Thursday, April 23, 2015

Kevin Swanson Calls Hillary Clinton "Anti-Christ"; Compares Female Leaders to Measles

Kevin Swanson, host of Generations with Vision, devoted the April 20th edition of his radio show to whether or not Christians should vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Swanson's rant offered a taste of the anti-Clinton vitriol that will continue to come from the far right as the election draws near.

Swanson began his show by asserting that Christ is supreme ruler over the rulers of earth, reminding listeners that they should trust in God instead of government. At the 8:53 mark, he insisted that the government had become a messiah to some Americans.
"Politics is not the savior. Christ is ... That's a huge affront to the average socialist ... Government is an aspect of life that needs to bow the knee to Jesus Christ, but it's not the savior. It's not the messiah, and the messiah complex that's been imposed upon our educational systems and other things have effectively brought these systems to ruin. So, hey, don't trust in government. Don't trust in princes. Don't trust in horses. We will trust in the Lord our God."
Having declared that God must be the foundation of political life, Swanson asked if true believers could endorse Hillary Clinton. "If you vote for Hillary Clinton, can you be a Christian, or are you anti-Christ?" he asked rhetorically. At the 21:16 mark, he told listeners that voting must be an act of submission to Christ.
"What are the fundamental reasons to vote for or not for some candidate or other? The word of God, of course, bears out who you are to vote for. You are to submit yourselves to the rule of Jesus Christ in the voting booth. Everybody is. At least those who are Christians first and foremost ought to submit themselves to Jesus Christ."
One of the chief requirements of a sound political leader is fear of God, Swanson insisted. After fuming about Hillary Clinton's support for reproductive rights, her alleged "socialist" and her supposed ambitions for "redistribution of wealth", Swanson concluded that she does not fear God. At the 31:00 mark, he blasted her as unrighteous and "anti-Christ".
"This is Hilary Clinton, friends. No, she doesn't fear God. No, she doesn't want to preserve human life. She's demonstrated this. She is anti-Christ. She is against the commandments of God. She opposes righteousness on just about every opportunity she has to vote."
"Any "Christian" who would vote for Hillary Clinton seems to be would be anti-Christ in placing that vote," he fumed. Swanson also seemed ill at ease with the idea of a woman president, likening female leadership to measles at the 25:11 mark.
"When women lead in a civil magistrate, it's considered to be a negative, much like the measles is negative. Now, having measles is not a sin. I don't consider a woman leading in the civil magistrate as being sinful. Deborah would be an example in the Book of Judges, but friend, be careful, be careful."
Swanson represents one example of the right-wing hatred for Hillary Clinton that has erupted since the launch of her presidential campaign. The Religious Right is aghast at her record on reproductive rights and LGBTQ equality, and I suspect they're also uncomfortable with the possibility of a moderate female president. Right-wing Christians will continue to depict Hillary Clinton as ungodly in an attempt to dissuade believers from voting for her, and if that fails, they will likely resort to misogyny. As the election approaches and more Religious Right voices opine on candidates, we can expect bombastic rhetoric similar to that of Kevin Swanson.



8 comments:

  1. Oh, no; it's presidential election season again! And no good Christian could vote Republican either because of their anti-Christ views about the poor.Ah, over simplification...

    Women civil magistrates as similar to measles? Interesting. And silly.

    Seems we live in a day and age when folks think they can't be heard without employing "shock and awe" in their speech. Why is that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doug -- Swanson has always been bombastic and silly, but he's never realized how un-Christian he really sounds. There's no compassion for the poor or "love thy neighbor" in his radio shows.

      I don't know why modern right-wing speech is getting so bombastic. Maybe they're getting worked up because they realize that they're losing the culture wars?

      Delete
  2. Hmm, women governing is like the measles. Why wouldn't it surprise me if Swanson turned out to be in the anti-vaccination crowd?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna -- Heh heh! Anti-vaccine nonsense wouldn't be the strangest thing to come out of Swanson's mouth.

      Delete
  3. What did anything he said have to do with Christianity? What color is the sky on his planet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jono -- Swanson is Religious Right to the core, but he's not Christ-like by any stretch of the imagination.

      Delete
  4. "When women lead in a civil magistrate, it's considered to be a negative, much like the measles is negative."

    Yes. If women lead we will have horrific wars over oil, children gassed with chemicals, income disparity, decimation of the middle class, rampant police brutality, mass surveillance that violates our Fourth Amendment rights, and killing drone strikes without due process. Thank goodness for the men who lead us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agi Tater -- Funny how Swanson and his ilk haven't noticed that male leaders have done horrible things. Obliviousness, thine name is Swanson.

      Delete

All comments are subject to moderation. Threatening, violent, or bigoted comments will not be published.