While delivering a baccalaureate service to a class of high school seniors, Pastor Scott Carpenter (pictured) thought it would be an opportune time to remind any gay graduates in the audience that they were going to burn in hell.
The hate speech happened on May 30 at Kings Mountain High School in Kings Mountain, NC and, naturally, left quite a few people upset.
Related: “Gaypower” Is Turning Everyone Bisexual, Pastor Warns
Chuck Wilson, a parent who was in the audience that day, called the speech “inappropriate” and accused Carpenter of “bullying” and overshadowing the students’ achievements with a message of intolerance.
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“It’s a public school,” Wilson told WBTV. “There are children here. I think there should be some level of responsibility of the speaker coming in to not take advantage of a captive audience.”
Carpenter blew off allegations that his behavior was out of line. He told WBTV that he doesn’t have any regrets over the speech. “Nobody got bashed or anything,” he claimed. “All I did was simply speak biblical truth.”
“The number one audience that I have to please is God,” he added, with just the slightest hint of self-righteousness. “I simply had to do what I had to do as a Christian minister.”
As a result of the debacle, school officials say they are going to be “more cautious” about the selection process of baccalaureate speakers in the future.
Related: Pastor Claims Gay People Are Possessed By “Fart Demons” That Can Drive Pigs To Suicide
Jerry Payney
hateful….. no wonder folks are turning there backs on the church.
AtticusBennett
there ain’t enough water in the world to wash the blood off his hands.
he’s the reason LGBT youth die.
Bruce Campbell
I’d have spoken right up & said “You’re here not to pass judgement.”
Fredrick Bertz
Asshat!
Bob LaBlah
” “All I did was simply speak biblical truth.”
“The number one audience that I have to please is God,” he added, with just the slightest hint of self-righteousness. “I simply had to do what I had to do as a Christian minister.”
As a result of the debacle, schools officials say they are going to be “more cautious” about the selection process of baccalaureate speakers in the future.”
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Actually I’d like THANK this reverend/pastor/clandestine klan recruiter/closeted child molester or whatever the hell he really is deep down for doing nothing ELSE but proving why there needs to be separation between church and state. These parents need nothing else but their asses whupped (no misspelling, that just how I mean it) for not protesting from the beginning about the school not being able to bring anyone of SUBSTANCE instead of pure, utter FANTASY to address their kids’ plunge into the real hell.
That real hell being todays workforce, the cost of college and what happens if they fail at graduating from college (those loans will still have to be repaid). There is where the real HELL begins. Damn all that other ol’ sanctimonious bullshit. Let’em see how effective praying is when they can’t come with enough money to pay off those student loans and pay rent with the salary they are going to be offered after graduation.
aaronarnwine
interesting. still cannot find any article that prints the quote of what he actually said. i’d like to see that.
David Edward Hollis
What an oximoran
Lee Morris
Now there is a church that needs their tax exemption removed,
Dennis Sandoval
this only works if you believe in fairytails
Chris
O just F**K him already. What a self-righteous pig.
Chuck Murphy
Judge not, lest ye be judged!
I guess he doesn’t listen on his own church on Sunday.
bjohnmasters
I grew up in Kings Mountain, Scott wasn’t a close friend, but I knew him. He was in the class ahead of me (1976). I don’t remember him being so religious, so this is a bit of a surprise, but as I said, he weren’t close friends. So I know some of where I speak.
To be clear, the service is held in the High School auditorium, but it is sponsored by the local churches (all Protestant), and is optional. However, there’s a lot of peer pressure to participate…it’s a long-standing part of the graduation ritual. Most of the time, one of the local pastors is selected, and gets up to deliver a fairly innocuous “sermon” designed to be more inspirational than anything else. Of course, there’s always someone who wants to come along and spoil things.
Someone in another thread asked what might have been a motivation, and for the life of me, I can’t think of one. Kings Mountain isn’t a bastion of gay-welcome, but even since the 60s and 70s when I grew up there, it was basically a laid back, live and let live place. There’s no discussion that I’m aware of for a vote on a local equal rights ordinance, and no highly visible anti-bullying campaign is going on, so the only thing I can surmise is that it’s just something he obsesses about, so he had to bring it up. I guess there weren’t any other sins he needed to “tell the truth about.”
I had a long conversation with the communications director of the school system, and one thing he said is that it doesn’t seem to have divided the town. Pretty much all the comments he’s heard have been supportive of equality, and condemning this preacher for spoiling the event. That was encouraging. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Ward Dustin
No he’s the one going to hell!!
