Radical Christianity — Pastor Who Hosted GOP: Paris Victims 'Devil-Worshippers'

With the possible exception of the Westboro Baptist Church, many Americans generally turn a blind eye to Christian extremists. Is it that the Westboro Baptist Church is saying something that is so radically different from other fundamentalists churches? I don't think so. I believe the line they crossed that excludes them from being protected by the cloak of conservative political correctness is largely one of etiquette rather than ideology. Pro tip for fundamentalist hate preachers: don't disrupt soldiers' funerals.

About a month ago, I authored a thread, Three GOP Candidates Speaking At Hate Monger's Bigotry Fest, in which I discussed the fact that three GOP candidates — Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal — would be speaking at the Freedom 2015 National Religious Liberties Conference, an event organized by Kevin Swanson and featuring a number of radical Christian fundamentalist speakers.

Fast forward a few weeks and the latest Quinnipiac University poll shows that support for Ted Cruz has shot up drastically among conservative Iowans, putting him in 2nd place with 23%, a mere 2 percentage points behind Donald Trump. While I wouldn't go so far as to say his new found popularity in Iowa can be directly attributed to the fact that he spoke at this religious conference which as it happens was held three weeks ago in Iowa, he certainly doesn't seem to have been hurt by standing shoulder to shoulder with Kevin Swanson.

Kevin Swanson is well known for sermonizing on topics such as how tolerance of homosexuality is incurring the wrath of God while simultaneously pushing a "Christians are being persecuted!" narrative :

Later in the broadcast, Swanson said that the gay community is “coming after Christians” and will have them “burned at the stake.” He described the fight as a “battle between good and evil,” warning “Christians will be destroyed by the other side” unless the government begins to “prosecute homosexuality, especially public acts of homosexuality.”

They are coming after Christians and if there is 45% of Christians in America or 45% of Americans who disagree with homosexuality or homosexual marriage, they will lose their jobs. That’s the goal, to make sure they lose their jobs, to make sure that they are persecuted, to make sure that they may even be burned at the stake. I don’t know what the whole agenda is but it seems to me that this may be a battle between good and evil and evil will not tolerate good.

Has Swanson finally said something that will get him in trouble with the right-wing media?

The Daily Beast - Pastor Who Hosted GOP: Paris Victims Were ‘Devil-Worshippers’

Kevin Swanson of Generations Ministries said last Thursday that the 89 people massacred inside the Bataclan theater were “devil-worshippers.” Two weeks earlier, Swanson headlined his own “Freedom 2015: National Religious Liberties Conference” featuring Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal.

Swanson believes God will annihilate America for tolerating homosexuality and seemed to say God already made an example out of the Bataclan.

“There’s certainly a providential irony here,” Swanson said of the fact that California rock band Eagles of Death Metal reportedly played “Kiss the Devil” as terrorists began firing AK-47s into the crowd. “They went from singing about the devil to meeting the devil face-to-face.”

“When you get a wake-up call like what happened at France’s 9/11 last Friday night at the concert,” he said, “I think we all need to pay attention to what’s happening: This is a message from God. God is shooting a shot across the bow and we better be paying attention to this.”

How often do conservatives blast moderate Muslims for the popular perception that they're "not doing enough to denounce radical Islam?" How ironic (and concerning, not to mention hypocritical) is it then that the same people refuse to acknowledge let alone denounce Christian extremists in their own backyard — in their own political party?

Ideologically, the distance between radical Christianity and radical Islam is actually a lot smaller than people are comfortable admitting. I wonder if the biggest difference between the two isn't simply that radical Muslims fundamentalist like those in ISIS rely on terrorists to incite the holy war they both want and radical Christian fundamentalist are counting on lobbyists in our government to accomplish the same.

Crazy doesn't discriminate.

a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

a reply to: theantediluvian

"Swanson believes God will annihilate America for tolerating homosexuality and seemed to say God already made an example out of the Bataclan."

That's the Ol' fire and brimstone stuff...updated. Anyway, homosexuals have been around a long time, I dare say a long time before the USA.

a reply to: theantediluvian

It may be acceptably to some far right American conservatives but I don't think mainstream American conservatives find it any more acceptable than mainstream American liberals to be honest.

I find that a lot of mainstream conservatives would probably fall under the "liberal" label 20/30 years ago.

A lot like myself would say we are dead smack in the middle of the political spectrum but will be labeled by both sides for simply disagreeing on certain issues.

Crazy is crazy. Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Church of Spagetti Monster, etc.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
Ideologically, the distance between radical Christianity and radical Islam is actually a lot smaller than people are comfortable admitting. I wonder if the biggest difference between the two isn't simply that radical Muslims fundamentalist like those in ISIS rely on terrorists to incite the holy war they both want and radical Christian fundamentalist are counting on lobbyists in our government to accomplish the same.

This highlights EXACTLY where people are going to attack your thread with their rationalizations. You see because Christians aren't actively blowing people up it's ok (or tolerable) to preach extremist philosophy. Never mind that lobbying government can cause FAR more damage than a sole terrorist attack could ever accomplish. I imagine you are going to be stuck explaining this distinction to quite a few Christians in this thread. That is if they decide to even respond to your thread that is.

