guns in this country. Guns aren’t the issue… violent savage people are. And don’t limit the rights of law abiding citizens due to actions of a few. I wonder how the Libtards would respond if we wanted to limit the number of abortions a woman can have.
Boy he sure showed us! What a dumb@ss.
Lol Bill thank you for saying my words He is a true DUMBASS!!!!
I personally don’t have a problem with this. Anything that keeps a priest busy and not fingering young boys is fine by me. PRIEST is an acronym for Paedophile Ring In Every Small Town.
Why care, you got paid. I wouldn’t sell to churches of any kind. Too many problems. Just my opinion .
Welcome to the land of OreTards. Lake Oswego is the upper class enclave of Portland. Basically, liberals with a lot of money, sans the typical tattoos. They have lived in a bubble for so long that they have become sheep, easily led, stampeded, and slaughtered. The hood-rats feast on them and they have no clue how to defend themselves.
OK, you took the AR15 and made it into a garden tool…
That’s fine… After all its only metal and yes it can be used to kill someone who has “evil in their hearts”….
Rather than take the weapon away, maybe trying to take the evil out of a person’s heart is better…
There’s only one heart… But there are many other weapons out there…
I own many guns and have never killed anyone with mine… And I carried a gun every day for 26 years…
Just saying that it isn’t the weapon that kills… It’s the person and his soul that does…
If he wanted to unweaponise the tool he really shouldn’t have turned it until a heavy spiked blade, now it doesn’t even need ammunition to be violently misused.
So many other issues here with selfish human behaviour. Out of touch people, cluless and only concerned with how far the sounds of their-self patted back-are allowed to echo and boom! Church funds? Wow, unbeleivable hipocracy! And yet so proud, of what? The wooden handle, not part of any AR-15! And the implement that could be used as a weapon just as readily in a crime of passion? Not to jump to conclusions, but a weapon is anything *in any moment! Grow up and pull your pants on America! The real world is knocking
Maybe the priest should realize he’s an idiot. Then he should examine what his bible says about selling your robe to buy a sword. Stick to religion Padre, politics have no place in the pulpit.
Those who hammer their sword into plows will plow for those who didn’t.
Please, do never call this man a priest but a Pharisee! If he would be a real priest and would know about the Bible, then he would know that Christians have to be armed to defend themselves as well.
I always try to tell people the real meaning of what Jesus told to Peter, after he slashed the ear off one of the soldiers that were arresting Jesus. Jesus said to him: “Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.” So, even Jesus said that a bad guy that takes the sword first shall be stopped by another sword, ergo by a good guy with a gun.
This “priest” also forgot about the Maccabee books. Jesus and Christianity would have never existed, if Israel wouldn’t have defended itself with weapons and its fearless warriors that used them against the pagan invaders. Same with a guy that would defend his family with a gun today. It would be a much smaller scale but in the end, it is the same thing as well.
And we shall also not forget how Israel managed to go into the Holy Land when cities like Jericho and Ai stood in the way. They were ordered by God to destroy them. And how they followed the will of God? Yes, with weapons once again because otherwise it would have been impossible and if this would have never happened because they would have never had weapons, Israel would have never existed and Jesus and Christianity wouldn’t have too.
And we have another Pharisee fact about this so-called priest. A pickaxe might be originally a tool to work with but do you know how often these things have already been used for murder? A dozen of times already. That tool wasn’t always a friendly tool in human history.
That is one of the many reasons why I tell believers to follow God but don’t follow any church. They have too many liars that call themselves priests and follow the political agenda only, to secure their own position. You shall read the holy books always yourself and then follow them by yourself, if you want. But never listen to one priest of one community because they are all just humans but only God is the authority. They already told us too many lies. For example, they told us that it is forbidden to say His name Jahwe out loud, although He never stated so. He just said we shall just not misuse His name. I always call him Jahwe directly and He never has let me down. They told us also that it is not forbidden to eat pork and that the Old Testament is completely invalid for Christians but nowhere in the Bible you find a verse like that and even Jesus said that not even the smallest word of the scriptures will ever be made obsolete. Therefore, according to Jesus, we have to follow all the laws of Israel as well and it never has been stated what kind of animals Peter received on the plate that God gave to Him and told Peter that they are not unclean anymore. He never mentioned pork. It is stupid to me anyway that Christians follow the 10 commandments, which are a part of Israel’s laws, yet the rest of the Old Testament many Christians don’t even know about. I always tell people that are interested into the Bible to read it from the beginning to the end and not start with the New Testament. I needed 13 months when reading the Bible for the first time, starting with Genesis until the very last verse in the revelation. I never regret it.