Michael Davy
Is this 2015 or did I just travel back in time a couple of thousand years?
Bob LaBlah
@bjohnmasters: Is this guy married and if so how long? How many kids/grandkids does he have? I have a sinking feeling I already know the answers but maybe you can prove me wrong.
Leon Rinehart
who hired this bozo to talk anyway?
bjohnmasters
@Bob LaBlah: You know, he’s serving an interim appointment at this Baptist Church in Kings Mountain, and he’s not someone I’ve heard anything about in all the intervening years. My Mom still lives there, and having been the School System nurse for 35 years, usually kept me abreast of people I was in school with if she had any news about them, but he’s not someone I remember her mentioning. So, the short answer to your question is that I have no idea.
I don’t know when be became a pastor, where he went to school after Kings Mountain. If he’s been in Kings Mountain all this time, nor any clue about family. I just don’t know.
I’ll go ahead and say this. Although still closeted and figuring out who I was back then, I remember him being one of a few guys I would like to have been “closer” with. He was a handsome guy back in high school, but my gaydar wasn’t tuned back then (this was the 70s in a very small southern town after all), so can’t go beyond saying that.
Johnny Mulkerrin
and we are gonna party!!
BlueDude
Great, here’s yet another “christian minister” who’s missed the whole thing about love, tolerance, and acceptance of others, the core of the Gospel teachings. Even if this had been a churc school, rather than a public one, it’s still the wrong message!
Luis H. Lopez
Oh you anti gay poop face bigot
Joey Johnson
Sick….especially at a graduation. What is wrong with people today?!
polarisfashion
@AtticusBennett: Yes, the LGBTQ youth hear guys like this talk and all they hear is everyone including God hates them so they commit suicide. It is such a tragedy every time we lose someone. I want to scream because I couldn’t help them know that they aren’t alone and people like this pastor are nothing more than angry jackasses.
Chad Touchet
Tell THAT PASTOR to suck me left one and make my right one jealous like he did in the back booth at the video store the night before graduation!!
GG
Go to hell, Scott.
Chris Duffy
Creepy looking dude. That’s a mugshot waiting to happen.
schwma
If only someone stood up and shouted “Go F*ck yourself!” Because that’s exactly what he should do.
Jerry Avila
There is no hell …..
Irish Ryan
They should have mooned him and said lick my gay fuckhole.
Jeffrey Thomas
Gay citizens should not have to fund this hatred directed at them with their tax money. This pastor need to lose his tax free status today/
John Kuehnle
It never stops, and I doubt it ever will
Patrick Laney
Run far away… Run… There are bigger and better things for you out in the REAL world!
Curty
Biblical truth. Books from thousands of years. I guess the world or people aren’t free to evolved huh? Glad I’m not religious. I would never want to be a bigot.
Bob LaBlah
@bjohnmasters: “(this was the 70s in a very small southern town after all)”.
Trust me, I know the feeling and can relate. I am a former over-the-road trucker whom every time I went thru North Carolina’s small towns Aunt Bee and Opie were people I often thought of, not that I had room to talk seeing how I am from Snuffy Smithville. The only difference between then and now is where when I left moonshine was the king only to have been replaced by meth.
I do hope a reporter who got pissed off from a nearby station starts asking questions in regards to his credentials. Anyone who can quote at least half of that book of fantasy can claim to be a reverend but to actually be one requires a degree in theology. I know ol’ anti-government, Tea Party and Ted Cruz supporting Bob Jones University ain’t but a few good loud hollers away but the town folks should NOT just accept his word that he really is what he claims he is (especially after this shit) at face value. Its up to you but maybe an anonymous email to that tv station might get the ball rolling.
Raymond D Owens
Yeah, Churches are hurting because younger people aren’t hater’s, so theydon’t go to Church so no money for the Churches. That is the real reason Churches are after Gays they think it is our fault the are going BROKE
Katherine Pierce
So disheartening.So much ignorance, fear, hate.
Hernan Valverde
School officials should come out with stronger apologies and do something else to apologize
Robert Zakem
You can’t get made at people like this. That’s exactly what they want. They are blowhards that should be laughed at and dismissed for the buffoons they are. Anything else only serves to validate them and their bull.
