Tennessee Pastor Calls for LGBT People to be Executed

[United States of Americanas]

I didn’t say I lost belief in Jesus Christ. What I have lost trust in is the earthly church and it’s preachers.

Just because they believe in hell doesn’t mean it exists.

I choose science over fallacious beliefs spewed by the tongue of flesh.

The Bible it’s self is not inerrant and perfect, it was written by men with the goal of governing them. The tithe back then was basically like taxes.

Christians of the conservative / fundamentalist styles are the most screwed up in the religion. They really aren’t the kind of people to listen to for life guidance.

This is why I switched to Unitarian Universalism.

So you don't fully believe in the Bible yet still call yourself Christian?

Read my post again and pay close attention to what is bold.

FYI there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of Christianity of which some hold the Bible as one of the greatest history books ever written and others who think it is the law of today.

FYI if you are in the latter group, you’re in trouble because if you watch TV you’re watching the production of a graven image. Have a state ID? You’ve produced a graven image of yourself!

I am Unitarian Universalist, Christian and Jewish. Just because I don’t believe in a part of the religion does not mean I am not one who desires to follow in the way of Christ. The way of Christ is love and justice for all.

Anyone who fully believes in the Bible and has used a razor to shave or has cut their hair has also sinned.

See where I am going here? The Bible demands perfection and anything less is condemned to hell.

God himself has proved the Bible to have some issues, it is why he had to send Jesus to die on the cross, so that he may be the substitutionary sin offering for all of our sins past present and future.

Before you ask if I have a heretical view on the Trinity I don’t. There’s God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

[Drongonia]

Should he be able to spout these opinions? Yes.

As a priest ? Yes.
As an officer of the law ? No.

He was giving a sermon, so I guess yes. If he was on duty and started spouting that rubbish it would be totally unacceptable, and likely grounds for dismissal.

[Syrixia]

The Knox County mayor, Glenn Jacobs, called Mr. Fritts’s earlier sermon “outrageous.”

“I think they’re vile and reprehensible,” he said on Saturday of the comments. “I condemn any sort of comment like that, that calls for violence.”

Sounds like Fritt needs to get Tombstoned.

[The Rich Port]

As a priest ? Yes.
As an officer of the law ? No.

He was giving a sermon, so I guess yes. If he was on duty and started spouting that rubbish it would be totally unacceptable, and likely grounds for dismissal.

Yeah, that's not how that works either.

In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.

It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."

Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".

That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

So you don't fully believe in the Bible yet still call yourself Christian?

Read my post again and pay close attention to what is bold.

FYI there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of Christianity of which some hold the Bible as one of the greatest history books ever written and others who think it is the law of today.

FYI if you are in the latter group, you’re in trouble because if you watch TV you’re watching the production of a graven image. Have a state ID? You’ve produced a graven image of yourself!

Anyone who fully believes in the Bible and has used a razor to shave or has cut their hair has also sinned.

Is this in the OT or NT?

I am Unitarian Universalist, Christian and Jewish.

This is possible???

Just because I don’t believe in a part of the religion does not mean I am not one who desires to follow in the way of Christ. The way of Christ is love and justice for all.

Hey, I follow Christ AS too (with Divine support at that)

See where I am going here? The Bible demands perfection and anything less is condemned to hell.

Source?

God himself has proved the Bible to have some issues, it is why he had to send Jesus to die on the cross, so that he may be the substitutionary sin offering for all of our sins past present and future.

I don't think this is correct Christian theological teaching. The New Testament was written after 'Isa AS died.

Before you ask if I have a heretical view on the Trinity I don’t. There’s God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

Then you and I have very different understandings of 'Isa AS.

[Pleajeune]

Honestly seems a bit excessive to want them to be executed, but maybe that's just me?

[Aboveland]

REDACTED

"i'm not racist but i'd like black people to keep their slang to themselves because it makes me uncomfortable"

[Drongonia]

He was giving a sermon, so I guess yes. If he was on duty and started spouting that rubbish it would be totally unacceptable, and likely grounds for dismissal.

Yeah, that's not how that works either.
In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.
It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."
Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".
That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

You make out like this guy is two-faced, but I can bet my life that he's never come out supporting gays or anything like that. He has probably been anti-gay in the workplace and around family/friends for years (although we can't say that since we don't know him) so it's not entirely surprising he has these beliefs. And like I mentioned, he wasn't at work spouting these opinions either. He even left the sheriff's office before his sermon, likely to try disassociate himself from them and them from his opinions.

