A church in downtown Regina has fenced off its property, blocking access to those who had long sought sanctuary on the front steps. The church says the risk of fire was too great to allow the homeless to remain there.

It’s unfortunate that it has come to this but we’ve experienced four fires around the church property since June and the Board of Trustees had met. They have decided to protect the property belonging to the church,” Barb Shourounis, board chair for Knox Metropolitan Church said.

Some others feel it points to the desperation.

“Imagine sleeping like that underneath the church to feel safe. It must be rough, like people after you or whatnot,” Peterson’s friend Leon Clifford Cummings said.

  • mosscap@slrpnk.netEnglish
    39·
    1 year ago

    I’m going to start a petition to make Christians stop saying that they follow Jesus. Caring for property above the needs of the unhoused is blasphemy.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
      3·
      1 year ago

      If I read the bible more I’m sure I could find a passage about squandering something now and having nothing later. Like “Robbing Dave to pay Doug” or something.

      Is there something in there about “if you’re a shit guest you don’t get to stay there anymore”?

      Yeah, Luke10:7 can be a metaphor for taking more than given. Proverbs 25:17 - not ezekiel - says maybe don’t overstay your welcome.

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.worldOP
        10·
        1 year ago

        How about Matthew 22: 36-40?

        “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

        Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

        Loving your neighbour as yourself means you don’t block them from land they’ve been using as their home.

      • Windex007@lemmy.world
        28·
        1 year ago

        1 Corinthians 6:19-20

        “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

        Jesus sacrificed his life (his body) for the undeserving sinners of the world. If his body was a temple also, then I think there is a strong argument to be made that the service of others at the cost of damaging a temple is the trade Jesus made.

        And if we (Christians) are called to act like Christ, then I think we’re on the hook for that.

        And, even without that, if you even just came at it from a WWJD perspective… “Hey Jesus, we got some poor hungry cold homeless people up in here, what should we do?” I think “build a fence to keep them out” isn’t even close.

      • SuperbEnglish
        26·
        1 year ago

        Bring them inside! It’s a church for gods sake, they can find a way to aid these people

      • deft@ttrpg.network
        25·
        1 year ago

        Maybe give them a place to have fires lol. You’re a church you don’t pay taxes and your religion calls on you to take care of the unhoused

      • Guns4Gnus@lemmy.ca
        21·
        1 year ago

        Hey, if they want to make shit harder on the homeless, they should at least admit that they don’t give a fuck about the teachings of the person they claim to worship.