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Pastor Steven Anderson has been in the news recently due to the extremist, far-right rhetoric emanating from his Arizona Pulpit. This individual called for the death of the President, which not to say he casually made an off the cuff remark to that effect - no.
Pastor Steven Anderson dedicated an entire sermon to "Why I hate Barack Obama". This sermon was delivered on 8/16/09. On 8/17/09, a member of Pastor Anderson's congregation approached the Phoenix Convention Center openly carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, while the President was visiting.
Anderson's primary motivation for preaching against Barack Obama appears to be the presidents stance on abortion, which has long been the rhetorical driving force behind religious terrorism within this country. This is what Pastor Anderson had to say about Obama approximately twenty minutes into his hour long sermon.
But let me tell you something: I don't love Barack Obama. I don't respect Barack Obama. I don't obey Barack Obama. And I'd like Barack Obama to melt like a snail tonight. Because he needs to recompense, he needs to reap what he's sown.
You see, any Christian will tell you that someone who commits murder should get the death penalty. Because that's what it says in Genesis Chapter 9, that's what it says in the Mosaic Law, that's what it teaches us throughout the Bible. 'Who so sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' 'From the image of God created he Man.'
And when Barack Obama is gonna push his partial birth abortion, his salty saline solution abortion, hey, he deserves to be punished for what he's done.
After regurgitating some mildly racist nonsense promoting the Birther conspiracy theory and connecting Barack Obama with the sociopathic and mass murdering Jeffrey Dahmer and Stalin, the pastor summarizes his opinion on Obama rather succinctly
And yet you're going to tell me that I'm supposed to pray for the socialist devil, murderer, infanticide, who wants to see young children and he wants to see babies killed through abortion and partial-birth abortion and all these different things -- you're gonna tell me I'm supposed to pray for God to give him a good lunch tomorrow while he's in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nope. I'm not gonna pray for his good. I'm going to pray that he dies and goes to hell
You can find coverage of this at a number of excellent sources, but here the discussion will focus more on the pastor himself. Glancing through the Faithful Word Baptist Church website, there are written essays, as well as full downloadable sermons.
Steven Anderson is clearly someone for whom the term 'fundamentalist' is too liberal. According to him, the King James Version of the bible is without error (hint: it's not) and he goes through great pains to demonize and 'debunk' other translations of his religious text. According to him, even attempting to receive a religious education is blasphemous. His website includes mockeries of "liberal" churches, he promotes members not watch television, not even Disney, as "our children are being programmed to enjoy the voices" of actors who play in " other far more wicked movies". Listening to non-Christian music is out, as is "immodest clothing".
For members of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, television is out, birth control pills are out, and (of course), everyone should be terrified of the evil homosexuals who "recruit through rape. They recruit through molestation. They recruit through violation. They are infecting our society. They are spreading their disease. It's not a physical disease, it's a sin disease, it's a wicked, filthy sin disease and it's spreading on a rampage"
The church the pastor is running there in Tempe Arizona is strikingly familiar in tone, belief and organization to what you will find in any extremist Islamic madrassah run by Hezbollah. External media consumption is blasphemy. Contraception is sinful. There is a 'great evil' out to get you. Only one religious view is correct (ours), the rest are infidels, tricked by Satan. Education is unnecessary, all that you need to know you can learn from the religious text.
This may be a man of religion, but his religion is dangerous. It promotes violence, intolerance, hatred, and bigotry. The Pastor has called for the death of the president, he has stated in not-so-veiled terms that it is a Christians duty to kill the leader of this nation, and members of his congregation have gone so far as to arrive within the presidents vicinity carrying a loaded rifle.
With this sort of dangerous preaching accompanying a rise in militia, survivalist anti-government organizations, how long is it going to be until some foolish moron takes these people seriously enough to actually follow through on their religious demands?
Comments
Seriously. It's disturbing. I know plenty of people who would never have an abortion. But they don't wish death upon someone who would. And on top of that Obama isn't having his own abortions. He's in agreement with people deciding for themselves. Or at least he says he is.
Of course this guy wants his congregation to think outsiders are evil. If they spoke to anyone they might decide Pastor Anderson is off his rocker.
This fellow is off his rocker big time.
You should see his videos about his run-ins with police agencies. In a nutshell, this is an child - throwing tantrums constantly.
I went so far as to call the Benson police and told them they did a good job. :-)
AWESOME article. how are so many people swayed by such kooks? maybe they should read a book that isn't the bible.
Someone needs to put a bullet in Anderson's head. First of all Anderson, let's get one issue straight! Our constitution states that church and politics are separate but equal. So don't give me that crap about abortion. Has nothing to do with religion! It is political and it stands! You better learn your history, jerk.
Also, there is not one word in the Bible about abortions! Please,
that's a man made issue, not by God. Also, you don't get a say about what women do with their bodies. Not yours! Got the facts!
Where's the accountablity?
If this were just one crazy, you could say let the FBI visit him, but this is central to Republican and Fundamentalist speech right now.
Freedom of speech. Absolute. That doesn't mean freedom from accountablity. The press needs to follow the concections between these traitors and the Republicans.
Calling for the death of an American President (no matter party), is reason enough to lock him and his support up.
Oh... And I'm an enlisted army vet., working on the capital markets, believing in Jesus, AND I normally vote Republican... never again until the mainstream shuts this down though.
Debra, don't ruin your argument by calling for someone to kill the pastor, even if you were making a lame attempt at satire. That said, Senator McCain is the senior GOP leader in Arizona. Shouldn't he be speaking out about Pastor Anderson? The good senator's campaign staff certainly gave a lot of grief to Obama last year about a sermon his former pastor gave. I think McCain owes an explanation to the American public as to whether he supports such threats from the pulpit in his state. If he remains silent, should we interpret his silence as condoning Anderson's remarks?
Pastor Steven Anderson is just one example of the viciously insane, extremist, religious right that has highjacked Christianity in this country. For another extremist group full of vitriol look up the Westboro Baptist Church.
Who needs Death Panels When you have Christian Death Pastors
Patrick: McShame is a joke apparently you didn't watch his Death Townhall Meetings nor did you watch his nutty Palin Around with Terrorist clan.
McShame is probably thinking what Sicko Steve is saying.
I am wondering how sicko would feel if the wrath of god was to strike his family down. That's in the bible.
I would never ever ever have an abortion. Of course, I'm a dude, so who cares what I think?
A RW Christian's internal Jesus is having a temper tantrum.
woe unto all ye children of Abraham
that would wish ill upon ill wishers
pray that these blind ones with
'skin trouble' find a less violent
way of dealing with others
So when are we going to put policies in place to punish all Jews and Christians for the behavior of yahoos like this guy and Fred Phelps, the way we tar all Muslims with the same broad brush because of people like the Iranian mullahs and Osama bin Laden? Less than half of Americans polled say they think Muslims make good American citizens or are trustworthy and you NEVER hear the masjids spewing trash like this. Dude in Iraq coulda put a bullet in the Shrub's head last year, what did he do? Threw a shoe at him. This is the difference between the three groups--you have to VIOLATE the teachings of Islam to do the kinds of things Christians and Jews do. I'm agnostic, and if I can see the disparity, the rest of us had better wake up.
We condemn mulsims who don't speak out about extremists yet where is the christian outrage at this? Who is speaking out?
That's not a Pastor, that's a Grand Dragon. He's only missing a sheet. Why isn't that all over the news like Jones comments? I think his comments is werse. Jones just picked the wrong time to tell the tryth.
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