Texas Preacher Says He's Happy When Gay People Die
"Are you sad when fags die?" Texas pastor Jonathan Shelley asked his online congregation after the accidental death of an LGBTQ man in Wilton Manors, Florida, on June 19.
Tragedy struck when a truck plowed through a crowd at an LGBTQ Pride parade, killing one person and injuring another. The 77-year old driving the truck "did not intend to hurt a soul, police say," according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Shelley celebrated the man's death in a video that was first shared to his church's YouTube channel. It was later taken down, but of course, the clip has found a second life thanks to the power of social media. Specifically, Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist preserved the clip, as shown below:
Shelley began by quoting scripture (Romans I:29), which lists characteristics of sinful people, whom he claims are those marching in Pride parades. "And, you know, it's great when trucks accidentally go through those, you know, parades ... I think only one person died. So hopefully we can hope for more in the future," Shelley said.
"You say, 'Well, that's mean.' Yeah, but the Bible says that they're worthy of death! You say, 'Are you [sad] when fags die?' No. I think it's great! I hope they all die! I would love it if every fag would die right now. And you say, 'Well, I don't think that's what you really mean.' That's exactly what I mean. I really mean it!"
He elaborated in an eight-minute YouTube video he posted on June 30 called "Love They Neighbor As Thyself (Pastor Shelley Explains Death Penalty Belief)" in which he parsed out just who "should be put to death."
In the video, Raw Story reports, "Shelley complains that people 'make up a lot of lies about our church ... and try to make it seem like we don't love people.' He goes on to clarify that while he believes all gay men are pedophiles, he's not calling for LGBTQ people to be murdered. Rather, he merely thinks that the government should execute them."
He adds: "I'm not a violent person. I've never wished for anyone to be murdered. You know, the Bible makes clear that there's a difference between putting someone to death and murder. Murder is taking someone's life that's innocent, that has not committed any kind of crime worthy of death. When a government takes a criminal that's been found guilty and puts them to death — executes them or slays them — the Bible makes it clear that that's a huge difference between murder or wishing someone just to die."
Raw Story writes that the "Stedfast Baptist Church has been designated as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center since 2015, after previous pastor Donnie Romero first declared that gay people should be put to death. Romero resigned in 2019 after admitting to 'sins' including hiring prostitutes, gambling and marijuana."