Okay, this is way too weird.

To teach his young parishioners about religious persecution, the minister at the inappropriately named Glad Tidings Assembly of God, had them kidnapped.  At damn gunpoint.

The Minister

Teenagers at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Middletown, Pa., were surprised when they attended a youth group meeting at the church on March 21 and were ambushed by what seemed to be real kidnappers.

Adults, including an off-duty cop, brandished weapons and put bags over the heads of the children, ages 13 through 18, and forced them into a church van. The group was driven to the home of an assistant pastor, who was presented before the group with a seemingly bloodied and bruised face, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo.

One of the adults used a real AK-47, though the gun was unloaded, Chardo said.

Personally, I think they  just wanted to see teenagers wet their pants.

Exactly where in the Bible does it say, “Scare the holly crap out of kids in Jesus’ name, amen.”

The pastor, John Lanza, told the news station that the teens were not let in on the truth “to secure the shock value of it and to make it much more real because those who are threatened don’t have a warning. It was a youth event to illustrate what others have encountered on a regular basis.”

Exactly where are these “others” who have their trusted minister hold a gun in their faces and terrify them?  I wanna know because, dammit, I’m gonna go whip his butt in Thelma’s name.

Thanks to Ralph for the heads-up.