Botswana Deports Anti-LGBT American Pastor

Sadly, here in America, religion gets huge amounts of undeserved deference.  Hate is allowed to parade in public and "men of god" are free to encourage violence against others.  Equally disturbing is the manner in which politicians, especially Republicans, prostitute themselves to hate merchants standing behind a pulpit and by default normalize the misogyny they advocate.  Thankfully, in deporting anti-LGBT U.S. pastor Steven Anderson the government of Botswana demonstrated how such foul individuals should be treated. No deference, no respect, and no platform to poison others with their hatred of others. The Washington Blade looks at Anderson's deportation.  Here are excerpts:

The government of Botswana announced on Tuesday it has deported an anti-LGBT U.S. pastor from the country.

Steven Anderson told a Botswana radio station during an interview on Tuesday that the government should kill gays and lesbians. He also described the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., as “disgusting homosexuals who the Bible says were worthy of death.”

Botswana immigration officers were with Anderson when he left the radio station.

Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana said it received a report that Anderson assaulted someone who attended his church service on Monday. The advocacy group wrote on its blog that Anderson called the person “a fag, a homosexual and with a mouth full of AIDS” before he was forcibly removed.

Anderson, who is a pastor at the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Ariz., arrived in Botswana on Sept. 15. The government of neighboring South Africa announced earlier this month that it had banned him from entering the country.

A State Department official referred the Washington Blade to the Botswana government for comment “on their policy regarding individuals affiliated with the Faithful World Baptist Church.”

Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana criticized the government from allowing Anderson into the country. The group nevertheless applauded the decision to deport him and “in the process defended its citizens.” "We applaud the people of Botswana who have stood with us to protect, defend and promote human rights in our country,” said Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana.

Note that South Africa banned Anderson from entering that nation.   Perhaps one of the biggest ironies is the way Christofacists condemn the Koran and say it's a message of hate, yet then cite the Old Testament of Bible - also a message of hate - to justify similar bigotry and violence.

Religion: The Underlying Source of Evil

Like most in the nation's LGBT community, I remain in shock over the massacre on early Sunday morning at Pulse, an LGBT club in Orlando, Florida.  So many mostly young lives snuffed out by a terrorist claiming allegiance to the Islamic extremists of ISIS.   Perhaps equally shocking is the reaction of far too many Americans to the slaughter, including pastors and some Republican politicians: they are either celebrating the deaths of so many LGBT individuals or saying that they deserved death for their failure to adhere to Bronze Age myths and babbling of ignorant herders from 2500 years ago.  

ABC News has a compilation of past violence against LGBT venues and ALL were perpetrated by those at least nominally Christian.  While foul individuals like Ted Cruz try to point the finger at Islam, he conveniently forgets that he himself shared the stage last year with a Christian pastor who advocates for the execution of gays.  Cruz is not much better than the gunman in Orlando when it comes to clinging to ignorance and religious based hatred.

Pastor Steven Anderson

Here's a sample of a sample of what some "godly" pastors have been saying via Patheos:

Pastor Steven Anderson, whose hate knows no bounds, celebrated the deaths of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in a 4-minute mini-sermon that cited the Bible as justification for why they needed to die. (And if it didn’t happen via a shooter, it should have happened by way of government execution.):

The good news is that there’s 50 less pedophiles in this world, because, you know, these homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and pedophiles. That’s who was a victim here, are a bunch of, just, disgusting homosexuals at a gay bar, okay?

But the bad news is that this is now gonna be used, I’m sure, to push for gun control, where, you know, law-abiding normal Americans are not gonna be allowed to have guns for self-defense. And then I’m sure it’s also gonna be used to push an agenda against so-called “hate speech.”

The Bible says that homosexuals should be put to death, in Leviticus 20:13. . . . these people all should have been killed, anyway, but they should have been killed through the proper channels, as in they should have been executed by a righteous government that would have tried them, convicted them, and saw them executed.

Sadly, this type of misogyny has probably been uttered from countless fundamentalist pulpits.

But the hate isn't coming just from church pulpits.  Politicians are stepping up as well, such as Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick tweeted Bible verses seemingly approving of the slaughter.  This from the New Civil Rights Movement:

At 8 AM EDT Sunday morning news was spreading that 20 people had been shot to death in an Orlando, Florida gay nightclub, Pulse. The death toll has now been raised to 50 dead.

