Stupid Youth

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

but tournaments are conducted in "sanctioned" areas wheres it's monitored.... not in the city, near neighborhoods and businesses, and at night no less.... it may not have been "wrong" in anyway, but it was certainly careless.... if I was a cop, or a citizen for that matter, and saw some kids with what looked like real guns (in today's world).... I'd call it in faster than one could say, CRIMINAL.... jmho

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

There are some things a person shouldn't do/go because of what it could "appear as" to others.... not even because it's necessarily wrong....

Tournaments are conducted on private property whereever it's available. Who says this was not monitored either? Just how closer WERE neighbors and businesses? Where they making excessive noise?

BTW many of these guns have the red barrel on them just as cap guns often do so cops can be warned these might not be real.

Second it is NOT criminal as long as there is no law against it, so saying it appears evil for that purpose is untrue.

Now, if someone wants to say it's wrong to pretend to kill each other that is a different argument

As for what "appears" to someone. I could be riding with another guy and some idiot could think it appears we were homos. I could ride with a woman and some idiot could conjecture we were on our way to fornicate. Sadly appearances are really in the eye of the beholder

[Praxeas]

Perhaps it might be smarter though to put up some warning tape and put a notice on it and maybe even inform the police of their intentions

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

I guess I'm just really old-school.... me, and later my sister, grew up with a curfew to be back inside our house by 11pm until we left for college.... my youth pastor used to tell the youth group, Nothing good youth-related happens after midnight, so you really don't have any excuse not to be indoors by then.... unless we were in-route from a special church out-of-town event or lock-in, he made sure we were able to get back home at a reasonable time....

Why would this be considered any different form a lock in? Personally I think night dumb is a dumb idea anyways for this sort of event

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Chan

Yes, they should be in someone's home with adult supervision.

That must be a modern thing because youth camps when I was a teen had the the teens going to bed by 11:00.

Who said there was no adult supervision?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Chan

There is no real difference. Loitering is loitering. Besides, the police had no way of knowing beforehand that these kids attended that church. Also, given that the activity involved guns (yes, I know, air guns), do you not see why the police would be concerned?

Was the activity sanctioned by the church? I thought the article said the pastor didn't know about it. If the pastor doesn't know about it then how is it a church-sanctioned event?If you want to be irresponsible and let your children run the streets at all hours unsupervised or "supervised" by someone who is barely out of childhood, don't cry and complain when they get hurt or when the police rightly question what they're doing.

Im loitering as we type!

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Chan

Why a church would hold a conference in an area where there are all thes hookers, drunks, etc. I don't know. It seems pretty irresponsible to me. But, yes, it's okay for adult apostolics to be seen walking from the hotel conference room down the street to the local coffee shop.

See above.

See above. As for the gangs, I did mention adults being part of those gangs. If you're going to disagree with me then I expect you to actually READ what I post!

Some people see holding a conference in that sort of area as a good opportunity to influence them hopefully I guess

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Lost

You can't assume that. They weren't questioned by police "somewhere else" were they?

Ah, and this is part of the problem isn't it? Getting our information second hand from a reporter who wasn't even there

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

a) the 2nd group was already out in the "woods" and everyone was "geared up"
b) how old were the areal photos or satellite photos you saw??? sometimes they are only taken every so many years.... long after tree cover has grown up....

It didn't say the woods were on or part of church property. In fact the one group was spotted by the police officer on church property. It could be just as they said, that they met on church property and were getting ready to drive to the wooded area that may have in fact been private property too. Also why were they in the back of the pickup if they were not about to drive somewhere?

[Praxeas]

Ok I take it back, the PDF of the police report is more clear. The wooded area was in back of the church parking lot and it was said to be private, though that does not mean it was the church property. Also it was stated this was near businesses and homes? Are they hillbilly businesses and homes? lol

[Praxeas]

I have to wonder why the police officer seemed clueless as to what airsoft was