Curtis Knapp #fundie

Curtis Knapp #fundie huffingtonpost.com

Yet another Christian pastor's anti-gay rant has come to light in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) blogosphere.

As first reported by Good As You's Jeremy Hooper, Curtis Knapp, pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kan., appears to call for the death of gays in this disturbing audio.

"They should be put to death -- that's what happened in Israel," Knapp proclaims. "That's why homosexuality wouldn't have grown in Israel."

He continues: "Oh, so you're saying we should go out and start killing them? No, I'm saying the government should. They won't, but they should."

Knapp's declaration follows that of Charles L. Worley, the North Carolina pastor who condemned President Obama's much-publicized endorsement of same-sex marriage while calling for gays and lesbians to be put in an electrified pen and left to die off.

Similarly, the pastor's comments seem in line with statements made by Ron Baity, founding pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. and head of the anti-marriage equality organization Return America, who told his own congregation that LGBT people should be prosecuted as they were historically, and Pastor Sean Harris of the Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C. who advocated parents "punch" their male child if he is effeminate and "crack that wrist" if he is limp-wristed.

Likewise, Tim Rabon, pastor at Beacon Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., condemned states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland which have already "re-defined" marriage to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples before asking his congregants, "What is stopping them from refining marriage from a person and a beast? We're not far from that."

47 comments

old comment by Doubting Thomas

"They should be put to death -- that's what happened in Israel," Knapp proclaims. "That's why homosexuality wouldn't have grown in Israel."

You mispronounced "Iran."

He continues: "Oh, so you're saying we should go out and start killing them? No, I'm saying the government should. They won't, but they should."

Oh, so get the government to do your dirty work for you. That way you can sit back and claim, "Hey, it's not our fault, it's the government doing it!" when you want to try to claim the moral high ground. I'm sure your god will see no difference in you personally killing people or giving tacit approval to other people killing those same people.

Knapp's declaration follows that of Charles L. Worley...

Similarly, the pastor's comments seem in line with statements made by Ron Baity...

Yes, the conservative Christians know that they're losing even more power and gay marriage & gay tolerance is a reality, so they're overreacting and showing everyone how truly crazy they really are in a desperate attempt to shove homosexuality back in the closet.

old comment by Skatepunk

@Brendan Rizzo

I reject your jade-colored glasses and counter with my rose-tinted ones. <3

Hate always becomes incredibly fierce before social change happens. It happened in the civil rights movement. The South got even nastier out of the "horrifying" realization that blacks will get their equality. But the violence turned off the moderates, and change happened.

History repeats itself today. With support for gay marriage above 50% (as Draken said), and the sitting President of the United States endorsing it, the fundies are terrified.

So they up the ante, and become even more vile, hateful, and genocidal in a vain attempt to keep the ban on same-sex marriage in place. But in their frightened zeal, they scare people away rather than win them over.

We're already on the way there, too. Parts of DOMA were struck down by moderate REPUBLICAN judges. DADT was repealed as well.

It's okay to be a realist, Brendan. But when the cards are lining up nicely, you must NEVER lose hope.

That is the main difference between realism and cynicism; cynics always look at the negative.

old comment by Xotan

This is the sort of thing that gets the US a bad name in Europe. Can these mad dogs not be kept muzzled? What about incitement to hatred legislation that would make such mouthings criminal offences.

Saying that the government is not doing what a Pastor (and probably his flock) would like is mighty close to telling that flock to go and do it on their own account.

Got that Neanderthal-covering, white sheet ready for a lynchin'?#

@ Brendan,

I can appreciate much of what you say as I come from a country that up until recently was deeply Roman Catholic. It was also almost a theocracy, with the government consulting bishops about legislation. Gays (we were called less complimentary terms then) were subject to legal sanction and even imprisonment. But things change. I got married to my partner 3 months ago in that same country. So although I can see things as you do, I also know that with determination and constant chipping away at the problem, it is possible to make things get better. In the interim, America is not going to get good press in other places, just as my country was regarded as socially backward when such a situation as I described existed. You should know, however, that change is achieved by being positive. Negativity is handing vicotry to the troglodytes on a plate.

old comment by LogicalAgnostic

For the last time... the difference between gay marriage and marriage between a human and an animal.. just one word: "CONSENT"!!!

Can a dog or horse nod its head and as a sentient consciousness like a human consent to the marriage by slipping a ring on the humans finger and saying "I do" then kissing them??? NO??? I DIDN'T THINK SO!! Maybe in your lying for Jesus fantasy world but not in reality!

It's never gonna happen!! That is why your connection between the two doesn't work and is just plain retarded and a non sequitur!!! Letting gays marry as straight people do will not lead to humans marrying animals any more than it would allow a big red barn to marry a flipping hedgehog!

Jesus Christ these people are so thick nothing gets through to them. It is literally like trying to talk to a fucking brick wall.

old comment by gumby

"Why are you christians so obsessed with bestiality? "

Very interesting question. The very first place I learned about bestiality was in church. Come to think of it - the *only* place I ever learned about bestiality was in church. Multiple times, from different youth leaders.

I never understood the fascination with bestiality. And... if the concern is that 'refining' (assuming he meant redefining) marriage might someday include 'beasts'... why not propose constitutional amendments to explicitly prohibit marriage between humans and animals. Doesn't matter if there's already laws against it. We should have constitutional amendments against it too. I suspect the reason we haven't seen amendments against it in multiple states is that the Christians are closetly for bestiality. They certainly talk about it enough, but never back it up with legislation.