Testimony of Former Imperial Wizard of the KKK Joe Bednarsky now 'saved'

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by chosenbyone

I have visited myspace a few times to check out some friends pages there, but I have never gotten that involved. This particular man that you referred to on this thread impressed me with his testimony. I remembered as a child growing up in very segregated town in East Texas the influences of this particular hate group - the KKK. What a wonderful example of grace this man's testimony has become to those still in the grips of hate that this group has promoted.

Perhaps, I just didn't get the "unique" sense of humor displayed by this brother, because it seemed to take away or distract from the message of deliverance that Christ brought to this man so steeped in hatred. I supposed that I have grown a bit weary of there always being someone who preferred to cast stones instead of joining in the thanksgiving of a soul that was set free.

Thank you sister for sharing this man's story with us this evening.

May God bring you and your family unexpected joy on your journey.

Sincerely,

chosen

Thats why I brought it up, the KKK has been around longer than any gang in Los Angeles.
He is facing some serious opposition for leaving.

I dont know why he took it off, but he did have some interviews of himself with a local radio station that I found rather interesting.

I was really thinking this would generate an interesting conversation.

Perhaps not many found his testimony as amazing as I did? am I wrong?

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by Sherri

The KKK is alive and well here in Tennessee!!

Nathan Beford Forrest founded them in Pulaski, Tn.

[Esther]

Ku Klux Klan Leader Resigns His Office As Imperial Wizard
03-29-07 Millville, New Jersey - Joseph V. Bednarsky Jr., resigns as leader of the Confederate Knights, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and is disbanding the organization. "I have decided that after many years of fighting for a cause that will never go anywhere, that it is best not only for myself but my family that I resign my office as Imperial Wizard affective immediately" said Bednarsky.

"If you are thinking of joining a group like the Ku Klux Klan or one like it, please think about it before doing so. Don't make the same mistake that I made and waste half your life on a cause that is going nowhere and is based on lies" said Bednarsky.

The sad thing about this is I have heard we have/had ministers that were members of a KKK group.

Very hard for me to believe that any believer no matter the demonination could be a member of such a hate filled group of people.

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by Esther

Ku Klux Klan Leader Resigns His Office As Imperial Wizard
03-29-07 Millville, New Jersey - Joseph V. Bednarsky Jr., resigns as leader of the Confederate Knights, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and is disbanding the organization. "I have decided that after many years of fighting for a cause that will never go anywhere, that it is best not only for myself but my family that I resign my office as Imperial Wizard affective immediately" said Bednarsky.

"If you are thinking of joining a group like the Ku Klux Klan or one like it, please think about it before doing so. Don't make the same mistake that I made and waste half your life on a cause that is going nowhere and is based on lies" said Bednarsky.

The sad thing about this is I have heard we have/had ministers that were members of a KKK group.

Very hard for me to believe that any believer no matter the demonination could be a member of such a hate filled group of people.

Yes he is pretty easy to find on the internet, (cant say that I am that easy to find) lets me know he had a pretty serious hand in the KKK.

I guess I need to change my title and include "Imperial". I am not sure where that title places him.

Being in Ca. I have never come across anyone associated with this group-to my knowledge.

[Steve Epley]

I was in a service where a an exWizard was at he had obeyed the truth and was saved. When the pastor introduced who he was the black saints seemed a little uneasy to say the least.

[Sherri]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

Nathan Beford Forrest founded them in Pulaski, Tn.

Really?????? I didn't know that. Some of our church people live on Nathan Bedford Forest Lane, and would not be happy to hear this!

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

I was in a service where a an exWizard was at he had obeyed the truth and was saved. When the pastor introduced who he was the black saints seemed a little uneasy to say the least.

Can you blame them?
I think some questioned this guys conversion is really authentic. I dont know if you looked at his page or not--but he has some pictures of him (he's a big Ole guy too) with some black folk.

[Elizabeth]

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the name of several past and present organizations in the United States that have advocated white supremacy, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, anti-Communism and nativism. These organizations have often used terrorism, violence, and acts of intimidation, such as cross lighting, to oppress African Americans and other social or ethnic groups.

The Klan's first incarnation was in 1866. Founded by veterans of the Confederate Army, its main purpose was to resist Reconstruction, and it focused as much on intimidating "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" as on putting down the freed slaves. The KKK quickly adopted violent methods. A rapid reaction set in, with the Klan's leadership disowning violence and Southern elites seeing the Klan as an excuse for federal troops to continue their activities in the South. The organization was in decline from 1868 to 1870 and was destroyed in the early 1870s by President Ulysses S. Grant's vigorous action under the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act).

In 1915, a second distinct group was founded using the same name. It was inspired by the newfound power of the modern mass media, via the film The Birth of a Nation and inflammatory anti-Semitic newspaper accounts surrounding the trial and lynching of accused murderer Leo Frank. The second KKK was a formal fraternal organization, with a national and state structure, that paid thousands of men to organize local chapters all over the country. At its peak in the early 1920s, the organization included about 15% of the nation's eligible population, approximately 4–5 million men.[1] The second KKK typically preached racism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Communism, nativism, and anti-Semitism, and some local groups took part in lynchings and other violent activities. Its popularity fell during the Great Depression, and membership fell further during World War II because of scandals resulting from prominent members' crimes and its support of the Nazis.

[Elizabeth]

Continued:
The original Ku Klux Klan was created after the end of the American Civil War on December 24, 1865, by six educated, middle-class Confederate veterans[3] from Pulaski, Tennessee, who were bored with postwar routine. The name was constructed by combining the Greek "kyklos" (κυκλος,circle) with "clan"[4]

The Ku Klux Klan soon spread into nearly every southern state, launching a "reign of terror" against Republican leaders both black and white. Those assassinated during the campaign included Arkansas Congressman James M. Hinds, three members of the South Carolina legislature, and several men who had served in constitutional conventions."[

[berkeley]

Jeanie,

On the way back from a men's meeting in Rialto several yrs ago, we were on the 99 somewhere outside of Bakersfield.. I looked to the right (east) and there was a bonfire. Around the bonfire was 3 or 4 men dressed in Klan garb.