Posted on 08/16/2007 7:37:08 AM PDT by WesternCulture
A church in southern Sweden has refused to allow a wireless broadband antenna to be installed on its tower, after fears were raised that parishoners would stay home surfing for porn instead of attending services.
The proposal to install broadband equipment at the church in Hylletofta, 200 kilometres east of Gothenburg, would have brought high speed internet access to the community, where residents currently have to struggle with dial-up connections.
But the Church of Sweden decided that the ability to download high quality images and videos could harm the morals of the local population.
"The diocese has formally taken the position that this type of equipment would cause trouble, and could even lead to some people not coming to church," said Torbjörn Sjögren, curator for the Diocese of Växjö, to TV4 Jönköping.
Sjögren denied that the church's position amounted to censorship:
"You can't interpret it like that," he said.
The Local has tried to contact a diocese spokesperson for a comment.
James Savage
Sounds odd, but I guess they know their parishioners.
If you have the kind of parishioners that surf for porn...do you want them to come to church?
Sad to say, but in most large churches these days, it’s necessary to do a background check on children’s workers in the Sunday School, or nurseries, to prevent having a predator come in and volunteer for a job in the children’s ministries.
Or the church might believe that currently parishoners with dial-up are starting too download a porn video, then attending services and getting home about the time the video finishes downloading. Where, if they have broadband, the videos will download so fast they may skip services...
On the other hand, (no pun intended) with broadband they could download their porn, finish their uhhmm business, and still make it to service on time.
Somehow, I think that 'watching porn' on Sunday mornings would just be added to an already lengthy menu of reasons not to attend. This is Europe, after all. (The US doesn't appear to be too far behind.)
Yes, because you can’t do the same with dail-up. What genuises - these are the same kind of people who probably think your phone can catch a virus if it’s hooked to your tower.
Well even if their parishoners didn’t stay home, certainly people would use that connection to do that sort of activity... so the church made the right call.
The church should never have opened this can of worms. Now when people go by the church and hear the congregation shout “Oh God I’m coming”, they’ll wonder.
No Lutheran church needs another diet of worms. /terrible pun
“Isn’t this the same outfit that punishes its preachers for speaking the Biblical truth against homosexuality?”
- Yes it is. The Church of Sweden welcomes homosexuals and the pastors of The Church of Sweden are not allowed to condemn homosexuality while “at work”.
- Yes, that’s actually what the main stream, PC, Christians of Sweden are saying.
As far as I know, a pastor don’t run the risk of being fired from The Church of Sweden for calling homosexuality a sin etc, but such preachings won’t exactly work wonders for his or her career and superiors will try and correct any such ‘freethinker’.
This is remarkable as the Bible doesn’t condemn pornography (which existed even thousands of years ago in the form of dirty drawings/paintings), while it clearly denounces homosexuality.
I think they are looking at this the wrong way. With the atenna right on the church, their churchmembers can surf for porn right there at the church where the signal is strongest.
That would bring attendance UP.
This is similar to the fears of homosexuality being accepted in society, that lowering restraints unleashes inborn perversion in the flock. Evidently, without someone telling us what to do, we’d all go feral.
- In Sweden of today, homosexuality is being encouraged while all sorts of attacks on traditional male behavior, attitudes and values are welcomed by the establishment (journalists, politicians, intellectuals and different influential organizations like the unions).
It ought to be the other way around.
I’m not advocating persecution of gay people, but society in general should try to inspire homosexuals to marry and have children just like anyone else. This often occurred in the past and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Deep inside every homosexual individual, there’s a bisexual person trying to get out - and that’s at least a start.
"Look, but don't touch." has become "Touch, but don't look.".
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