Can we all agree to stop pretending there is any real difference between American Christian Fundamentalist belief and Islamic Fundamentalist belief? Religious extremism leads to the same place. The only difference is that American Christian Fundamentalists are slightly more attuned to the fact that they live in a pluralistic, secular, Western society where they really ought not step into full genocide territory. I have long contended that if the laws in this country were different, if we didn’t have a Constitution, if Fundamentalist theocrats had their way, it wouldn’t be that long before the violence started.
Portrait of Seneca, Kansas, pastor Curtis Knapp, of the New Hope Baptist Church:
“They should be put to death. That’s what happened in Israel. That’s why homosexuality wouldn’t have grown in Israel. It tends to limit conversions. It tends to limit people coming out of the closet. — ‘Oh, so you’re saying we should go out and start killing them, no?’ — I’m saying the government should. They won’t but they should. [You say], ‘oh, I can’t believe you you’re horrible. You’re a backwards neanderthal of a person.’ Is that what you’re calling scripture? Is God a neanderthal backwards.. in his morality. Is it his word or not? If it’s his word, he commanded it. It’s his idea, not mine. And I’m not ashamed of it.”
All righty! Listen to that one, below, then we’ll get to the next pastor who thinks it would be great to kill us.
Dennis Leatherman, Baptist pastor of Oakland, Maryland, what have you got to say?
“To be… have a tendency to be effeminate or homosexual is just as wicked as to have a tendency to be a womanizer. Sinful nature does not justify sinful behavior. Now what is our take? What is our response? I appreciate your bearing with me tonight. First of all, there is a danger of reacting in the flesh, of responding not in a scriptural, spiritual way, but in a fleshly way. Kill them all. Right? I will be very honest with you. My flesh kind of likes that idea. But it grieves the Holy Spirit. It violates Scripture. It is wrong.”
It “grieves the Holy Spirit,” but man he’d like to kill him some fags! Is that an accurate assessment, Pastor Dennis?
The love of Jesus just FLOWS through these folks, doesn’t it?
This is only going to get worse as we get closer and closer to full equality.
Don’t forget Jewish fundamentalists. Or any other religion for that matter. They’re all exactly the same.
This kind of mindset is far more common that people think. It’s too easy to dismiss this as the ramblings of a few fringe kooks. It’s not mainstream, but it’s not some isolated nuts either.
They are NOT Pastors!
They do not speak for God!
“If it’s his word…”
Well, gee, maybe you might want to consider that it, um, ISN’T?
See, for me, the very fact that the Bible encourages people to murder each other is the deal-breaker. It proves, beyond any doubt, that the Bible is an invention of humans, and not the literal word of God. Nobody put a gun to the heads of thse jackasses and forced them to believe what some old book says. Pesented with the ideas in it, they can reject any part of it they want to. They just don’t want to.
These people are adults, fully responsible for whatever they choose to believe, or disbelieve. This is not a case of, “God says it”. It would be more correct to say, “The version of God I have chosen to believe said it. So don’t blame me. I have no control over what the God I have conciously chosen to believe is the right one, says!”
Oakland is western Maryland, close to the West Virginia line. Yes, Maryland my Maryland has the relatively liberal progressive Montgomery County suburbs and Baltimore city. It is also the state that gave the union Chief Justice Taney and Spiro Agnew.
I think the second dude’s paranoid because his name is “Leatherman”.
Feck both these mudaki! Talking big shite like other cowards. I bet C$1000 neither one never served in the military nor been in a firefight. Easy to talk about killing when you haven’t seen it. It should be hard to kill a human being, but these fools talk as if they’re playing COD or some other fecking video game.
Bring it on, cowards; I’m ready for you! My ancestors beat the fecking Nazi; I’m sure I can do you the same favour.
I see Christians are intent on repeating their past transgressions against humanity. Disgusting, but predictable.
How many of us are going to die before this stops?
These are just extremists! Not very Christ like. We need to use social media in much better ways then we are right now. I am reading a fantastic book called, “The iChurch Method: How to Advance Your Ministry Online” by Jason Caston. This a non-fiction book written for Christian ministries on how to effectively promote and engage their ministry online. I am using the methods taught in this book and finding success. http://www.theichurchmethod.com/
Jesus said there would be false teachers and false prophets who would come in my name.
How many more are going to die? None have to if they will realize in their heart that there is something wrong with the message they are getting. A person can choose or choose not to believe what these people say and seek out other viewpoints. If you are saved you know in your heart what is right and wrong. It is highly important that those who are at risk hear the truth, that the Christians who follow the walk of Christ minister to them. I know it is hard for “liberal” Christians to practice evangelism, really to do the same thing the fundies do but with a message of love and acceptance, but that is what it is going to take, leading people to the true God through Jesus Christ and tell them that God wants them just the way they are and they don’t have to stop being who they are to belong to Jesus Christ.
See the people who are hurt by the extremists do not realize that they are being lied to, even in their own home churches. They have been talked to about judgment all their lives and that is what they believe. Then when they find out they are gay, they are in trouble because no one has ever told them that Jesus Christ died for them and does not hate them for it.
Does he also think the government should start killing women who aren’t virgins on their wedding day? Or killing people who pick up sticks on the wrong day of the week?
“Is God a neanderthal backwards.. in his morality”
The people who invented him, and the people who use words attributed to him to justify their intolerance, certainly are.
On balance, after lots of careful thought and consideration, I think the proper place for religion is in a dumpster.
[...] mainstream position, anti-gay conservatives will become more and more extreme in their rhetoric. Several pastors have been caught on tape advocating for gays to be killed, and a young child, obviously [...]