Well surprise surprise, it seems that our good Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida has an ugly history of intolerance and religious bigotry. Burning the Koran is just the latest act of hatred by this wackjob.
According to an article in Der Spiegel, Pastor Jones was expelled from his church in Cologne Germany last year for among other things 'spiritual abuse', 'hate-filled sermons' and 'insistence on blind obedience.'
Why am I not shocked. More not so shocking details below
Jones, a former hotel manager who obviously got his pastor license from a Cracker Jack box, is known for among other things writing a book "Islam Is of the Devil." Prior to starting the Dove World Outreach Center, Jones was the pastor at an evangelical church, the Christian Community in Cologne, Germany since the 80's. That is until last year, when the members of his church booted him for being an extremist. In addition there was suspicions of financial irregularities during his time there. So not only was this guy a wacko but a crook to boot.
Here's more from Der Spiegel
A "climate of fear and control" had previously prevailed in the congregation, says one former member of the church who does not want to be named. Instead of free expression, "blind obedience" was demanded, he says.
Various witnesses gave SPIEGEL ONLINE consistent accounts of the Jones' behavior. The pastor and his wife apparently regarded themselves as having been appointed by God, meaning opposition was a crime against the Lord. Terry and Sylvia Jones allegedly used these methods to ask for money in an increasingly insistent manner, as well as making members of the congregation carry out work.
So basically this guy instilled the fear of god into church members, demanded they do what he said, including giving money which he then allegedly absconded with. Real classy.
He was so abusive that former church members are undergoing therapy as a result of 'spiritual abuse.' He urged the parents to beat their children with rods, conducted brainwashing, tried to get a homosexual member to 'pray away his sins' and as the years went by increasingly engaged in sermons against Muslims.
Finally in 07 the members of his church had enough and worked on changing direction and last year gave him the boot. He went from a church with up to 1,000 members to one of 50. According to a Protestant Church official in Germany, Jones is
a fanatic who is courting global media attention because he couldn't cope with the "immense loss of power and significance."
Personally I think he's just another in a long line of hatefilled evangelical wackjobs who needs to be exposed for what he is, condemned, ridiculed and then forgotten. For someone who is having a hard time coping with "immense loss of power and significance" nothing would be more damaging to his psyche than to be rendered completely insignificant and powerless. Hopefully after that he will give up and go back to managing hotels.
Update Today on the Thom Hartmann Show, Pastor Jones stated he'd reconsider his book burning if the Muslims would reconsider the Mosque at the WTC site. Because burning a sacred religious text is akin to building a prayer chapel in a 10,000 sq ft recreation center a few blocks and out of sight of the WTC in an abandoned building that was bought for LESS THAN $5 MIL IN LOWER MANHATTAN!!!
You know you're in the wrong when even Joe Lieberman says you're wrong.