Also, you mentioned that he made the case that it's his right to believe these things. Well... it is. As much as you don't like it, that's what he believes and he was giving a sermon in the church that he was a pastor at. The fact that he's a detective does make the whole thing a bit more interesting, sure, but he could just have easily been a plumber, electrician, doctor, lawyer, cleaner, burger flipper, SCUBA instructor, or anything else.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

Honestly seems a bit excessive to want them to be executed, but maybe that's just me?

No, it actually is excessive.

[United States of Americanas]

Read my post again and pay close attention to what is bold.

FYI there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of Christianity of which some hold the Bible as one of the greatest history books ever written and others who think it is the law of today.

FYI if you are in the latter group, you’re in trouble because if you watch TV you’re watching the production of a graven image. Have a state ID? You’ve produced a graven image of yourself!

Anyone who fully believes in the Bible and has used a razor to shave or has cut their hair has also sinned.

Is this in the OT or NT?

I am Unitarian Universalist, Christian and Jewish.

This is possible???

Just because I don’t believe in a part of the religion does not mean I am not one who desires to follow in the way of Christ. The way of Christ is love and justice for all.

Hey, I follow Christ AS too (with Divine support at that)

See where I am going here? The Bible demands perfection and anything less is condemned to hell.

Source?

God himself has proved the Bible to have some issues, it is why he had to send Jesus to die on the cross, so that he may be the substitutionary sin offering for all of our sins past present and future.

I don't think this is correct Christian theological teaching. The New Testament was written after 'Isa AS died.

Before you ask if I have a heretical view on the Trinity I don’t. There’s God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

Then you and I have very different understandings of 'Isa AS.

About the graven images, 10 Commandments mate.

One may follow whatever religions they feel are helpful to their life’s journey.

I’ve heard pastors demand perfection and sinlessness out of their congregants. Perfectionism plagues Christianity. Do I have a Bible verse, not off the top of my head and I’m not digging through 1300 something pages for a source at midnight to answer a forum post.

Jesus DID become our sin offering and if you don’t believe that then you have things to sort out. http://www.jcblog.net/romans/8/299-roma ... n-offering

Isa AS, first time I’ve heard of Jesus referred by that name, had to google it.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

Jesus DID become our sin offering and if you don’t believe that then you have things to sort out. http://www.jcblog.net/romans/8/299-roma ... n-offering

We can talk about this over telegram or in the Islamic Discussion Thread if you'd like.

Isa AS, first time I’ve heard of Jesus referred by that name, had to google it.

عِيسَى/'Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus. AS is an abbreviation of "عَلَيْهِ السَّلام/'alayhissalaam" meaning "peace be upon him".

[His Excellence]

Pride month truly brings out the very best of heterosexual nonsense.

Wow, this Pride Month has really triggered the Heteros, hasn't it?

Why are you using the term 'hetero(sexual)' as if it's interchangeable with homophobia?

[Geneviev]

This isn't what Christianity should stand for. What this pastor said is definitely hate speech and doesn't reflect true Biblical Christianity at all. Instead of calling a whole group of people worthy of death and not allowing them in a church, he should show God's love. And hate speech should never be allowed, especially from a pastor.

[United States of Americanas]

Jesus DID become our sin offering and if you don’t believe that then you have things to sort out. http://www.jcblog.net/romans/8/299-roma ... n-offering

We can talk about this over telegram or in the Islamic Discussion Thread if you'd like.

Isa AS, first time I’ve heard of Jesus referred by that name, had to google it.

عِيسَى/'Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus. AS is an abbreviation of "عَلَيْهِ السَّلام/'alayhissalaam" meaning "peace be upon him".

Nah, I’ll leave this here as we will never see eye to eye on this if you don’t believe in the text written in the book of Romans.

Jesus became the sin offering for all of our sins, end of statement.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

We can talk about this over telegram or in the Islamic Discussion Thread if you'd like.

عِيسَى/'Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus. AS is an abbreviation of "عَلَيْهِ السَّلام/'alayhissalaam" meaning "peace be upon him".

Nah, I’ll leave this here as we will never see eye to eye on this if you don’t believe in the text written in the book of Romans.

Jesus became the sin offering for all of our sins, end of statement.

Do you believe in all of the Book of Romans?

Also, my apologies for threadjacking this thread. I should've told you that we should talk in the Christian Discussion Thread. I'm sorry.

[San Lumen]

He was giving a sermon, so I guess yes. If he was on duty and started spouting that rubbish it would be totally unacceptable, and likely grounds for dismissal.

Yeah, that's not how that works either.

In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.

It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."

Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".

That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

It’s my understanding the Knox County sheriff’s office fired him. The Sheriff of the county tterly denounced his comments and was quoted in the Washington Post as saying “ I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County, Tennessee under the law, my oath and the United States Constitution without discrimination or hesitation, Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so.”

