Spewing More Vitriolic Hate

I think it's safe to say that Pastors / Reverends / and all other religious figures don't mix too well with politics. I bring this up on the heels of the news that a Pastor in Phoenix, Arizona named Steven Anderson recently delivered a sermon at his Faithful Word Baptist Church in which he repeatedly expressed his hate for President Obama and revealed that he prayed every night for his death. At one point he stated that he prayed to God that Obama would be struck down by a brain tumor like Ted Kennedy, at another time he prayed that Obama would 'melt like a snail' with salt on it. Now I am not saying that everyone should agree with President Obama. Lord knows that many people expressed similar disdain for President Bush (though I don't recall hearing about death wishes against him being made by Pastors) but what is really disturbing is the fact that one of his Pastor Anderson's parishoners was the person who stood outside a recent Obama health care rally with an assault rifle.

I'm sure many who are reading this are waiting to jump up and say that this is no different than when Obama's longtime preacher, Reverend Jeremiah Wright made speeches about how he hates America and how this is a double standard. I don't think it is a double standard. I think Reverend Wright's comments were also very biased and filled with hate and I find it sad that in both these cases, these statements are being made by men who are supposed to be 'men of God'. Now I'm no religious expert but isn't one of the basic tenents of any religion peace and harmony? If it is then why would preachers like these want to spread a message of hate to their flock? In both cases I think these men have shown that they are abusing their positions and stating whatever they want to say because they have the forum and believe that they are right because they have the backing of their church.

There's probably very little difference between Wright and Anderson (other than where they stand on the political spectrum) but part of the reason for Anderson's ire is Obama's stance on abortion rights and how this apparently violates his religious sensibilities. I understand the anger and frustration at having their beliefs suposedly be trampled on but is this any reason to spread hate and vehemence? Were this a statement made by a pastor during the Bush Administration or shortly after 9-11 then I'm sure there would have been immediate visits by Homeland Security and protests about the pastor being Un-American. On the one hand people who support someone like Anderson will try to stifle protests against Bush by calling it unpatriotic but at the same time will talk about Freedom of Speech when insulting the opposition.

Where I draw the line is that as a pastor or a religious leader (of whatever religion you do or don't follow) my basic understanding is that you would want to spread the beliefs of your religion to your followers and help spread that message to others. To me that doesn't include doing it by lumping it in a hateful message calling for someone's death. There have been leaders in the past who have done something that many citizens have not agreed with and at that time the response was that it was the leader's choice. Now that the shoe is on the other foot (and that foot happens to be African-American) it seems that its suddenly become okay to carry guns and wish the President a violent death because it's a right given to us in the Constitution. If that's your "right" then I'm afraid of what the future of my country holds.