Also at 8 AM, then 30 minutes later, Texas Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who has been working hard to position himself as a national leader against the LGBT community, posted two tweets.

The first bible verse, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows," from Galatians 6:7. The next, from Psalm 37:39: "The Salvation of the righteous come from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble." The second included the message, "Have a blessed Sunday!"

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick

And if one truly wants to be sick, read some of the comments on places like here.

Closer to home, we have politicians like Randy Forbes who have repeatedly supported anti-gay legislation and organizations.  Indeed, one of the few things Forbes has done in all his years in Congress is to push resolutions that would grant special rights or recognition to Christian extremists. Right Wing Watch has a compilation of some of Forbes' anti-gay, pro Christian extremists activities. 

Anti-gay zealot Rep. Randy Forbes

Personally, I am done with religion other than opposing the hate and bigotry and violence it condones. 

"Christain" Pastor: Murdered Death Metal Concert Goers Had it Coming to Them

One thing that the aftermath of the horrific events in Paris has helped to clarify is that many of the "godly folk" are almost as hate-filled as the Islamic terrorists who killed at random.  But one example of the ugliness of far right Christianity in America is Pastor Steven Anderson who is best known for calling for the genocide of gay people and for openly praying for God to murder President Obama.  Anderson spent part of his sermon yesterday telling his congregation that the concertgoers at the Bataclan theater who were there to listen to the band Eagles of Death Metal were worthy of death because they were "worshiping Satan."  The only thing that separates Anderson and his fellow hate merchants from the ranks of ISIS is they level of violence they are willing to openly condone.  Patheos has details on Anderson's foul rant. Here are excerpts:

Pastor Steven Anderson spent part of his sermon yesterday telling his congregation that, while he doesn’t condone the actions of the Paris attackers, the concertgoers at the Bataclan theater who were there to listen to the band Eagles of Death Metal sorta had it coming:

When you go to a concert of death metal, somebody might get killed! You know, you’re worshiping death, and then, all of a sudden, people start dying!… Well, you love death so much, you bought the ticket, you love worshiping Satan! Well, let’s have some of Satan’s religion come in and shoot you!
I mean, that’s what these people should think about before they go into such a wicked concert…

Anderson, who rarely accept facts, has no idea that the group is more of a parody of death metal bands. They actually play “feelgood, bluesy boogie-rock.”

He proceeded to call the group’s leader a “drug-pushing hillbilly faggot.”
Anderson also criticized France. As if the nation’s social “sins” deflect from the violence that took place on Friday. (8:45)

Now, let me tell you a little bit about this sinful nation of France. Did you know that France is the only country in the world where more than 50% of the population thinks that adultery is fine?

The survey he cited says only 12% of French people think adultery is fine. (About 40% just don’t see adultery as a moral issue.)

This is what passes in these Independent Baptist churches as a biblical response to tragedy. 

Personally, I'd like to ship Ted Cruz, Pastor Anderson, all of the professional Christian set,  and half of the GOP to the Middle East where they can live under ISIS's rule.  They want a theocracy, so let's let them experience one first hand.  Oh, and I'd make sure that they had one way tickets with no return.  These people are horrible and if anyone is Satanic, it's them.  I truly do not want to be called a Christian any longer - I want no association with the likes of Anderson and similar hate merchants who wrap themselves in the Bible while spewing hate and division.

Hate Speech Has Consequences - Especially When Combined with Guns

A few days ago I wrote about nutcase Arizona Pastor Steve Anderson - yep the same guy who advocates the execution of gays and wants Obama dead - and now it turns out that one of the gun carrying fruit loops that appeared at a townhall meeting on health care reform attends Pastor Anderson's Kool-Aid cafe parish. People and the MSM in particular try to laugh off these loons, but I see them as a clear and present danger. Do we really need those who hold lunatic beliefs and have a persecution complex walking around with assault weapons? I think not and it is only a question of time before some religiously motivated far right individual goes over the edge and things get violent. Personally, I do not believe anyone needs to own an assault weapon and this guy is a case in point. Here are some highlights from Crooks & Liars:

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So it turns out that Contessa Brewer had good reason to see a connection between the rabidly hateful rhetoric spewed by the likes of Pastor Steven Anderson and the angry, gun-toting protesters turning out for presidential events: One of the most prominent of these, an African-American man named "Chris", is in fact a member of Pastor Anderson's congregation. "Chris" was on Alex Jones' "Prison Planet" radio show late last week and discussed how "my pastor was beaten up" at a Border Patrol checkpoint.

