GREENSBURG, Ind. — An Indiana church is on lock down and its pastor has left for an undisclosed location after a video recording surfaced this week of a toddler singing an anti-gay song at the church altar, that included the lyrics, “Ain’t no homo going to make it to heaven.”
Pastor Jeff Sengl and wife Julie
Members of the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Ind., on Wednesday told media outlets that the church’s office has been receiving harassing calls and its pastor received death threats at his home since the video was posted on several LGBT blogs and subsequently went viral.
In the video, church Pastor Jeff Sangl can been seen in smiling and nodding in approval behind the unidentified youth.
Church members can be seen applauding and cheering the toddler as he sings the anti-gay verse — “I know the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong- Romans 1 and 27, ain’t no homo going to make it to heaven” — with one person shouting, “That’s my boy!”
Click to watch video:
According to some congregants, a prayer meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening at church was moved to a secret location, and church members also said that Sangl, accompanied by his wife, abruptly left on vacation to an undisclosed location out of concern for his safety.
Criticism from LGBT activists has been swift, prompting the church to post this statement on its website:
The Pastor and members of Apostolic Truth Tabernacle do not condone, teach, or practice hate of any person for any reason. We believe and hope that every person can find true Bible salvation and the mercy and grace of God in their lives.
We are a strong advocate of the family unit according to the teachings and precepts found in the Holy Bible. We believe the Holy Bible is the Divinely-inspired Word of God and we will continue to uphold and preach that which is found in scripture.
Noted author Anne Rice, whose son Christopher is openly gay, posted the video to her Facebook page, writing, “In this country, Christians can teach toddlers to hate and to persecute, and we, through the automatic tax exemption for churches, foot the bill.”
Author Dan Savage, a gay rights advocate and co-founder of the “It Gets Better Project,” wrote in his column Wednesday:
“The Apostolic Truth Tabernacle is in Greensburg, Indiana. That’s the town where Billy Lucas was bullied to death for being perceived to be gay by his classmates. I wonder if they stood up and cheered at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle when Lucas died—hey, another homo in hell.
I wonder if any of Lucas’s tormenters attend services at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle. And remember: I’m an anti-Christian bully for pointing out the connection between what straight kids are taught about ‘homos’ in the shithole mega-churches they’re dragged to by their parents and what they turn around and do to ‘homos’ they encounter in classrooms. And what if that precocious little four-year-old singer is gay? Praise the Lord and pass the barf bags.”
TMZ reported Wednesday that despite the threats, all the members they spoke to had no regrets about the song getting posted online — in fact one said, “The people who are upset just don’t read the word of God. If we don’t teach the children the truth early they will never learn.”
Update: “To my knowledge, there are no death threats at this time,” Decatur County Sheriff Gregory Allen told Fox News on Thursday.
Allen said that Sangl, who has left town and could not be reached for comment, contacted the department and asked him to keep an eye on the church’s property following the surfacing of the video.
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I don’t know if I want to laugh or just be disturbed by this…
you can run but you cant hide bastard!
Little bit of both.
Thats Rude as Hell Teaching a kid that shit Not Right At All
That last sentence….
I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
I’ll settle for disturbed more than amused at this point…ugh
Its not funny at all.
smh…
such hateful people. you know who’s going to hell…. and it’s not us. God made us this way :)
How disgusting…
:’(
Disgusting
when did religion turn into gay bashing? i am so confused soooo lost
hopefully someone with some sense will hear this and get those kids out of ther
-_-
One of the saddest things I’ll ever read…
Maybe”we” should build an electrified fence and put all the hate mongers, brain washers and bully pastors and congregations in there!
how could anyone let there child do thid..
**this
they seem to be in competition with north carolina for weirdest state in the nation.
smdh dhat shyt so sad its funny
zero fences!
Red neck in the making..
Well, I guess “Uncle” Jack won’t be doing her make-up or hair for Toddlers and Tiaras.
I have read the bible numerous time and.
I find no hate in the bible anywhere nor.
the authority to judge others. What book
are they reading?
It’s just depressing
its just sad thats how bullying starts the parents shouldnt b teaching there kids that
Run you hateful piece of garbage!
I thi9nk I’m going to vomit
Lmao thts wat he gets
Everyone be the better person don’t let things like this get to you. Be true to yourself and live life for you not anyone else
I don’t understand why CPS doesn’t step in. That is pure child abuse and neglect to be teaching preschoolers to hate. Makes me sick to my stomach to think that those children could grow up to be bullies and cause more teen suicides.
