Hate group leader Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, appeared on Todd Starne’s Fox Nation show and let loose with a disgusting attack on out presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
The religious right has gone apoplectic after Buttigieg pointed out that evangelical darling Mike Pence’s faith doesn’t align Christian teachings to love your neighbor and mind your own business. Over the last few months, Buttigieg has attacked Pence’s long history of anti-LGBTQ actions and statements.
Buttigieg has made it a point to mention his faith during his media appearances and has tackled the right’s hypocrisy by aligning themselves with the “porn star presidency.”
Just this past week, he said, “That’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
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Related: The religious right is claiming Pete Buttigieg isn’t a ‘real’ Christian because he’s gay
Buttigieg has accused Pence of being “complicit” in the rise of white nationalism and said he had “stopped believing in Scripture when he started believing in Donald Trump” and had become “the cheerleader of the porn star presidency.”
But Perkins – along with other religious right leaders – have identified Buttigieg as a threat and they’re going all out to attack him now. Buttigieg’s, a Christian, isn’t afraid to talk about his faith and he speaks the language of religious people – but also has the ability to point out that some far right leaders are more interested in political gain than saving souls.
“Scripture warns of wolves in sheep’s clothing coming and talking smooth, trying to be all things to all people. The reality is he’s advocating for policies that are not in line with the Scripture,” Perkins told Starnes. “You can talk about words. You can use the rhetoric of Scripture, but your policy has to match it.”
Buttigieg has pointed out that the Christian savior instructed his followers to care for the poor, immigrants, and prostitutes – something evangelicals have eschewed in favor of abortion, LGBTQ issues, and attacking asylum seekers and immigrants.
Buttigieg’s ability to paint marriage equality as a religious experience and that the Christian god is perfect and therefore made him gay, alarms the religious right who know he could sway those evangelicals disillusioned by their leaders gung-ho support for President Trump.
“The fact is, God does not create people that way. Now, there’s circumstances that lead one maybe down that path, and I’m not saying anyone would choose that lifestyle. But to say that they were made by God?” Perkins said. “First off, the science doesn’t back that up, and Scripture doesn’t back that up, because Jesus himself spoke to what marriage was. And Matthew also spoke to what gender was. I don’t hear Mayor Pete quoting that.”
“When you’re redefining god’s institution of marriage, you can’t claim to be carrying out the policies and principles of Scripture when you’re doing things that are 180 degrees from it.”
Pence, like others who oppose equal rights for LGBTQ people, often frames his political opinions as religious ones. Buttigieg is Christian and said that his marriage is good on those terms.
“It has made me more compassionate, more understanding, more self-aware, more decent,” Buttigieg said. “My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God.”
“The idea that the only way a religious person could enter politics is through the religious right — I just don’t think that makes sense. What could be more different than the message I take from my faith and what we’re being shown in Washington right now?” Buttigieg said last month on Morning Joe.