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Yes, that pastor is indeed Steven Anderson, who was arrested in April by the Border Patrol for being uncooperative at a patrol checkpoint. Anderson attempted to make himself something of a national martyr to the conspiracists out there by posting a video to YouTube about it that quickly went viral.

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The funny thing about these gun-toting protesters is that they like to portray themselves as being simple, honest defenders of their gun rights when they show up for public events, especially those featuring the president, packing heat publicly. They adamantly deny that they're bringing their guns to intimidate their fellow citizens from speaking out with a contrary view. But this is beyond disingenuous; it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the vast majority of the people who attend a public debate will perceive someone with a gun as someone they should fear -- particularly if they have an opposing view.

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Moreover, these gun-toters want to assure us they pose no threat whatsoever to either the president or his supporters by bringing these guns. They're just ordinary citizens standing up for their rights, right? The Secret Service need have no fear about their motives. But then we find out that at least one of them ardently admires a pastor who preaches how much he hates Obama and wishes him dead, in order "to save this country." And we're supposed to tell these "innocent" gun nuts from the people who might actually aim their weapons at the president how?

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Yes, America has always had a lunatic fringe, but these folks honestly frighten me. I believe some of them are ticking time bombs waiting to go off. I believe we need some serious gun control legislation that takes assault weapons out of the hands of potential crazies. Here's a reminder of Pastor Anderson's and his flock's message of "love:"

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Arizona Pastor's Sermon Calls for Execution of Gays, Barney Frank and Barack Obama

The lunacy - and possibly illegal threats - from the Christianists and lunatic fringe elements of the GOP are increasingly off the charts and at times down right frightening. I cannot help but wonder whether it might not be appropriate for the Secret Service to stop by and pick up Pastor Steven Anderson (pictured at left) of Faithful Word Baptist for some questioning. Words often DO HAVE consequences and given how unhinged some of the far right elements have become, it is certainly within the realm of the possible that someone might act upon the dear Pastor's incitements. Pam's House Blend has some highlights:

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"The sodomites are recruiters and you know who they are after? Your children. They are being recruited by the sodomites. They are being molested by the sodomites. They recruit through rape, they recruit through molestation, they recruit through violation"

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"Our country is run by faggots. You know who was the man who was the architect of the bailout? His name is Barney Frank, he is a pedophile..." "That's who just sold our country into fascism. That's who just sold our corporations to the government. That's who sold out our country, a faggot!"

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Among other sin-filled people Anderson calls to be executed is the POTUS, for his stand on reproductive freedom. "God Hates Barack Obama, I hate Barack Obama. I hate Him. God wants me to Hate Barack Obama." "Someone who commits murder should get the death penalty."

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Take a good look - Anderson is the face of the gay hating Christianists and far right Republicans. It's not pretty and one of the reasons the younger generations have an increasingly negative view of Christianity. Anderson and those like him are Christians in name only and pervert the Gospel message.

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Jeremy Hooper at Good as You also has some relevant commentary on "Rev." Anderson:

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If you think this is bad, you should read some of his essays. The following is one of my favorite quotes so far: "If music without drums, syncopation, or a rock beat is acceptable music, then “Yesterday” by the Beatles would be suitable for a Christian. This song has no drums, syncopation, or rock n roll beat – so what’s wrong with it? It doesn’t talk about drugs, illicit behavior, or violence – so what’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with it is the source. It was written by God-hating communist devils. Rock n roll music was pioneered by ungodly sinners like Little Richard, a sodomite filthy animal, and Ray Charles, a heroin addict." I had no idea the Beatles were "God-hating Communist devils." I'll have to listen for Lenin references when I play Rubber Soul again. And I have to say, the Little Richard description is utterly charming.

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Oh, and as a side note... it shouldn't be surprising that this man has no formal education or seminary training. He believes that Bible college is evil--that's in another essay. How convenient!

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Pastor Anderson is a whack job to say the least and increasingly represents the mentality of what's left of the GOP. The more people like Anderson get exposure, the more people there will be flee from the GOP.