I can only tolerate brief forays into the hideous ravings of some of our country’s religious hatemongers (hearing Fred Phelps or his followers for more than a few seconds makes my head pound), but with another hat tip to muckraker Sue Katz, I read this morning about the Presidents Day activity of two fairly well known preachers: Steven Anderson, head of the Faithful World Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, and Wiley Drake, pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California.
What did these two men of God ask their followers to pray for last Sunday in their Presidents Day sermons? Help for the people of Haiti? Safety for our soldiers in the world's war zones? To live a life of good deeds? U.S. victories in the Winter Olympics? Nope. They asked their congregants to pray for President Obama’s death. Now there’s a Christian message. “I hope that God strikes Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy,” Anderson told the members of his church. “And I hope it happens today. When I go to bed tonight I’m going to pray that he dies and goes to hell.”
Wiley Drake, who was Alan Keyes' Vice-Presidential Candidate in the 2008 election, admonished his minions that it was their duty to pray for the President’s demise. “If you have an evil leader above you, you pray that Satan will stand by his side and you ask God to make his children fatherless and his wife a widow and that his time in office be short.” To those who are horrified by such sentiments, Wiley says, “I’m praying the word of God. I didn’t write it—don’t get mad of me!” Can’t you just see Jesus weeping for all the ugliness that is spewed in his name?
A few months ago Pastor Anderson dedicated a whole sermon to “Why I Hate Barack Obama.” It was one of his parishioners who was arrested at Notre Dame University when he showed up to protest Obama's appearance with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. I listened to several audio clips of his Anderson's crazy sermons and watched both Anderson and Drake on YouTube enough to get a sick stomach.
Not surprisingly, both preachers’ hatred of Obama is only matched by their total condemnation of gay people. Anderson is particularly vocal on the subject. “The same God who instituted the death penalty for murderers is the same God who instituted the death penalty for rapists and for homosexuals, sodomites and queers. That’s what it was instituted for, okay? God commanded it and said they should be taken out and killed.” He goes on to say that first and foremost, ALL gay people are recruiters. “They recruit through rape. They recruit through molestation. They recruit through violation. They are infecting our society. They are spreading their disease. It’s a wicked, filthy, sin disease and it’s spreading on a rampage. Why? Because each sodomite recruits far more than one other sodomite because his whole life is about recruiting other sodomites, his whole life is about violating and hurting people and molesting ‘em."
I’m reluctant to print such heinous bile but I think it’s important that we all are aware that these folks are out there. I look at the little baby girl in Pastor Anderson’s arms and I want to cry for that poor, innocent child growing up in such a life. I am disgusted when I think that people like Anderson and Drake receive tax breaks for their religious affiliations even while openly praying for the death of the President of the United States. And even more disturbing to me than the bat-shit crazy ravings of these individuals are the people I saw in the YouTube clips who clearly support these so-called leaders and believe that they are spreading the word of God. Believe me, I'm not painting the Conservative Right with this tainted brush—I have to believe that the majority of people on the right, even those who despise Obama, would not call for his death. Nor do I think most fundamentalist Christians share these twisted views. While Wiley Drake used to be Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention, officials of that church now try to distance themselves from him, stressing that the vast majority of Southern Baptists are committed to praying for the well-being of the President.
Also not surprisingly, both Anderson and Drake are “birthers,” the lunatics who believe that Barack Obama was really born in Kenya and therefore not eligible to be President of the United States. Even Ann Coulter, no voice of reason or Obama lover herself, has called the "birther" group a bunch of nuts.
Anderson and Drake also weighed in on the murder last year of Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician who provided abortions. “I am glad George Tiller is dead,” Drake said after the murder last Man. “This man, George Tiller, was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler.” Anderson said in an interview that he does not believe that the man who shot Tiller is a murderer, and added that he would not call someone who shot a group of gays and lesbians with a machine gun a murderer.
