Pastor Allen Joyner: Don’t Stand For National Anthem? You Should Be Shot, Says Facebook Post Of Denise Crowley-Whitfield

So much for Christian compassion. The Facebook page of Denise Crowley-Whitfield posted an account of something said by Pastor Allen Joyner that is going viral, even as the Facebook post of Crowley-Whitfield has been deleted. As reported by the Inquisitr, the incident surrounds the national anthem protest that has brought cries of an NFL boycott from select NFL fans.

However, the Google cache of the Crowley-Whitfield Facebook post still lives on, with Denise’s account of Pastor Joyner’s words about those who refuse to stand for the national anthem potentially becoming shooting victims spreading across the web like wildfire.

“Tonight, in McKenzie, Alabama, the announcer audibly spoke the words that millions of Americans are thinking. He said, ‘If you don’t want to stand for the National Anthem, you can line up over there by the fence and let our military personnel take a few shots AT you since they’re taking shots FOR you.’ The entire crowd went crazy cheering. I desperately needed to see some good in this world after a disheartening week. May our God bless ALL His children (even the ungrateful ones) and this incredible country in which we live!”

According the AL.com, the melee took place on Friday evening in Alabama’s Butler County. Denise’s Facebook post did not make mention of Colin Kaepernick, nor his reasons for protesting the national anthem, as reported by the Inquisitr.

Update: According to the Greenville Advocate, Pastor Joyner claims that Crowley-Whitfield misquoted him on Facebook, claiming that the pastor never said anyone should be shot.

“I never said anybody should be shot. My words were ‘if you don’t want to stand for the national anthem, please go sit at the baseball field and let some of our folks take a shot at reminding you of the price our military paid for your freedom to sit.'”

There was a football game taking place at McKenzie High School, when Pastor Allen Joyner, who leads Sweet Home Baptist Church in McKenzie — a church whose Facebook page has also been deleted, but the cache is also still alive via Google — made the statement about national anthem protesters being shot.

Pastor Joyner’s words resonated at the game of McKenzie High School vs. Houston County High School. The Facebook post of Crowley-Whitfield noted that the McKenzie High School crowd went crazy. As seen on the screenshot Crowley-Whitfield’s Facebook post, the Facebook post grew pretty popular before being deleted.

The latest melee about protests during the national anthem do not represent the first time that athletes have used their platforms to bring attention to things more important than sports.

As seen in the above photo from October 16, 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists as the “Star Spangled Banner” played during the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City.

The iconic images of that protest have endured for decades, after the duo received gold and bronze medals, respectively, for the 200-meter run.

In the above photo from March 15, 1996, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf — a former Denver Nuggets guard — prayed during the national anthem.

Meanwhile, feedback about Pastor Joyner’s words are being published en masse on social media. However, Amy Bryan, the Butler County Schools Superintendent, did not agree with Pastor Joyner threatening violence against national anthem protesters.

“Patriotism should be a part of school events but threats of shooting people who aren’t patriotic, even in jest, have no place at a school. Threats of violence are a violation of school policy and certainly not condoned by the school board.”

Pastor Joyner and Crowley-Whitfield are receiving feedback such as the following on social media, which can be read in a sampling of comments taken from Facebook about Pastor Joyner’s words and Denise’s Facebook post.

“First of all, free speech protects your right to speak and freedom of protest protects you to protest. Sir, you are a PASTOR. A PASTOR. You HYPOCRITE! Wow! Shall not murder must mean nothing to you then you need to STEP DOWN! Second of all, we are not North Korea! WE DO NOT NEED TO BE SHOOTING PEOPLE FOR PRACTICING THEIR RIGHTS!”

“See this is the crap that keeps reproducing.”

[Photo by Denis Poroy/AP Images]