Though at the end of the day, it's just a rationalization. It's the same thing as Muslim extremism, just different clothing.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

Because half of America is scared, angry, and uninformed. Combine all three of those things and you have a recipe for justifying just about any sort of deplorable words and actions.

People who do not take part in the hate are called "PC Liberals" or "Social Justice Warriors". Most who do not fall for it are still scared, are still angry, and some are even uninformed. Just usually not all three at once. Because that's when the blind hate and blame rolls in.

The Abrahamic faiths provide a convenient little pill that can be used to administer that hate.

originally posted by: PresidentCamacho
a reply to: theantediluvian

It may be acceptably to some far right American conservatives but I don't think mainstream American conservatives find it any more acceptable than mainstream American liberals to be honest.

I find that a lot of mainstream conservatives would probably fall under the "liberal" label 20/30 years ago.

A lot like myself would say we are dead smack in the middle of the political spectrum but will be labeled by both sides for simply disagreeing on certain issues.

Crazy is crazy. Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Church of Spagetti Monster, etc.

Im a hardline Constitutional Conservative Christian

And In no way do I agree with this sort of rhetoric or behavior displayed in the OPs Source.....

Its threads like these that attempt to divide and put people in boxes, once again generalizing a whole group of people

Not much different then what the OP is accusing Christians of doing..

I find this a bit Ironic

Idiocy and intolerance knows no one religion or ideology, its an affliction of the heart, not of religion

And yes I would say the same for Islam

People need to stop trying to put others in a certain box, and try to white wash

Cheers

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

Because Christians aren't going around massacring 100s of innocent people?

That is a big difference to me.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Uh oh, someone just let their ideology , theology get in the way of their common sense.
Not all that uncommon among those with an agenda.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

You are acting offended, but why aren't you publicly speaking out about these Christians then? That's what conservative are demanding of Muslims. So fairs fair right?

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

Meanwhile, Rev Wright is excused for all the BS he spouts and during the Chicago protests last night, another pastor agreed with him, that the chickens are coming home to roost.

So did the guy in your OP say anything like that prior to meeting with Conservative candidates and do any of the candidates you named say they agree with him? First I've ever heard of it.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

I wasn't trying to paint all far right conservatives with a broad brush, hence the reason I said "some".

"Idiocy and intolerance knows no one religion or ideology, its an affliction of the heart, not of religion." - Indeed

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask
Its threads like these that attempt to divide and put people in boxes, once again generalizing a whole group of people

The thread is about the hate speech of a man whom three very high profile republican presidential candidates respect and have politically associated with. That man is very vocal about his wishes towards non-Christian and LGBT people up to and including death penalties.

If this thread is an attempt to "divide and put people in boxes", what do you think those four men are doing?

originally posted by: Metallicus

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

Because Christians aren't going around massacring 100s of innocent people?

That is a big difference to me.

This!

Please show us some of the 100's of examples of these American Christians stoning someone for adultery, killing someone for not observing the Sabbath, killing someone for insulting Jesus, or butchering someone for "leaving the faith".

The argument of "Christians are just as bad as radical Islam" is really, really dumb.

So in the most radical of radical Christianity nowadays a guy says some abhorrent and hurtful things that at the end of the day pretty much everyone agrees is ignorant.


And in the most radical of radical Islam nowadays 300+ people are killed/injured.


Seems like pretty much the same thing you're right.


No one should be defending the things this man says, but you're assertion that "Ideologically, the distance between radical Christianity and radical Islam is actually a lot smaller than people are comfortable admitting." is just wrong. And no, it's not because I'm not comfortable admitting it.

You said it yourself, Christian Radicals use lobbying to spread their hate. I'll take that over a bomb on a plane, bullet to the face during a concert, of knife to my throat for doing my job in the "wrong part" of town.

I think you're trying to draw conclusions that aren't there to whitewash Radical Islam as just another group of crazy religious folk. They are crazy religious folk, no doubt, but they are not on the same level. Not even close.

originally posted by: Metallicus

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: PresidentCamacho

I wholly agree with that statement. So why is it then that one strain of crazy is so acceptable among mainstream American conservatives that GOP politicians can be immersed up to their necks in it without suffering negative effects and another is the subject of considerable consternation and copious ranting?

Because Christians aren't going around massacring 100s of innocent people?

That is a big difference to me.

This ^^^

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Don't you think that the GOP contenders for POTUS are in that box, though?

I mean - they are definitely in it. Don't you see that?

If people like Cruz, Huckabee, and Rubio (woops - Jindal, I meant) (but Rubio still fits in there) are espousing homophobic theocratic ideas, what box do they belong in?
And by association, what box do their supporters belong in?

After all, there is a "Box" that suits them....

??

As "radical" as this guy is, he's only using his words. Dont try to tell me this guy is as big a threat as Islamic terror. He's no Christian extremist. He's just an asshole! Has this guy or his church hurt anyone? Have they blown anyone up? What a stupid comparison.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

You are acting offended, but why aren't you publicly speaking out about these Christians then? That's what conservative are demanding of Muslims. So fairs fair right?

What is there to "speak out" about? The fact he has opinions you don't like? Who has he hurt? What have his followers blown up?