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May 31st, 2012
05:17 AM ET
Church videos with harsh words for gays go viral onlineBy Richard Allen Greene and Dan Gilgoff, CNN First it was a Christian pastor in North Carolina who told his congregation on Mother's Day that the way "to get rid of all the lesbians and queers" was to put them behind an electric fence and wait for them to die out. That video went viral, fetching more than a million views on YouTube. On Sunday, Pastor Curtis Knapp of Kansas preached that the government should kill homosexuals, in another videotaped sermon that drew lots of online attention. "They won't, but they should," Knapp said, according to a recording of his sermon posted online. Since that sermon, another church video with harsh words for gays has caught fire online. This one shows a young boy singing an anti-gay song while the congregation cheers him on in what appears to be a church in Indiana. "I know the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong,” the boy sings near the pulpit of a church. “Ain't no homos gonna make it to heaven." As the boy repeats the line “Ain't no homos gonna make it to heaven," congregants from the pews rise and cheer. The video, which was anonymously posted online and has received more than 300,000 views on YouTube, appears to show a service at the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Indiana. Calls to the church this week went to voicemail, with an automatic message saying the mailbox is full. But a message posted on the church’s website on Wednesday appears to address the controversy, offering no apology for the video. “The Pastor and members of Apostolic Truth Tabernacle do not condone, teach, or practice hate of any person for any reason. We believe and hope that every person can find true Bible salvation and the mercy and grace of God in their lives,” the statement says. “We are a strong advocate of the family unit according to the teachings and precepts found in the Holy Bible,” said the statement, which did not explicitly refer to the video or mention homosexuality. “We believe the Holy Bible is the Divinely-inspired Word of God and we will continue to uphold and preach that which is found in scripture.” The viral videos have drawn criticism from gay and lesbian groups and their allies. Charles Worley’s sermon at Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, North Carolina, sparked a protest that drew more than 1,500 people last weekend. In Kansas, Knapp's voicemail at the New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca was filled with messages saying "things you don't want your kids to hear," he told CNN affiliate KTKA. An official with the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists issued a statement to CNN on Thursday saying that Knapp’s church had left the Southern Baptist fold in 2010. “Obviously, he has taken a radical and unbiblical stand in regards to homosexuality,” said Tim Boyd, communications director for the convention. “We look at homosexuals as we look at all sinners,” his statement said. “God loves them. Christ died for them. The Gospel calls them to repentance and salvation. Therefore, we as Christ-followers should hate the sin and love the sinner.” But Knapp is not backing away from his comments. "We punish pedophilia. We punish incest. We punish polygamy and various things. It's only homosexuality that is lifted out as an exemption," he said. He cited the Biblical verse Leviticus 20:13: "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act. They shall surely be put to death." But he said gay people had nothing to worry about from the government or from him. "I don't believe I should lay a finger against them," said Knapp, of New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas. "My hope is for their salvation, not for their death." Preaching against homosexuality the same day, another pastor appeared to wrestle with how conservative Christians should respond to proposals that people should literally mete out biblical punishments. "What about this guy down in North Carolina said build a big prison, a big fence and put them all in there and let them die out?" Dennis Leatherman asked in a sermon at the Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church in Maryland. "Listen, I don't know that fellow. As far as I can tell, he seems like a decent guy, but he is dead wrong on that. That is not the scriptural response," Leatherman said in his sermon "Homosexuality & the Bible," according to a cached version of the transcript posted online. The audio of the sermon does not appear on his church's website. In the sermon, he floats the idea of killing homosexuals, whom he refers to as sodomites, then backs away from it. "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," Leatherman said. "But it grieves the Holy Spirit. It violates Scripture. It is wrong," he added immediately. The Southern Baptist Convention distanced itself from Worley's remarks. The nation's largest Baptist group said Providence Road Baptist in Maiden is not affiliated with its 16 million-member denomination and condemned the comments. But the influential head of the giant movement's seminary does argue that homosexuality "is the most pressing moral question of our times." In a comment piece for the Belief Blog in the wake of Worley's sermon, R. Albert Mohler Jr. dismissed critics who say conservative Christians focus on homosexuality while ignoring other things the Bible prohibits. He contends that laws about keeping kosher, for example, do not apply to Christians, while commandments about homosexuality do. "When it comes to homosexuality, the Bible's teaching is consistent, pervasive, uniform and set within a larger context of law and Gospel," he wrote. "Christians who are seriously committed to the authority of the Bible have no choice but to affirm all that the Bible teaches, including its condemnation of homosexuality," he said. A member of Worley's 300-member church defended him in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "Of course he would never want that to be done," Stacey Pritchard said of the proposal to put homosexuals behind a fence and leave them there to die out. "But I agree with what the sermon was and what it was about." CNN Belief Blog co-editor Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report. soundoff (4,073 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Deanne said it best. The church preaches too much hate, and not enough love for your fellow man. I also was raised Catholic, and when I got older I couldn't stand listening to the hate that the priests preach week after week. The Catholic church is falling, and these idiot pastors preaching hate, and the priests molesting children do nothing but contribute to this. The church's failure to modernize, punish wrongdoers, and preach hate will be their demise.
Hit them where it hurts – in their purses. Tax churches as the commercial businesses they are.
The church preaches whatever will generate money to keep them operating.
They have always been first about control and power.
And of course, their interpretation of god has to the be the right one. And they will show you how right they are by killing your children.
Fu@k religion and god.
I grew up in a church in West Texas where our minister preached similar sermons, only he also included people who were members of Church of Christ, Mormons, Jehovah Witness's, Catholics, basically anyone who didn't believe like him was wrong. This is an example where interpretation can be very dangerous and people allow themselves to be brain washed and follow evil in the name of religious idiology, next people like this will be blaming the woes on our country on the gay/lesbian community, Hitler and Germany come to mind.
TAX CHURCHES NOW as the commercial enterprises they have become... saying and claiming anything to recruit and hold customers and make their executives a nice living or even "personal jet" rich while foisting their incredible burden on municipal infrastructure off on individual homeowners.
You mean to amend one of the guiding aspects of our govt?? Good luck.
Article says that this guy only has 300 members. I doubt that he has a personal jet?
300 members and CNN paints these guys as if they are pastors of Mega churches?
Thanks. I recognize that corrupted whooah politicians are forever offering favors and waivers and tax breaks to keep those pulpit-led voting blocs in their camps. Okeechobee, FL, routinely closes and hands over entire public side streets to allow expansion of church campuses/ At urging of local monied "fundamentalist believers" including major insurance agency heads and realtors, city just approved a full scale commercial restaurant open to public on COG campus without changing tax status or collecting fees. But you gotta try and I think challenging the property tax break has real cash impact on voters and might work in overcoming Supreme Court current OK for it..
No different then islam which says if someone won't convert then they must be killed.
American Taliban, meet the Afgan Taliban, your Eastern brothers.
Lol...how foolish. The difference between these apples and oranges is that the "eastern" taliban actually kills people.
Don't you just live those born again Baptists?
Eccles, yes, but the western contigent used to do that. Now they merely advocate it, the ones that read their holy book that way anyway. So they've advanced but not far enough to chuck out their mythbook and the stories in it.
"The difference between these apples and oranges is that the "eastern" taliban actually kills people"
it is only the law in the US that is stopping the western lot.
Extremists are always wrong. I don't care **what** their extremism is about (food habits, religion, politics, ice cream flavors, whatever). Extremism is what is wrong. Live and let live, cooperation, tolerance - that might not always be exactly right, but it sure is in the right direction.
@ Ecclesiastes –
Point 1 – Muslims and Christians worship the same god.
Point 2 – Your god gave the same commands to both groups – go and kill gay folks.
Point 3 – Your Muslim cousins have the balls to obey your god.
Which group do you think your god is more "well pleased" with? The îdiots who follow his sick, twisted, psychotic, schizophrenic rules? Or the îdiots who thumb their noses at him?
My son just came out to me 3 months ago. The gays got into his head and corrupted him. I had to kick him out of the house because I don't allow any degenerates in the house. Last I heard he was wondering in downtown somewhere. I hope someone kills him before he destroys the family name. The gay movement is destroying families across the country.
Good.
Glad to see it has happend in your family first.
Why don`t you save the family`s honor and do what Afghans do? The honor killing thing. I do hope peo-ple like you don`t reproduce and don`t vote. Gallah!
But YOU'RE in the house.... (and recognize the item itself was a canard... I farkin hope)
You are either a Poe or a prick.
A good reason Texan's should stay in their own state, rather than retire to mine, a bordering state. More and more Texan's retire here and I can understand why, it's not just cost of living, better living conditions and friendly to retirees, but get away from the lunatics Texas seems to attrack.
how sad is it that it is so difficult to know whether texasbob is trolling or not?
I'll call Poe. If this îdiots was a true fundiot cretin, he would have had no problem killing his son himself.
Your son is so much better off without you. The sad part is – I bet your son still loves you even though you're a redneck, right-winged, brainwashed, uninformed, disgusting...creature. Yes, I said it. You're a creature.
Your son is so much better off without you. The sad part is – he probably still loves you – even though you are a degenerate, ring-winged, uninformed, brainwashed, disgusting...creature. Oh, and you are a HORRIBLE parent. I hope that doesn't offend you!
I say bring on more of these guys! The more outlandish and villainous they become, the faster their vile cult will bite the dust. And to the congregation that fill the pews next Sunday I say shame on you. There is a a church down the street where you can worship your same deity without all the insane hatred.
Choosing this nutcase instead? THAT'S a lifestyle choice (with an emphasis on the CHOICE).
Oh your faith is great..though misguided. Just keep hoping for the downfall of others.
Leviticus is part of the Old Testament. Funny how keeping Kosher is not required to be obeyed, but Leviticus 20:13 is required to be obeyed. How very Christian of these preachers. I have no reason to kill gays. Just leave them be.
Religious people the world over are great at picking and choosing what they want from their various books of magic spells.
Whatever keeps them in power is what they will use.
In Matthew 5:17-19 Christ makes it very clear that all Mosaic Law is to be upheld.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
>>>"Religious people the world over are great at picking and choosing"
You mean the same way some Atheist pick and choose the scriptures also to challenge Christians?
n8 ..... Sorry but John 8 is the counter to your statement.
5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
N8352: If such is the case with Mathiew, then why don`t you eat Kosher?
"You mean the same way some Atheist pick and choose the scriptures also to challenge Christians?"
usually in response to those christians who picked one out to condemn someone else with.
@ Mark From Middle River
“n8 ..... Sorry but John 8 is the counter to your statement.”
How do you determine which statement is BS, and which one is not?
Have you ever noticed how people who advocate killing others almost never get killed themselves? I guess it proves that karma does not work.
I think Karma works. I think the preacher will come back as gay. ... Then if he kills himself, he will be demonstrating that he still holds to the exact same belief system. If he chooses to live, then he's recognizing the error in his prior beliefs. Either way - I feel fortunate that I don't have to listen to him regularly (in this life or the next). : )
Since when is reproducing a good thing? I think we have enough people on this planet already.
More gays the better I say.
Emus are just like you, but they run towards the dingo fence without stopping.
This is nothing google "the sun fury over us church toddler's", click the first link check out the 2 year old singing no h++o's in heaven to the delight of the church goers. more sick than this. or just go to the sun uk paper today and look for it.
Christians kill what they fear. Mayans, native Americans, Jews, Muslims, and Na'vis 😛
I guess he missed the day they taught commandment 6
It's interesting, isn't it? That this god didn't get to the don't kill anyone commandment until so far down the list...
To paraphrase:
1. Worship me.
2. Worship only me.
3. Don't worship anyone else.
4. Don't say bad things about me.
5. One day a week, do nothing else but worship me.
6. Oh, and while I'm making up rules, try not to kill anybody (unless they violate 1-5, you be the judge, I won't micromanage).
Terribly insecure for an omnipotent being, isn't he?
Thank god we have the Bible for a moral compass.
Without religion we would not know we are supposed to murder gays, non-virgin brides and disobedient children.
We would have to rely on critical thinking and common sense.
Are these guys still getting tax breaks for their "churches"? If they are, why? They seem to not be obeying the separation of church and state rule. Time to start taxing these guys if they want to get involved in politics. Asking the government to kill gays is getting involved in politics.
As far as I'm concerned, it's time to start taxing all churches. There's no reasonable argument that says we shouldn't change the laws and sick the IRS on them right away...
..same time we cut funding for any group that goes into politics. That would include the schools that taught kids to sing songs to GW Bush and Obama.
The list of groups that should lose their funding would be huge when we include the groups that disagree with each of our personal views.
The government should kill people without empathy. If you don't have the ability to put yourself in another human being shoes then we have no use for you.
Isn't that a bit hypocritical? I mean if you have empathy then you should be able to put yourself in the shoes of the non-empathetic person and understand them better. Seems you 'd rather just kill them......have you no empathy?
When these jerks preach in mosques, they tell their followers it is OK to fly planes into buildings or blow yourself up in a crowded place. Every religion has its idiots.
In Matthew 5:17-19 Christ makes it very clear that Mosaic Law is to be upheld.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
n8 ... Sorry but John 8 is the counter to your statement.
5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
I really biffed it when I forgot to put that story in my book for five centuries.
n3862!
Acts 10:15 A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean."
Sorry mark, but you have been told numerous times that actual biblical scholars agree that the prostîtute story in john is a fake. It doesn't appear in the original versions of john. It was edited in much much later. I wonder why you ignore this?
The older I get, the more I believe American Christianity is little more than a form of collective insanity.
More and more, I really just want to leave this place to the Crazies, and watch it implode on TV from a nice, warm country with no enemies and no desire to poke its nose in everyone's business – and no religion....
@ astra: i'm with you on that one and i plan on making it happen. i'm retiring and moving to a nice tropical island to watch america rip itself apart, then sit amazed as mexico and canada invade and take over what is left. ROFLMFAO
We in the US ask for Muslims to show their outrage at extremists in their ranks and stop them, yet where's the outrage here? Complaining isn't doing anything, what is being done to stop this type of behavior? Sad thing is I bet his pews will be full this Sunday.
Exactly. it's a reflection on all Christians for as long as this guy has a congregation
CNN doesn't seem to like religion very much, LOL
And Christians don't seem to like the New Testament much, though god knows they spend enough time in leviticus
Great thinking there, Joe! It's CNN's fault that religious people humiliate themselves.
On the other hand, Pastor Knapp has a lovely singing voice. Balances everything out.
'Pedophilia' is abuse of children. Incest is abuse of children.
Gay people are consenting adults who choose one another freely.
Use a dictionary and also your brain.
This is beyond disgusting and CNN is beyond disgusting for allowing this murder-mongering a national forum.
gay people are disgusting_filth who think anal_puncturing is normal.
I don't think it's so much a national forum as it is a national exposure.
How is incest 'abuse of children'? Moron.
"How is incest 'abuse of children'?"
Wow Josh, you can't seriously be that stupid! The law says it is a crime and thus it equates to abuse. How many children under the legal age of consent have you been with recently? (Only asking since you don't seem to think it is wrong)
While I agree with Leslie's overall message I have to say Josh was right. Incest doesnt mean child abuse. It can involve it sure but incest can also mean adult attraction so he was right to ask the question.
Honestly – I don't understand how people can comment on Leslie's post but don't even understand what she meant. 'Incest is abuse of children' is a way of saying it could cause genetic abnormalities and birth defects in the child, therefore harming the child's health. Glad I could clear that up.