Steven L. Anderson is one of two evangelical Christian pastors who have received a lot of attention lately for their vocal calls -- prayers and hopes -- for President Obama to die. Anderson also believes that "homosexuals," among others, should be executed.
I had Anderson on the show (above is a video of selected parts of the interview, while below is the full audio of the interview) because I believe we can't afford to ignore these violence-inciting individuals, not in this time in which Republicans are whipping them into a frenzy. One of the men who brought an assault weapon to President Obama's speech in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago attends Anderson's church. Better to expose them and let the world hear them.
Anderson actually told me that, though he wouldn't encourage it, he would not condemn any person who killed President Obama or call that person a murderer. He does not believe that the man who allegedly killed Dr. George Tiller, the Kansas doctor who performed late-term abortions, a murderer. And he said he would not call someone who shot a group of gays and lesbians with a machine gun a murderer:
MS: You want all gay people to be executed, correct?
SA: That is correct. It is what the Bible teaches.
MS: If somebody were to go out with a machine gun and spray down a crowd of gay and lesbian people, would you think that was okay?
SA: , I would not think it's okay because I believe in due process.
MS: Would that person be a murderer?
SA: No, I would not judge them as a murderer, no.
Toward the end of the interview, as he went on a rant calling all gays child molesters, I let him know I was gay, something I can't believe he didn't already know:
MS: You know, I'm gay..I'm gay, and I don't molest any children. What do you think of that?
SA: Well, I'd say you're lying.
MS: You think i must be molesting children, right?
SA: Exactly, right.
MS: Do you pray that I'll die tonight?
SA: If you're a homosexual, I hope you get brain cancer like Ted Kennedy.
Click. He hung up (though I didn't realize it until a minute later, and offered my final thoughts.) Listen to the full interview:
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