Greg Wood
Grads to pastor”piss off you old fart”
Stanislas Elvira-Martin
If that pastor said that to me, I’d be like “Don’t worry I was already supposed to go anyway, so are you right?” ð???
Gee Rosato
Fucking burn the church down ð??¥
Daniela Strobl
i’m not gay. but i hope to go to hell (if it exists), so i don’t have to spend eternity with people like him.
F. Jay Ver
Why would god let you graduate from high school only to have you burn in hell for being gay. Why wouldn’t he just keep you in high school forever which is already an interminable hell.
Ehren Zaun
Maybe next time they will think twice about who they invite to give a speech.
Burt Santos
Hmmm and the Pope is going where? Hiding child abuse and simply moving priest from one location to the next?
Giancarlo85
The public school should know better… don’t invite religious assholes to secular events.
Mikki Hurley
Sounds like they are leaving hell
Errol Semple
Who invited him?
DarkZephyr
@Burt Santos: that pastor would probably agree with you. Protestants like him tend to be anti-catholic.
Ron King
Pastor jajajajajajaja. Your a joke just like your phony religion.
Paul John Vozzella
Batshitcrazy
dvlaries
This is why atheists don’t have to solicit or proselytize. Every fool like Carpenter makes another handful of individuals turn their backs on the bullshit, and embrace reason instead.
Kristopher Allen
Hope they stood up and said, “See you there!”
Trey Kemp
A Pastor who preaches Hatred. Imagine That?
ScottOnEarth
Who really cares? It’s just one psychotic lunatic’s opinion. I’m sure he went cruising for altar boys after his hate speech. He’s a pathetic joke.
Terrence Houlihan
GREAT !!! SADLY I’LL BE SEEING YIUR SORRY FUKKING ASS!!!!
Noel Hoklin
Never, I mean never, have a minister give a graduation speech at a public school!!!! Or anywhere for that matter !
Phil Tyrer
Try that in this country and I like to think the kids would tell him to “go f*** himself”
Amanda Jansen
Good, let me go to Hell, because all those that don’t tolerate homosexuality won’t be there.
David Brough
Clearly, I am not the only one who thinks this ‘pastor’ is a prick.
kthcst
why would a school, if secular even have a pastor do their graduation…….this shit pisses me off
Jim DelRae
Hell is sure going to be a fun place..
JessPH
I don’t blame the pastor. I blame the school administrators for picking him as it’s speaker. It’s a PUBLIC SCHOOL funded by people’s taxes! What the hell happened to the separation of church and state?!
Deborah Adams
If Hell doesn’t have pieces of zhit like this Pastor then, by all means, count me in. That’s where all the good blues music and ice cream is, too.
Greg Morris
Were there even any gay students graduating? That just seems like an odd thing to do at that event, even for a minister. #noshame #asshat
Nelson Kaiowá
I never take “but it says so in the bible” as an argument for anything. It´s just stupid.
Doug Lia
He forgot: God loves ALL people. Who is he to judge? His judgement should send him right to HELL!!!
Canyonboy Hopihouse
Maybe all the gay people in his area should go to his church service and when they do they need to hold hands when walking into church and sit right up front and keep holding hands during the service and see what the bigot say then
Allan O'Shea
I guess he has been to hell? That would be the only way you would know it even exists?
Ken Ramsey
All I will say to that pastor is he will be in hell also for judging those kids. It’s god that judges not him. The god I know loves everyone and forgives all. It’s how you treat people and live your life.
Teri Hendricks
Another idiot hating others in the name of God
Saint Law
What is wrong with your country? How the fuck is this even allowed?
martinbakman
@Jerry Payney: Exactly. X-tians are driving people from the flock more than ever.
Valerie Anderson
Oh jeez, don’t understand how someone qualifies for this type of job blasting their own personal opinions at public functions? FIRE HIS ASS!
Valerie Anderson
Woop! My bad,thought it was the principal.
