“Kill him and tell God he died”
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Dear Jimmy Swaggart,
Last Sunday in front of a globally-televised worship service, you stated that you would kill a man if he looked at you in such a way as to imply he might be interested in you as a marriage partner.
"I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna be blunt and plain, if one ever looks at me like that I’m going to kill him and tell God he died."
Your words were greeted with laughter and applause, showing how well you have trained your audience to disregard the central christian message of compassion, love, and forgiveness. In your ad hominem attack, you even go beyond the theology that hates the sin but loves the sinner. Respecting the image of God in every person is a religious value, but you have encouraged your followers to dehumanize others – and they have followed you with glee. The bloodguilt of this is on your head.
Those who are in positions of power in religious communities bear a greater burden not to exploit the people.
I call you a false prophet, leading the faithful astray with words of hatred based on your own insecurities and fears, and drawing on those of others. You do not represent the model of a Christian.
However tongue-in-cheek, to suggest that you would lie to God about your murder puts you in a comparative light to Cain. It reveals quite a lot about you that you would find that so inspiring and amusing.
You swagger, Jimmy Swaggart, but if you ever knew the message, you have forgotten it.
You and Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell need to find a new name for your brand of anti-religion. You mirror the terrorists in your fanaticism and in your disregard for all that is of value in faith, religion and spirituality.
Blind guides. Blind fools. Jesus would think you’re a jerk.