David Barton: Hungary’s Anti-LGBTQ Laws Promote “Traditional Biblical Values”

Earlier this month, under the leadership of authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian government passed a bill banning any portrayals of LGBTQ people aimed at an audience of minors. This was part of a broader piece of legislation targeting sexual abuse of children, but it’s clear Hungary’s right-wing government links that abuse to the existence of gay and trans people.

The legislation was widely condemned by human rights groups and democratic governments around the world.

And it was embraced by conservative Christians, who seem to support anything that harms LGBTQ people, including their acceptance in society. Rod Dreher, for example, said the bill was just lawmakers defending “local values.”

Now Christian pseudo-historian David Barton is joining in. The professional liar defended Hungary and other former Soviet republics that promote bigotry:

… “They’re heavily Christian, heavily influenced by Christian teaching values. You have Hungary, you have the Czech Republic, you have Romania, you have Ukraine, and you have Poland, and they are trying to have their policy line up with traditional biblical values. They believe that God will bless their nation if they do those things.”

“And so I applaud those guys for doing that,” Barton continued. “And quite frankly, most American Christians probably would not have stood with that because we’re so scared of getting beat up on by media and others. But that is a biblically correct position that you have; there are moral rights and wrongs and sexuality, and those are five nations in Eastern Europe that have been trying to uphold biblical standards on morality, and good for them.”

Barton didn’t say anything in defense of the gay people who live in fear of simply existing under Orbán’s regime. Because why would he care? He’s all for conservative Christian theocracy no matter how many people suffer as a result.

The fact that these people can’t tell the difference between a dictator who uses Christian bigotry to rally his base and a nation guided by more enlightened Christian ideals tells you more about their ignorance and gullibility than anything else. No decent person should be looking to them for advice.

(via Right Wing Watch)