An openly gay ONE News Reporter has been labelled "filthy" by the pastor of a Baptist church while he was trying to request an interview for a story.
Matt McLean phoned Pastor Logan Robertson today over comments the Westcity Bible Baptist Church member made in an email to a gay Christian man who has just published a book about his faith.
Jim Marjoram wrote an email to around 400 churches but received an email back from Pastor Robertson telling him, "we are not interested in your filthy lifestyle or book."
The email went on to say, "I pray that you will commit suicide, you filthy child molesting fag."
When Mr McLean rung the Pastor to try and hear his side of the story, he was also met with a highly offensive response.
Pastor Robertson told Mr McLean he would not give an interview to a "filthy faggot" and he hoped that he too would commit suicide.
However, he later granted one media interview, in which he stood by his comments.
"I think every single one of them should be put to death," says Pastor Robertson.
"Christians shouldn't be doing it, I'm not going to do it, it's the Government's job to be doing it."
The National Leader of Baptist Churches of New Zealand sent a statement this afternoon about the email to Mr Marjoram, saying the Westcity Bible Baptist Church is not part of the Baptist Union of churches and said, "I am appalled by the comments... we cannot and never would endorse his comments."
Mr Marjoram himself says he doesn't feel any anger or hate towards the Pastor but does have a message for him.
"The only thing I could say is what you're preaching isn't love.
"And if you call yourself a Christian... Jesus wouldn't go anywhere near that."
Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pastor- ... de-6196022
Obviously the worldwide discrimination faced by LGBT people is nothing the seasoned veterans and denizens of NSG haven't already discussed, but as a New Zealander I found myself shocked at this sort of rhetoric. While it may be expected in a country like Russia, or coming from some uneducated redneck in the backwoods of the United States, that sort of vitriol is incredibly unusual here.
So what is the solution? There are already calls for him to be fired by the church, although given that he has actually advocated for genocide I think that more serious penalties ought to apply. I'm no legal expert but off the top of my head New Zealand has laws against hate speech and against inciting to violence or threatening people with death - and I'm sure that a substantial enough case could be made that this particular individual is in breach of such laws.
If the police are keeping tabs on radical preachers in Mosques who may be advocating violence or extremist behaviour - and this is something I support - then the same sort of principle ought to apply to Christian extremism, given that this man very well may be inciting his followers to commit acts of violence for all we know.
What are your thoughts, New Zealanders and non-New Zealanders?