Sigh. Had enough? Me, too, but there’s plenty more out there if you’re interested. You can watch whole sermons, nothing I’m saying here is some lefty re-interpretation. And while I’m thrilled to be living in a country were free speech is valued, in the end these ravings scare the bejeesus out of me. Dr. Tiller was the poster boy for these right-wing fanatics for years before one of them finally killed him in cold blood. And now they’ve set their sights on Barack Obama. I’m not fear-mongering, I’m just hoping that these folks are taken seriously and investigated to see if they’re breaking any current laws with all their violent rhetoric.
And just to be clear, nothing I’ve said here is in any way meant as a dig toward Southern Baptists or any other Christian denomination. I may be Jewish, but I have nothing but respect and admiration for the real teachings of Jesus Christ.
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming where love rules the day, not hate and ignorance…
Believe me, I'm not painting the Conservative Right with this tainted brush—I have to believe that the majority of people on the right, even those who despise Obama, would not call for his death."
Thank you for saying that. And you're absolutely correct (at least I hope you are)- I'm a right-wing Conservative (Jew) who is not a fan of Obama- but to pray for his death? Ye gods. That's horrifying.
And for the record, I am 100% in favor of gay rights and can't stand the type of anti-gay rantings these weirdos engage in. We right-wing Conservatives don't march in lockstep on everything. Love your blog, BTW.
Posted by: Shelley | February 17, 2010 at 10:40 AM
See? that right there is why I don't believe in organized religion. It seems to turn from love to hate too quickly. I know not all religions are like that, but the ones that are can really taint everything. I really do feel sorry for those people who are so full of hate and negativity. They're creating their own hell on earth with all that bitter bile.
Posted by: churlita | February 17, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Danny you should know by know that guys like this fuelfor attention, and the best way to upset them is to ####### ingnore them, Channel are energy to positive things and thinking
Posted by: jeff(not Spencer's Dad) | February 17, 2010 at 01:10 PM
You'd be hard pressed to find someone who passionately dislikes Dick Cheney as much as I do but, Jesus, I'd never wish brain cancer on him... or anyone else. Besides, we need Cheney alive so he can stand trial in The Hague.
Posted by: Sarah | February 17, 2010 at 04:42 PM
If I were the kind of person who wished for someone's death, I can think of two guys who'd be in the running.
Posted by: Julie R. | February 17, 2010 at 08:45 PM
As a Christian I often wonder about those who preach hate. Instead of bringing people to our faith, they are turning people away from it. I have to wonder then whose work they are truly doing?
Posted by: Dave | February 19, 2010 at 01:50 AM
He is so damn CUTE! Kudos and mucho happiness to you and yours.
Check out gevertulley.com "tinkering school" among other things. My girlios think Rockhawk would love Tinkering Camp/School.
Peace love and all things Evil Kneivel (sp????)
Yay Charlie!!!!!
Charmaine
Posted by: Charmaine | February 24, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Oops, thought I was posting on the 2/21 thread.
So, to not take away from the gravitas....
For what it's worth, don't let these fools keep us from discovering our commonality and from loving each other. Modern day bread and circus, here solely to divide, distract and destroy. Love is all we have, and it's all that matters.
With love,
Charmaine
Posted by: Charmaine | February 24, 2010 at 11:05 AM
Late again... been a busy month. :-) "Bat-shit crazy ravings" -- exactly. This was excellent!
Posted by: Chris | March 21, 2010 at 05:24 PM
Jeepers - I feel real fear for that wee babe in arms in the picture that his one shot at life is under the wing of such hatred. Unbelievable.
Kimberley
PS Loving the Charlie pictures. What a sweet little face.
Posted by: Kimberley | April 08, 2010 at 06:55 PM
There are plenty of examples of hate and death
threats from people on the Left ( heard the latest
rant from a former Black Panther leader, lately ? )
Hate is hate , and no one should ever wish that an elected
American politician would die , but if I had a dime for
every death threat I've ever read against George Bush
or Dick Cheney , I'd have a nice little sum .
Posted by: Steven Black | July 12, 2010 at 03:19 PM