Scott Esk, who is running for House District 91 state representative, made the remarks on Facebook last year in comments regarding Pope Francis’ now famous quote “Who am I to judge?” in referencing gays who who hold strong religious beliefs.
Esk posted Biblical scriptures from Romans and Leviticus that referred to homosexuality being punished, reports KFOR-TV.
One person on Facebook on responded, “So just to be clear, you think we should execute homosexuals (presumably by stoning)?”
Esk responded, “I think we would be totally in the right to do it. That goes against some parts of libertarianism, I realize, and I’m largely libertarian, but ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss.”
[ See the Facebook exchange here. ]
Rob Morris, who runs Moore Monthly magazine and the MooreDaily.com says he was researching local candidates when he was alerted to Esk’s views.
Morris said he spoke with Esk by phone and confirmed that he did make the controversial posts on Facebook.
“What I will tell you right now is that was done in the old testament under a law that came directly from God,” Esk told Morris. “And in that time, it was totally just, it came directly from God. I have no plans to, you know, reinstitute that in Oklahoma law. I do have some very huge moral misgivings about those kinds of sins.”
KFOR-TV has more:
In 2010, Esk was arrested for threatening violence on a local minister and spent several days in the Oklahoma County Jail. The charges were eventually dismissed.
MOORE, Okla. — A Tea Party candidate running for Oklahoma’s state House who wants to apply biblical principles to Oklahoma law is under fire for advocating that gays should be stoned to death because ‘it came directly from God.”
Following are screen captures of his comments:
