Speaker Mike Johnson: "Christian" Extremist

Before voting in Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House of Representatives, House Republicans seemingly did very little vetting of Johnson's background.  Apparently, the fact that Johnson was deemed "polite," considered a "true conservative" and had not pissed off large numbers of his colleagues was enough to get him over the finish line.  Now, many in the media are doing the vetting that House Republicans never did and the image that is increasingly one of a far, far right Christian extremists particularly when it comes to Johnson's belief that the earth is 6,000 years old - he seemingly believes dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark - and his utter hatred of LGBT Americans.   Like gay-haters of of 1980's and since, Johnson has said Monkey Pox is a punishment for gays and that the increase in the number of high school students identifying as LGBT was evidence of America's moral depravity.  Indeed, the picture that emerges is that of a fanatic who tries to hide his dangerous extremism behind politeness when interviewed by the mainstream media.  When on right wing "news" outlets, Johnson's true colors are reveled.  Not surprisingly, some of Johnson's statements are being quietly erased by some right wing sources in an effort to hide his true extremism.  A piece in Rolling Stone looks at Johnson's view of LGBT youth:

Talking to pastor Jim Garlow on a broadcast of the World Prayer Network, Johnson spoke ominously of America facing a “civilizational moment.” He said, “The only question is: Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins? Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?”

The segment was filmed Oct. 3, just weeks before Johnson’s unexpected rise to become speaker of the House. Garlow pressed the clean-cut Louisiana congressman to say “more about this ‘time of judgment’ for America.” Johnson replied: “The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable.” He cited, as supposed evidence, the decline of national church attendance and the rise of LGBTQ — the fact, Johnson lamented, that “one-in-four high school students identifies as something other than straight.” 

For background, Johnson’s interviewer, Pastor Jim Garlow has called for an armed uprising against the nation’s LGBTQ people and claims that Christians who hate homosexuals will be rewarded with an eternal celestial orgy when they reach heaven. Pastor Jim Garlow has also said Satan is a gay activist.

A piece in Politico continues with Johnson's portrait as an extremist.  Here are article excerpts:

House Speaker Mike Johnson sits on the board of a Christian publishing house that suggested getting “monkeypox” was “an inevitable and appropriate penalty” for being gay and that former President Barack Obama was rumored to be the Antichrist because of his “leanings toward Islam.”

For the last decade, Johnson has been a member of the board of Living Waters Publications, a Christian ministry and publishing house. The speaker has interviewed founder and CEO Ray Comfort on his and his wife’s now-deleted podcast.

Last year, Comfort narrated a Living Waters video, titled “Monkeypox and God: Is It a ‘Gay Disease’?” in which he quoted Biblical scripture saying that those who engaged in homosexual acts would get “in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing.” (The virus was previously known as monkeypox, but last year the World Health Organization changed the name to mpox, saying the term monkeypox could be seen as stigmatizing and racist.)

In a Living Waters article published in March, Comfort also bemoaned the fact that Christians could no longer call homosexuality “morally wrong.” “There was a time in America when we could say these things without any real repercussions,” he noted.

Johnson’s affiliation with Living Waters may not hurt him with his Republican colleagues who were relieved that his election ended three weeks of drama over who would be the next speaker. But his association with the far-right organization could further tarnish him in the eyes of socially liberal and moderate voters. Democrats could even end up using it as fodder for campaign ads.

Living Waters has also published videos in which people try to stop women from getting abortions, with the presenter badgering one woman entering a clinic by telling her: “You think you’re getting rid of a problem. You’re gonna cause yourself a problem for the rest of your life. You’ll never forget this day.” The video was titled “Pleading for Babies’ Lives at Abortion Mill.”

POLITICO was first alerted to the connections between Johnson and Comfort by the progressive government watchdog group Accountable.US.

“The elevation of Mike Johnson to speaker of the House of Representatives, with the unanimous support of his Republican colleagues, demonstrates how his particular conservative expression of Christianity is now at the very center of the party — both he and his favored policies can no longer be viewed as fringe,” said Andrew Whitehead, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University who specializes in Christian nationalism and religion in the U.S.

Before being elected to Congress in 2017, Johnson worked for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a powerful organization that has won more than a dozen cases at the Supreme Court. Those include reversing Roe v. Wade, allowing a baker not to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, and letting employers exclude birth control from health insurance policies.

“It’s certainly another troubling sign of how extreme Johnson’s views may be, that he would sit on a board and wouldn’t have a problem with them putting out ideas like this,” said Jones.