Religious family tries to abandon U.S - and fails.

[The Shadow]

Religious family tries to abandon U.S and gets lost at sea

PHOENIX—A Northern Arizona family that was lost at sea for weeks in an ill-fated attempt to leave the U.S. over what they consider government interference in religion will fly back home Sunday.

Hannah Gastonguay, 26, said Saturday that she and her husband “decided to take a leap of faith and see where God led us” when they took their two small children and her father-in-law and set sail from San Diego for the tiny island nation of Kiribati in May.

And...

Hannah Gastonguay said her family was fed up with government control in the U.S. As Christians they don’t believe in “abortion, homosexuality, in the state-controlled church,” she said.

U.S. “churches aren’t their own,” Gastonguay said, suggesting that government regulation interfered with religious independence.

All I have to say about this is that given how much power and political leverage the religious right has in the U.S, that last statement is laughable and makes their attempt look even more like the act of fundie whackjobs who have totally lost touch with reality.

[s_stabeler]

to be fair, at least these idiots had the manners, upon deciding that their religion was more important than the country they lived in, to attempt to leave the country, rather than take the usual route of fundies and try to force changes to the US.

[Andara Bledin]

Personally, I'm amused at where "God led them."

[Panacea]

The parents should be charged with child endangerment. You don't take little kids out to sea when you don't know how to sail and navigate.

[bara]

Wait, why are we letting them back in?

[Nekojin]

One of the posters on Ars Technica made an amusing observation. As pretty severe "Libertarian" types, they most likely don't believe in global warming. And yet, they headed toward Kiribati, an island that is becoming uninhabitable due to climate shift!

[HYHYBT]

Personally, I'm amused at where "God led them."

Maybe they'll get the hint?

I'm curious about this "state-controlled church," never having run into even close to such a thing.

♫Oceanfront property in Arizona...♫

[Gravekeeper]

"Venezuelan Fishing Industry Interferes With Natural Selection"

[Panacea]

Wait, why are we letting them back in?

Unless they renounced their US citizenship at a US consulate, we have to.

One of the posters on Ars Technica made an amusing observation. As pretty severe "Libertarian" types, they most likely don't believe in global warming. And yet, they headed toward Kiribati, an island that is becoming uninhabitable due to climate shift!

Too bad the Venezuelans couldn't have given them a lift there, and let them find out the hard way. But then again, I'm not sure what the Kirbatians did to deserve this dumbfucks, and it's not like they don't already have enough problems without dealing with moronic Americans who'd likely cause a lot of problems because they don't act like "normal" people, ie like Americans.

It would have been fun to see if they got deported for illegal immigration, though

Maybe they'll get the hint?

I'm curious about this "state-controlled church," never having run into even close to such a thing.

♫Oceanfront property in Arizona...♫

Some of these Libertarian types believes some very strange things. My cousin is one of them and is convinced that the UN has invaded Vermont and has a garrison stationed there.

"Venezuelan Fishing Industry Interferes With Natural Selection"

ROFLAMO.

[Dakhur]

♫Oceanfront property in Arizona...♫

Personally, I'm investing in shares in the Bolivian Navy . . . . .

[fireheart17]

Fun fact: Abortion is legal in Kiribati. Homosexuality on the other hand, while illegal for men, is legal for women.

So if they were avoiding those two in particular, Kiribati would not be the place for them :P

[Andara Bledin]

So if they were avoiding those two in particular, Kiribati would not be the place for them :P

Stop the presses!

You mean these people might not have done the research on their new home that most people would consider necessary?

Say it ain't so!

[HYHYBT]

Given what I've seen of their type's way of determining what qualifies as legitimate research, it wouldn't make any difference how much of it they'd done. The conclusion would always be the one they set out wanting.

[fireheart17]

Given what I've seen of their type's way of determining what qualifies as legitimate research, it wouldn't make any difference how much of it they'd done. The conclusion would always be the one they set out wanting.

There are only six countries in the world where abortion is outright illegal: Dominician Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, Malta and The Vatican. All other countries at the bare minimum allow abortions for medical reasons only and it goes up from there to the point where abortions can freely be requested.

Ironically enough, all of the countries listed above allow homosexual acts, however none of them permit gay marriage. Yes, surprisingly, even in Vatican City, you are allowed to be homosexual. Not-so-surprisingly, the Vatican rules that someone who is transsexual is a mental disorder, but allows gender reassignment surgery/therapy to "cure" the patient.

As for the stupid family, if their conclusion was to find a place that was heavily Christian and outlawed homosexuality and abortion flat-out, they wouldn't be able to find one.

[Panacea]

Yes, surprisingly, even in Vatican City, you are allowed to be homosexual. Not-so-surprisingly, the Vatican rules that someone who is transsexual is a mental disorder, but allows gender reassignment surgery/therapy to "cure" the patient.

You can be a homosexual in the Vatican because being a homosexual is not in itself a sin.

Performing a homosexual act is another matter.