[The Rich Port]

Yeah, that's not how that works either.
In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.
It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."
Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".
That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

You make out like this guy is two-faced, but I can bet my life that he's never come out supporting gays or anything like that. He has probably been anti-gay in the workplace and around family/friends for years (although we can't say that since we don't know him) so it's not entirely surprising he has these beliefs. And like I mentioned, he wasn't at work spouting these opinions either. He even left the sheriff's office before his sermon, likely to try disassociate himself from them and them from his opinions.

Also, you mentioned that he made the case that it's his right to believe these things. Well... it is. As much as you don't like it, that's what he believes and he was giving a sermon in the church that he was a pastor at. The fact that he's a detective does make the whole thing a bit more interesting, sure, but he could just have easily been a plumber, electrician, doctor, lawyer, cleaner, burger flipper, SCUBA instructor, or anything else.

Considering that they're investigating him now, that doesn't sound right. Also, then why did he feel the need to carry on about it in front of cameras and on the Internet, where his supervisors and co-workers would definitely find out about it? I don't go around telling my Wal-Mart supervisors I believe in unions and I want to start one, because I don't have a right to freedom of speech under the mighty juggernaut that is Wal-Mart.

Not arguing that he doesn't, but the Sheriff's office and the county, therefore, have the right to shit-can him and even throw him in jail for corruption and abuse of power, if he indeed did do that.

Yeah, that's not how that works either.

In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.

It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."

Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".

That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

It’s my understanding the Knox County sheriff’s office fired him. The Sheriff of the county tterly denounced his comments and was quoted in the Washington Post as saying “ I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County, Tennessee under the law, my oath and the United States Constitution without discrimination or hesitation, Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so.”

Ah, how about that, they already threw him under the bus. Good to know, then.

[American Pere Housh]

Read my post again and pay close attention to what is bold.

FYI there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of Christianity of which some hold the Bible as one of the greatest history books ever written and others who think it is the law of today.

FYI if you are in the latter group, you’re in trouble because if you watch TV you’re watching the production of a graven image. Have a state ID? You’ve produced a graven image of yourself!

Anyone who fully believes in the Bible and has used a razor to shave or has cut their hair has also sinned.

Is this in the OT or NT?

I am Unitarian Universalist, Christian and Jewish.

This is possible???

Just because I don’t believe in a part of the religion does not mean I am not one who desires to follow in the way of Christ. The way of Christ is love and justice for all.

Hey, I follow Christ AS too (with Divine support at that)

See where I am going here? The Bible demands perfection and anything less is condemned to hell.

Source?

God himself has proved the Bible to have some issues, it is why he had to send Jesus to die on the cross, so that he may be the substitutionary sin offering for all of our sins past present and future.

I don't think this is correct Christian theological teaching. The New Testament was written after 'Isa AS died.

Before you ask if I have a heretical view on the Trinity I don’t. There’s God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

Then you and I have very different understandings of 'Isa AS.

Tell me, have you completely read the Bible front to back? Because from what I see you're using Islam view of Jesus, not Christianity view.

[Jack Thomas Lang]

Hardliner Protestantism is really a plague on Christianity. Their faith in Christ is welcome, but their hatred of others (including Papists like myself) is unbecoming of a Christian.

[Geneviev]

Hardliner Protestantism is really a plague on Christianity. Their faith in Christ is welcome, but their hatred of others (including Papists like myself) is unbecoming of a Christian.

Extremists like this don't represent Evangelical denominations. Their hate is not Biblical, it's a sin.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

Is this in the OT or NT?

This is possible???

Hey, I follow Christ AS too (with Divine support at that)

Source?

I don't think this is correct Christian theological teaching. The New Testament was written after 'Isa AS died.

Then you and I have very different understandings of 'Isa AS.

Tell me, have you completely read the Bible front to back? Because from what I see you're using Islam view of Jesus, not Christianity view.

You're correct, I am using the Islamic view of him. No, I have not read the Bible in its entirety.

[Kombinita Socialisma Demokratio]

Tell me, have you completely read the Bible front to back? Because from what I see you're using Islam view of Jesus, not Christianity view.

You're correct, I am using the Islamic view of him. No, I have not read the Bible in its entirety.

The person you were discussing with probably also has not.

[The Alma Mater]

Yeah, that's not how that works either.
In fact, if anything, you being secretly two-faced is cause for MORE alarm, not less.
It says a lot that his opener wasn't "these are my private beliefs, they were never a factor in my duties", and instead were "it's my right to believe these things."
Also, there's not many fucking ways you can take "I have homicidal thoughts about homosexuals".
That's not the kind of thing you announce to the world unless you're looking for trouble, ignorant religious fanatic or not and especially not if you don't want Internal Affairs combing through your case history.

