Old Testement Politics

Here's the thing about the Bible: if you are a practicing Christian who adheres to it's teachings, you can't pick and choose what parts to endorse. The Bible was put together to be followed as a whole, so either you do that or you deal with the various interpretations of certain books.

What you don't do is pluck a verse and/or story to use as justification for killing someone who, in your eyes, is a sinner:

A little-known Oklahoma state house primary candidate is getting some national attention this week, after a local magazine found Facebook comments he made last year that appear to endorse killing homosexuals—via stoning, specifically. 

Republican Scott Esk made the comments on another user’s link to a BBC article which quotes Pope Francis last July telling reporters “if a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” 


Esk responds by quoting Bible verses from the book of Romans and Leviticus which some Christians interpret to condemn homosexual behavior. Adam Bates, the Facebook user who posted the original link, replied that only God has final judgment over the sins of man. 

Esk was not having it.

“Adam asked about the fitness to judge others,” he wrote. “That right was given to us in verses like Lev 20:13. Men were commanded to put guilty parties to death who were guilty of certain acts, like homosexuality...if men wink at such perversions, God may have no choice than to judge such nations with calamities.”

“So just to be clear, you think we should execute homosexuals (presumably by stoning)?” Bates replies.

“I think we would be totally right to do it,” Esk replies. “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.”

Of course he's libertarian. "Leave me alone and don't force your rules, life or lifestyle on me, but if I feel offended, I'm free to stone you to death, because Bible."

Just for the record: things like murder, adultery, theft, and worshiping false idols are considered sins as well.