Anyway, I think you get my opinion here. I do believe we are far away from God thanks to Pharisees like this man, that only follow the political agenda to secure their own power or at least receive fame from certain people. That is what the great Martin Luther fought against 500 years ago and we have to continue this fight like he did against all these Pharisees, therefore calling the problems directly by name and have no fear of any propaganda against us but inspire the people to follow God themselves. God is on our side but I am doubting that He is on the side with this so-called priest.
Yeah, I still can’t get the whole “liberal Christian” thing. Don’t get me wrong…..freedom of choice is what our country was founded on and I’ll fight to the death to defend it. But, be what you want to be, just don’t tell me I have to agree with or like it (and don’t think you are going to lie to God about anything). At the same time….don’t pervert something and/or redefine words to make everyone like your twisted choices……and don’t expect not to be offended or to get a trophy just for participating. Make your own choices…..just be honest and leave us law abiding, God fearing, gun toting Christians alone.
Exactly Draino! I am not against anyone that doesn’t like guns personally but I hate it if they use their position to make propaganda against the things other people like. This is not what liberty is about. You dislike something, fine but don’t tell me that your opinion is better than mine. This is not just about guns today but many other things as well, for example sexual orientation where gays tell me that they are actually better than me just because I am straight. Or people that are telling me that I shall stop playing certain video games because they see them as some kind of evil or whatever. And the fact that people like this priest even receive attention from the media by doing this is creating a perfect propaganda against liberty itself.
By the way, I am interested to see what this priest would do if a band of crazy ISIS guys is coming towards him. I bet he would pray to God for having an AR then because otherwise he would surely see God much earlier then he would have liked to.
Amen. The truth will set you free, but you have to search for the truth. God’s truth.
That’s why you need a three legged stool for Christianity; Scripture, Tradition, and the Magesterium. It was that way in the OT, otherwise ‘every plow boy and servant girl thinks they can interpret this (The Bible) for themselves’.
Exactly and that is, what I believe, the problem in any religion right now. Not just Christianity but every other religion too and that is why extremism spreads across the world like madness (not just from Islam unfortunately). I personally have thought about of joining the Evangelic church years ago but refused to do so, after I’ve learned how much they lean to the government and far away from their actual faith in my country, Germany. This is a very big topic and unfortunately I am afraid I would go offtopic when I keep writing about it. In the end, everyone has to find his/her own way when it comes to religion (to be honest with you, I personally would never follow any Magesterium) but I personally could never join any community because of people like this. I’m not trying to say that there are no good priests and theologists out there but today it is hard to find someone that sticks to his/her faith, rather then to the government or common political agenda as soon as they receive a piece of power and authority within their community.
Seems to me the Episcopalian priest referenced above would trace his ecclesiastical and theological roots back to \”the Great Martin Luther.\” Might\’ve understandably slipped by you….
AK, what I meant was the fact that the priest obviously did this in public for a reason, otherwise he wouldn’t have spent so many bucks on it. He wanted to make propaganda against guns in general, blaming them that they are dangerous tools, as if a pickaxe wouldn’t be dangerous in the wrong hands and therefore trying to go with the political agenda that is still existing right now (hopefully from January on it will end). During the time of Martin Luther, the Roman-Catholic church also tried to tell the people what’s good and what’s not and used many lies in doing so and told the people the wrong things with completely invented “facts”. They told them that they have to pay for these letters of indulgence so that they will not end up in Hell, yet God doesn’t need money from us but He wants our love and trust in Him. Today, we know that guns are NEVER the issue in a shooting but mental illnesses, bullying, social pressure etc. are. Yet, priests like this one, no matter what branch, are trying to tell the people what is good (pickaxe) and what is evil (gun), although they are obviously wrong. That is what Martin Luther was going against and that is why I mentioned him.
Pal, I hear ya. This is supposed to be a site where we talk guns. But everytime a subject like this comes up it brings the inbred Catholic-bashing microcephalics out of the woodwork. Sometimes I don\’t get sucked in…today I did. Lesson to me….so thanks for the civil response. Merry Christmas.
Don’t worry, no bashing will come from me, at least I try it as good as I can and yes, I also have problems of getting off-topic from time to time but that Pharisee we are upset about didn’t left me any chance. 😉 I wish you and your family also a Merry Christmas!
And Cane killed Able with the jawbone of an ass.
Actually, Cain used a rock. It was Samson who used a jawbone, and that was to kill 1,000 enemies.
Anything can be used as a weapon. If this guy actually understood his source material (the Bible) he would know that. It is what is in a man’s heart that makes the difference, not the tool he uses or misuses.
I hope he discloses to the members of his church and all those that donated that he wasted 5x more of their money than necessary to make his political statement.