The Auburn, Indiana church that was kicked out from its building for posting an anti-LGBTQ sign responded to Indiana ABC affiliate WPTA 21 on Saturday, maintaining that it practices tolerance, and suggesting that those who support LGBTQ causes or are LGBTQ themselves are the ones who are prejudiced against other people’s beliefs, specifically their own.
On Saturday, the Inquisitr reported about the sign outside Auburn, Indiana’s Remnant Fellowship Church, which gained attention late last month for its sign that told churchgoers being LGBTQ is a “hate crime against God.” This sign earned the ire of numerous townspeople, who felt that it promoted intolerance, and even one Christian pastor who referred to the message as being “combative.” One particular resident had taken the initiative to change the sign so that it read “Remnant Fellowship Church Stay Open Minded,” though as noted, the church quickly restored the original message in time for a local TV network’s report.
Shortly after the controversy first arose, a Remnant Fellowship Church pastor told WPTA 21 that the message was placed to encourage the youth to stay away from a “lifestyle they believe is harmful to them.” But on Saturday, the church doubled down on its previous comments, telling the same network that it is open-minded when it comes to the beliefs of other people, and accusing LGBTQ individuals and their supporters of being the ones who are intolerant toward their own beliefs.
A separate report from Fort Wayne, Indiana-based WANE suggested on Friday that the church appeared to have vacated the premises and taken the sign away. When asked by WPTA 21 about the matter, the Remnant pastor refused to comment on whether it will be relocating to another venue following its forced eviction.
Church that put out anti-LGBTQ sign appears to have vacated building – WANE: WANE Church that put out anti-LGBTQ sign appears to have vacated building WANE AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) – Remnant Fellowship Church appears to have vacated the building at 690 North… https://t.co/RSG9WSyzHt pic.twitter.com/4Akf9xwZLo
— CHURCH DAILY NEWS (@Church4u2) July 7, 2018
Although Remnant Fellowship Church is not the only church of its kind to earn controversy for spreading anti-LGBTQ messages, recent reports have suggested that there are other churches that are willing to embrace the LGBTQ community and apologize for any words or actions that might have been hurtful to its members.
Earlier this week, CBS News reported on the recent appearance of the Church of Freedom in Christ Ministries at a recent Pride march in Marikina City, Philippines, where members held up signs that apologized for the ways Christians had “harmed” and “rejected” the LGBTQ community in the past, and said sorry for invoking “family values” and the Bible to justify their past homophobia. The gesture was appreciated by the Pride march’s attendees, many of whom got emotional and burst into tears after reading the signs.
