Cyber church reacts to 'Satan' visitWednesday, May 19, 2004 Posted: 8:12 PM EDT (0012 GMT)
LONDON, England (AP) -- Britain's first three-dimensional cyber church has been forced to tighten security after a slew of abusive visitors ranted from the pulpit and swore in the aisles.
The Church of Fools said Wednesday it has withdrawn the "shout" button, which allows visitors to address everyone who is present, and added more wardens, who use a "smite" button to log out people who use abusive language. The apse area, including pulpit, lectern and altar have also been closed to visitors.
The church said the first two days of the site, which launched last week, had been very noisy; in one case, a person logged in as Satan, entered the pulpit and started to blaspheme.
The church, complete with a stained glass window, gothic arches, pews, and a crypt, is sponsored by the Methodist Church and run by Ship of Fools, a campaigning online Christian magazine.
Church spokesman Stephen Goddard compared the difficulties with early problems faced by the evangelist John Wesley, who founded Methodism in the 18th century.
"When Wesley started off all those years ago preaching to the unconverted, he was shouted at, spat at and abused and people brayed like donkeys to put him off preaching," Goddard said.
"When you go out into a different culture first you are going to suffer abuse. We are not worried about it and it does not offend us."
Probably just some raving atheist a**holes in a fit of pique that (gasp) some people still believe in God. You know what? I've come up with a name for them, in order to distinguish them from the kinder, thoughtful atheists who don't go around obnoxiously insulting the religious beliefs of everyone they come in contact with and then wonder why nobody cares about them.
Henceforth, obnoxious athiests shall be known as "ath-holes."
Posted by Thief at May 20, 2004 12:44 PM