This is one of the strangest quotes I’ve seen in a news story concerning pro-life murder victim James Pouillon. And to make matters worse it comes from a Baptist pastor.
I’m perfectly willing to admit that I’m getting this wrong. I actually hope I am. But do these comments from the pastor of a local Baptist Church who knew James Pouillon strike you as odd. Creepy even?
According to the CS Monitor:
Doug Levesque, the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church outside Owosso, says he is already sensing “a solidarity of spirit” among people in the city, population 15,000, who share different points of view on abortion.
“I think people are [saying] ‘this is just craziness’. There are so many other things we can do. We can argue, we can rally. It’s not worth shooting each other over,” he says.
Mr. Levesque says Pouillon attended his church “numerous times” over the past few years and was known as a “caustic” abortion protester who “would have been thrilled” to learn that his murder was considered the antithesis of the Tiller case.
What did he just say? Is he really saying that Pouillon would have liked to be killed? Really?
And I’m not sure why Pouillon would’ve even attended Levesque’s church “numerous times” as Pouillon was Catholic. Fr. John Fain, the pastor of St. Paul Catholic Church in Owosso Michigan said Pouillon was a parishioner who he described as ‘a good Christian and a faithful Catholic.’
And it’s not like Levesque much liked Pouillon because his greatest defense of Pouillon was when he said:”Even Jim didn’t deserve” violence. Even Jim? Seriously?
Look, I know that sometimes people are caught off their guard by a reporter’s questions but holy cow these are some insulting, awful, and harsh answers.
September 14, 2009 at 3:23 am
The pastor did not say Mr. Poullion would be thrilled to be dead. I think he was saying that Mr. Pouliion would be thrilled that his death might make some people think.
September 14, 2009 at 3:44 am
His choice of words leave something to be desired. Let's face it, Baptist clergy aren't the only ones that have dimbulbs. How many times has something cringeworthy come out of the mouth of a Catholic priest/bishop?
September 14, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Perhaps the pastor was going for more of a martyr type of "thrilled" to give one's life for Jesus kind of thing…
September 14, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I see what you're getting at. But isn't this what martyrdom is based on? Willingness to lay down your life for another, in this case the unborn?
I think he could have said it with more tact..
September 14, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Haha, cascade, I agree with you. I also think a slegehammer would have had more tact in this situation.
September 14, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I think the baptist is simply troweling for new members to grace his sect. My guess is Pouillion had better taste (and so does Jesus, come to think of it).
September 14, 2009 at 6:30 pm
On a somewhat related note St. John Bosco said, "Our Society would have achieved a great triumph when one of its members have died working for the salvation of souls."
September 19, 2009 at 2:24 am
In the words of James M. Pouillon's eldest son:
It will be impossible for some to believe, but my dad really didn’t care about aborton.
He did this to stalk, harass, terrorize, scream at, threaten, frighten, and verbally abuse women. He had a pathologic hatred of women: his mom, my mom, everyone.
After my mom finally left him and he lost his favorite punching bag the violence and abuse that was always contained within our 4 walls was unleased on the people of Owosso.
My dad used the pro-life movement and 1st Amendments foundations to defend him, support him, and enable him. He fooled them all.
He was at the high shool because my niece was there, and female family members were always his favorite targets.
Again, my dad didn’t care about abortion. He wanted to hurt people, upset people. He enjoyed making people suffer.
His goal was to be shot on a sidewalk. His goal was to make someone so angry, to make them feel so terrorized, to make them feel the only way they could make him stop was to kill him.
His pro-life stance was the most perfect crime I personally know of. He hid behind the 1st Amendment and was allowed to stalk, terrorise, harass, be obsene, ect. These things are crimes. Offending people isn’t a crime, and having different political views isn’t a crime, but he committed several crimes over the last 20 years and got away with it.
Yes I really am his oldest son. Owosso is now rid of a mad man.