Preacher: Why Do LGBTQ People Need Legal Protection? Because “No One Likes You”

Pastor Jonathan Shelley of Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas recently celebrated a gay man’s death at a Pride parade, then told his congregation, “I think it’s great! I hope they all die! I would love it if every f*g would die right now… I really mean it!”

No wonder people are protesting outside his church.

But last night, he was right back at it, delivering a sermon that included a tangent on why everyone is secretly bigoted just like him.

… Why is it that the government has to force you to tolerate [LGBTQ people]? Do they think that everyone’s New [Independent Fundamentalist Baptist] or something? It’s like they literally have to pass all this legislation and they have to literally force companies… to say, like, “You can’t fire them” and “You have to tolerate them,” and “You have to wave the flag” and whatever. They have to do that because nobody likes them! When you have to pass law after law after law for people to just tolerate you, it’s because they hate you. It’s because you’re gross and disgusting and no one likes you. No one cares about you. Okay?

And maybe they don’t like me — that’s fine. Really, they hate Jesus. But really, they don’t like you either. You’re kidding yourself if you think they like you as well. No one likes them! Okay?…

It’s gross, it’s disgusting, it’s filthy, and most people are afraid to say something because of [an] extended family member. They got a cousin or uncle or aunt or whatever… so they just try to just keep their mouths shut and they’re too afraid to actually open their mouth because they don’t want the gay mafia to come after them.

Nothing spreads hate more than Christian love.

It never occurred to Shelley that non-discrimination laws have nothing to do with “liking” people and everything to do with protecting their basic rights — often to overcome the bigotry of religious people like him.

Not everyone shares his empty shriveled heart. But you have to pity the future bigots who spend their weeknights listening to him.