You make out like this guy is two-faced, but I can bet my life that he's never come out supporting gays or anything like that. He has probably been anti-gay in the workplace and around family/friends for years (although we can't say that since we don't know him) so it's not entirely surprising he has these beliefs.

A fair point - it is quite likely that he has been spouting his WE MUST KILL THE GAYS rhetoric for years to his fellow cops and that none of them cared - and that only now that it has hit the media they scramble to pretend they did not know and will review his previous cases for bias.

Which is worrying.

[Drongonia]

A fair point - it is quite likely that he has been spouting his WE MUST KILL THE GAYS rhetoric for years to his fellow cops and that none of them cared - and that only now that it has hit the media they scramble to pretend they did not know and will review his previous cases for bias.

Which is worrying.

This. Very much this. I think he should have been let go years ago if there was any utterance of this sort around the workplace. I also find it fair that they'd review his cases.

[Patek Phillippe]

A Tennessee pastor who is also a detective said in a sermon this month that people who were lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender were “freaks” and “worthy of death,” comments that have prompted prosecutors to review cases he has investigated.

In the sermon, delivered on June 2, the pastor, Grayson Fritts, also called for the government to send a riot team to a Pride parade scheduled for June 22 in Knoxville. He said L.G.B.T. people should be arrested, tried, and if convicted, executed.

“That’s the problem with law enforcement nowadays,” he said in a video of the sermon posted by The Tennessee Holler. “They are chasing around cookie thieves, when the real animals are on floats rolling down Gay Street.”

Mr. Fritts is a pastor at All Scripture Baptist Church, which makes its stance on homosexuality known on its website: “A person will only burn in their lust toward the same gender if they have been given over to a reprobate or rejected mind. God said homosexuality should be punished with the death penalty, as set forth in Leviticus 20:13. No homosexual will be allowed to attend or join All Scripture Baptist Church.”

Mr. Fritts is also a detective at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. His sermon prompted the Knox County district attorney’s office to examine cases that Mr. Fritts had worked on as a detective.

“When any potential witness in a criminal proceeding expresses an opinion of hatred and or bias toward a class of citizens, I am ethically bound to explore that witness’ credibility,” the district attorney, Charme P. Allen, said in a statement. “Accordingly, I am reviewing all pending cases involving Mr. Fritts to scrutinize them for any potential bias.”

It was not immediately clear how many cases would be reviewed. Ms. Allen could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

She also assigned an assistant district attorney to take complaints about closed cases that Mr. Fritts may have worked on, the statement said. Ms. Allen said that while her office had never received a complaint about Mr. Fritts before, it was important to act on complaints “as justice dictates.”

Mr. Fritts could not be reached for comment on Saturday, but in another video posted on Thursday by The Tennessee Holler, he responded to criticism about his earlier sermon, saying he had not called for violence against L.G.B.T. people.

“I am not an anomaly,” Mr. Fritts said in the video. “I am a Baptist preacher that is just preaching the Bible, and if it offends society, then it is just going to offend society.”

The Knox County mayor, Glenn Jacobs, called Mr. Fritts’s earlier sermon “outrageous.”

“I think they’re vile and reprehensible,” he said on Saturday of the comments. “I condemn any sort of comment like that, that calls for violence.”

He said Mr. Fritts had sought an early retirement from his detective position before his sermon had drawn widespread attention, and that he was not currently active with the sheriff’s office. Representatives from the office did not respond to emails and phone calls on Saturday. But according to The Knoxville News Sentinel, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said in a statement on Wednesday that he had agreed to a request Fritts had made for a county buyout from his position.

The mayor of Knoxville, Madeline Rogero, said that the city would host its Pride parade and that she would attend, along with members of other churches.

Referring to Mr. Fritts’s comments, she said: “That is not what Knoxville or Knox County is about. That is an aberration. What that particular pastor said is not reflective of our community and the way we treat ourselves and the way we treat our citizens. We want the world to know that that is not how we are and that is not how we behave.”

Source

So, NSG, what do you think? What is there to say about people who continue to not only believe these things about LGBT but continue to speak them out loudly and proudly for all to hear? Do you think this is hate speech or that what he's said is acceptable behavior?

I personally think people like this man are absolutely horrible people and don't deserve respect that basic human beings deserve. I believe they're constantly spewing hate speech that the public is better off not having to bother listening to, it's a burden on all of us to have to hear people like him.

He should certainly not be leading churches with that kind of attitude. As a christian myself, we do not feel any hate for LGBT people and they definitely should not be executed. Although homosexuality is a sin, it is not the unforgivable sin. I think this man needs to go back through the bible and make his judgement again. Jesus still loves the worst sinner as much or even more than his most faithful follower.