That’s what most hate filled christians believe. And they wonder why they cant convert people? I wont have any part of thier brainwashing religion
what year is this? 2012? we are past this childish S***. what happend to song like “jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world”?
this is just sad
Anyone check the Unstable Bar in Meinrad, Indiana? Maybe he and Santorum are having a commissary loves company, round!
The sad thing is that the little boy probably didn’t even know what he sang!
HA! jokes on you, I believe in reiencarnation.
when adults turn right and wrong into conscription of their children, it is the same ol story, say what i say, do what i do, believe what i believe,and they have no idea what is being done to them, or even what they are saying.
Really now Toddlers are being taught the hatred and bigotry by the adults. Find to be very sad indeed that the world is coming to this
I think what’s even worse than what this child is ‘preaching’ but that the morons in the congregaton are all on their feet applauding his taught hatred. Disgusting.
it will be interesting twenty year for now what that child might be thinking!!!!shame shams shams on the parent that taught hin that!
WOW
UN-BE-LIE-VA-BLE… I think this calls for being really, REALLY disturbed. Even if I try to see it with humor, the people standing in ovation right after the outrightgeous verse is making it really difficult.
These people are insane! Teaching babies hatred, sickens me, I say We, the American People should end the Tax Exemption on Religious Institutions in this country. Since they can get away with instituting their children to bigotry. Isn’t condemnation of the Gay Rights Movement politcally listed? So, in that senario shouldn’t the gov’t sieze their tax exemption? Oh but I bet they’d scream and cry, “WE’RE BEING PERSECUTED, WHERE’S THE RAPTURE!!!”
If true, death threats does not help the cause for equal rights.
I think the people who raise the child are unfit to be parents. They’re in a house of god insighting hate?? Makes no sense to me at all. The poor child is not to blame he/she is only doing what the adults have clearly said is right. But social services should be called in and the child should be removed from these homophobic people. It makes me laugh, I thought god loved us all no matter how different after all didn’t he create us? Who is a pastor to tell people they’re wrong. He job is to deliver gods word and peace. Making comments and having kids singing homophobic hate songs is not doing the job a pastor claims god sent him to do. Terrible this is. I’m gay and PROUD and won’t let anyone tell me I’m wrong. :-).
thats so sad :(
thats just a sad travesti
I just feel so sad for that little boy :-(
… “The people who are upset just don’t read the word of God. If we don’t teach the children the truth early they will never learn.” I wonder if they’ve ever bothered to read those parts like “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” or “Judge not, lest ye be judged”?
T-T
I hope “his boy” grows up to be a strong, independent, powerful gay man with truth on his lips and the rest of the world at his fingertips.
don’t fight hate with hate. only love can conquer hate.
And adults/parents insist to teach their kids not to be bullies, yet the adult here went right ahead and played the role of a bully,but of course wasn’t even responsible enough to do it himself, rather pray it on some bystander,in this case the child, just to make it seem less obvious. I say that is the worst kind of bully.
Well, clearly, hatred and bigotry is taught early. So sad. And people wonder why I’m not fond of organized religion.
taken right off the church’s website “Welcome to Apostolic Truth Tabernacle – where our doors are open to you regardless of your background or where you are on your spiritual journey.
“…….unless your background includes homosexuality…..it disgusts me to live 45 minutes from this town…..almost makes me want to organize a protest in the parking lot.
to all of you who have referenced the bible as being no hate-who cares MEN WROTE THE BIBLE -NOT GOD-he doesn’t write anything
that is just messed up
Hateful Liars!! This is child abuse, and I hope this pastor runs away and never comes back. Really sad, and scary that people think this way and teach it to innocent children :’(
Truth time here, we are living in Hell already you Bigoted little boy(Mom n Dad are so proud not wait thats Mom n Dad HATE) any way “Our” names are written in the book careful not to get urs erased .
Good. Hopefully he got pushed down the stairs.
if they really believed they were in Gods favour why dont they believe he would protect them
WOW! These fools have stepped to a new low. Teaching kids ignorance by singing “Aint no homo goin to make to heaven”. This is starting to get out of hand. Can that be considered a form of child abuse? Of course not. But a good parent who spanks their kid for doing something wrong, will get child protective services on them in a heart beat… Corrupting a childs mind is more of an offense on humanity that anyone’s sexuality. These back woods ignorant fools need to have their kids taken away from them before they raise them into becoming serial killers.
