After more than two decades of writing about the malignant rhetoric coming from the far right and MAGA right, it takes a lot for these folks to shock me. But the vile sewage spewing out of Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s mouth gobsmacked me in a way I haven’t been gobsmacked in a long time.
People for the American Way’s Right Wing Watch caught this high-level state official, also a pastor, exalting over giving Hoosiers “permission to hate” Islam to save the country.
“I know that sounds a little harsh at first,” Beckwith said, with a broad smile, “but we've seen this movement to eradicate hate in our culture. That is the worst thing we could do.”
Beckwith actually described hate as Godly.
“You know, the Bible talks about how God hates certain things, and when we say we want to eradicate hate, think about this: we're actually saying we want to eradicate a characteristic of God,” Beckwith added, “and hate is not the opposite of love, indifference is the opposite of love. And so when I talk about this, I said, guys, we need to, in Indiana, we need to hate certain things.”
“If a radical jihadi mindset starts coming into our state, I'm going to hate it, and I'm going to hate it with everything that I am, and I'm going to call on others to hate it, because I hate Islam,” Beckwith continued.
He claimed to “love Muslims,” but that’s “because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them.”
Then it was back to Beckwith’s love for hating his fellow Americans, holding a different view of God. “I hate Islam,” he reiterated, “and we need to be okay with hating again..”
Beckwith went on to reveal that his “Christian” hatred is also aimed at “Marxists.” In his mind, Marxists are somehow a precursor to “a jihadi mindset” all the way back to Medina. “This has been a two-fold battle,” the lt. gov. said. “The jihadis can’t come in until the first thing is torn down.” Presumably, he meant Christianity is what gets torn down. You can count on the fact that when Beckwith says “Marxists,” he means liberals, Democrats, and the left.
“That's what's happening again. And so we need to see it. We need to be proactive. Now is the time to do it, but hate evil and love what God loves,” Beckwith continued.
I think this disgrace to Christianity needs a refresher course in Jesus’ teachings—also, the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment upholds the freedom of religion and protects it from government interference.