Those people are just fucked up in the head!!!!
The seeds you sow will be the harvest you reap.
tedious just stupid……..
He’ll be safe in Kansas
So many lost, uneducated, and brainwashed people…….maybe someday they will see the lies in the bible
On youtube they submitted the location, e-mail, and phone number of the church.
I think it’s right that he fled, because I think what’s gonna be coming to them wont be pretty.
I’m sorry, I cannot find it in me to argue with a person who starts off, “Ain’t no…”
Ain’t no dumb fuck Christian getting into Heaven. Maybe, if I ever have a kid, that’s what I’ll teach them to sing. Fucking Christians ruin everything, spread hate, and generally suck.
What could gay parents do to corrupt a child that these straight parents haven’t already done? Gay couples can’t have kids without outside help, but that makes them equal if not better parents, because they really WANTED that child, and had him or her, despite the societal pressures. They write being gay off as some kind of cult, yet they’re the destructive “recruiters.” What kinds of things did THEIR parents teach THEM that actually convinces them that they’re in the right?
I love that the pastor ran. What a coward.
I live in Indiana and have no words to describe how sick this story made me.
Shame on false pastors!!!! God and Jesus is Love us! God only judge on us period!!!!! that’s why I don’t trust false pastors or their false christian churchs!! Damn Fake Pastors!!
The church’s voice mail is full (no surprises there) but I left them a loving challenge to consider the hurt to their youth by their applauding such a sad taught (and no doubt coached) behavior.
As an aside, I have to wonder if churches like this one are almost wanting to receive negative attention when these horrid tapes come out. Is it like a frustrated child who is screaming for help and doesn’t have the ability to garner positive affirmation? While the behavior and doctrines may be ‘childish’ they can be deadly and they put all of us at risk.
Ouch
I’m a Christian and it hurts me and makes me ashamed to see things of this nature. They are not representatives of all Christians nor do they speak what we all believe. Unfortunately, a lot of people will judge us by our worst offenders.
They merely twist the words and preach them from their own obscured perspective. God, Jesus, and the Trinity do love everyone. I’m not expecting to convert anyone here nor is that my goal. I’d enjoy having a rational conversation with anyone who wants it privately, but my goal here is to just ask that you don’t make broad assessments based on the bad apples of a group. In my case, if it wasn’t for my church when I was in high school and their support of me, I would probably have killed myself and been another statistic.
That video was disturbing!!!
Looks like the cowards shut down their FB page. It was filled with comments from people protesting this garbage. So, hooray for that. The pastor fled. What a brave, brave man.
It is heart breaking to see people take a sweet little youngster like that and poison his mind that way…just pathetic and SAD!! I think these idiots are going to have one heck of a surprise waiting for them on Judgment day!
omfg its a child teach them how to treat others with respect, teach them how to sing abc’s, dont teach them how to hate and disrepect another persons life.
pretty sure being LGBT isn’t really a defining aspect of getting into heaven, i don’t know why These Christians spend so much damn time on one TINY thing that was in the bible, that CHRIST, didn’t even TALK ABOUT. (ya know, Christ, CHRISTian) I thought anything in the N.T precedes the old, s0so0o0. how about stop picking and choosing what to preach, and preach the actual things that will ‘get you into heaven’. like, oh idk, building the kingdom of god by loving and serving others? That outcasts in society have a special place in heaven (op) That it’s more about how loving and helping we are to others than who was gay or who wasn’t -.- It’s not even affecting them is the worst part.
I agree with the REM song “Losing my Religion” because of tactics like this……I am safe to say I am a Lesbian more so than I am a Christian.
COWARDS!
Sickening how molding the minds of young criminals in the making is depicted as a way of living according to the bible. This is where bullying begins in churches like these!! Now we have an example of living proof! BUSTED!!!!!!
death threats to the Pastor and his family are wrong. Supporters of gay rights can not stoop to the level of homphobic bigots, but should instead rise above their hate. Yes we should voice of disapproval however tolerance needs to be a two way street.
So sad :(
They lie and the truth is NOT in them! This made me cry… I just want to vomit!
Children are not born with hate in their hearts, it has to be learned! Gow shameful!
Christian church??? I don’t think so!!
i am gay and i dont fear god but i do fear most of “his or her” followers
Wow and they say gays can’t parent haha look at how you raise your children! Your a disappointment to the human race!
I don’t hate him or wish the same for him: We aren’t the ones to decide this, a real relationship with God tells me this.
I dont think this is a life that i choose for myself it is the life that God gave me to live and to make the best of it Iwill do that to my very best and when I stand before my church every Sunday morning and bring fourth the message of Gods Love for all of us . I will have my CHurch to pray for these PASTORS that are teaching HATE Rev Dr John m Elder United Christian Faith Church
Ok you know I am a Christian and when people say horrible things like fuck Christians, it hurts. I support gay and lesbian marriage and lgbt community. Not all Christians are strict, old school ones. Just saying you might want to reconsider using the word Christians with something less general like idk homophobic Christians or traditional Christians. I would never tell two people who love each other that they can’t be together cuz it’s against the bible or they won’t get into heaven. That’s crazy! Especially since catholic priests who play with little boys think they’re still getting into heaven. Idk I’m just saying not ALL Christians are bad and against lgbt
My people, look on and see clearly: they are afraid of us. They know we have the numbers and we have the eyes and ears of a nation scrutinizing them in as many numbers as they have brutalized us in yesteryear. For the first time, there is a full set of pieces on both ends of the chessboard.
We press on. The advantage is ours.
These KKKristians are equivalent to child molesterers! These bastards need to be put in jail!
Christianity is for uneducated people… The truth is out there….
Wow idk why I bother commenting, nobody seems to take into consideration anything of what I said. I give up. There’s no point in commenting anymore.
Doesn’t this church have better things to teach the children about? I’m a Hindu and when I was their age I went to temple to learn about how wrong it is to lie and cheat and steal and put others through pain. I also learned how to be a good friend/neighbor and do my part in the community. I have Christian friends who were taught the same things at Church. O have times changed!
Hope he does not flee anywhere around me!
I believe it’s time to remove the TAX EXEMPT status from these churches that teach hatred . It should take only 1 incident documented to remove the status. Once it’s removed they have no chance of TAX Exempt status for 10 years, that can give them time to prove they have changed
Is the good pastor lying about the death threats?
They re coming to lock his ass up next!!! He should run like a dog. I while have been there and said, I’m going to ask all of you to move your car. They ask why, because you re leaving.
This is truely sad… makes me very upset, and angry that this is happens.. However what is just as upsetting, as we protest this kind of hatred, and as we say we stand for love and acceptance, There are just as many hateful comments posted here. Just an observation.
Run hide you jerk! Children are born with no hate in their hearts. Hate is tought by society! Thou shalt not judge others is also in the bible!
thats horrible for teaching that child that song
This kind of stuff runs rampant in Indiana. I’ve put up with people who do this kind of stuff most of my life growing up. It’s disgusting and it’s very damaging. Greensburg is very close to where I grew up. I wish this shocked me but it doesn’t (pisses me off, but doesn’t surprise me.) People who teach crap like this should have their children taken away from them, they don’t deserve them…
this was utterly disgusting!
The poison that is the church,gets passed down to the next generation,if there was a heaven,la la land,and it was full of ass holes from the church,I would choose the alternative!!!!!
While I believe this child is being abused for being taught hate, I also believe that death threats are irresponsible. No one should threaten another person’s life for any reason. Now, mail, email, boycotts, etc. Those are fine and I am all for it! Tax exempt? Yes, take that away when preachers stand on the pulpit and discuss voting, politics, law changes, etc. I know that would mean a type of government organization that would have to watch those things, but hey, it’s either that or the churches being allowed to continue to create and form governmental policy on the pulpit.
what his chruch promotes hate, and then is surprised it is given back tenfold to him…..
i hope the pressure grows on this group of trash i dont care what it takes to break this so called church
I am not convinced that the pastor received death threats. It most likely is another ploy to use the media to continue demonizing the LGBTQ community.
It’s no surprise to me that Christian churches are unpopular in the gay community with congregations like this one. Yikes!
The sherrif’s office says that “the pastor” didn’t report any death threats . . . .
These types of people need to get out more. In the words of Gandhi: “I love your Christ but I hate you Christians, for you Christians don’t follow the actions of Christ.”
Is he afraid his God cannot protect him from Satan’s minions such as me? Some true believing Christian.
Hope he has to keep running, the disgusting vile coward. He deserves no peace.
“Ain’t no homo going to make it to heaven”, but, there’s a pastor who thinks he could be headed there sooner than expected.
so he should! he is no man of God!!
Hmm I wonder who blessed him and his congregation?
What? They are afraid of us prissy lil faggots?? LOL