Valerie Anderson
Jerk!
infiniti1027
Here’s a strong suggestion … baccalaureate services should be immediately discontinued in all public schools, immediately and without discussion. There is nothing to discuss. Baccalaureate is a religious-based, ceremonial event and has absolutely ZERO place in a public school. NONE. I’m beyond frustrated and angered at the constant and permeating overstepping of religion into secular institutions, laws, news, politics, and everything else we are exposed to dailly. No one seems to remember that the US was founded for the purpose of freedom of religion and freedom from persecution. No one seems to remember that we have an establishment clause and that there is a clearly defined barrier intended to exist between public institutions and any religion (i.e., separation of church and state). Few xtians seem to recognize or respect that their god is not everyone’s preferred god, and for some, there is no god. So let’s eliminate this serious breach of foundational American concepts, as well as other over-reaches of religion into our everyday lives, such as take the 10 commandments out of government buildings, revert back to the original pledge of allegiance (if there must be a pledge at all), take god off our currency, eliminate the fallacious “acts of god” clauses from legal documentation and stop saying “god bless you” when people sneeze! The U.S. is not a theocracy and public schools should not be a platform to spew religious hate, rhetoric or hyperbole.
Billysees
@polarisfashion:
” @AtticusBennett: Yes, the LGBTQ youth hear guys like this talk and all they hear is everyone including God hates them so they commit suicide. It is such a tragedy every time we lose someone. I want to scream because I couldn’t help them know that they aren’t alone and people like this pastor are nothing more than angry jackasses. ”
Good comment.
Transiteer
All religions are man-made. There is no god, the Romans invented Jesus (explains why there’s no historical evidence for him), and the invention of Christianity was intended to subdue those rebellious Jews. Religion is man made. There is no heaven, no hell, no god and no jesus, all the stories in the old and especially the new testament are fictional.
What religion does though, is act as the supreme bully as wielded by those mean-spirited hateful people that like to wrap themselves in something holy while they make your life a misery. F**k em.
Stop participating in all that religious play acting and live your life. Make your heaven in the here and now, and tell this pervert of a pastor (what is a pastor? You don’t need to pass a test or being anything or anybody to call yourself a pastor – it’s self-employment without credentials)to go “to hell”.
Mandi M Blevins
Let’s forget for just a moment how hateful and disrespectful and completely inappropriate this is and look at facts-Clearly this paster doesn’t understand the book his teachings and belief system are coming from- it is crazy for him to claim to do something like that with god as the audience in mind- the last time I read my bible it said “judge not lest ye be judged”
I don’t think god would approve of anyone placing judgement in his name- the last I heard he wasn’t hiring contractors to lay down judgement for him!!
Rio50
@Jerry Payney: THERE is any place or spot away from you(e.g. Look over there!) THEIR is an adjective pronoun that refers to belonging (e.g.Their shoes are too old). Again THEY’RE is a compact form for they are (e.g. They’re always late to school). In tricky English Language, they all sound the same. My name is Angelo and I am a Brazilian English/German Teacher living in Rio. You may send me to hell if my comment has made you angry.
Rio50
@David Edward Hollis: how about oximoron?
Rio50
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine just how much better/easy life would be. I bet you can try. The feeling of freedom that ensues is overwhelming. Yes, I am an agnostic. What priests and their likes say or refrain from saying means nothing to me. But it does enrage me when the hurt other people with their hateful speech. He should not allowed to speak before an audience.
twinkie1cat
First it is not biblical truth and the pastor needs to keep his opinions out of the public schools. The school system needs to remove him from their guest speakers list. They need to screen the speakers much more carefully.
A few years ago, well, about 15 now, a public high school in DeKalb County (generally liberal Atlanta suburb) had a guest speaker on their motivational speaker circuit who was one of these fundamentalist maybe christians and a retired football player. He spoke at an assembly of the male students at a local high school and started making homophobic remarks. The Student Council President immediately staged a walk out and about half of the school followed. Then he went to the principal and asked permission to start a gay/straight alliance, the first in the system.
The football player was removed from the speakers list. Then he started doing similar things when he spoke before faculty meetings and when he wouldn’t stop he was fired. (DeKalb as most of the metro Atlanta systems has a non-discrimination policy in its hiring and services that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.)
Around the same time the teachers in DeKalb refused to attend a system wide faculty meeting at the church pastored by “Bishop” Eddie Long who was found to be involved in sexual relationships with young adult men in his church (New Birth Missionary Baptist–one of the largest in Atlanta.) but held an anti-gay marriage march in Atlanta! (This is callled hypocrisy). The system needed a facility large enough to hold its entire faculty and often used churches for that purpose. (Remember, this is the Deep South.) The system had to pipe the meeting to the individual schools to accommodate those who refused to go to that particular church.
Ironically, the boy who started the walkout was not gay. However, his father was and he loved his father and was not going to have him discriminated against! Always honor the allies, y’all.
twinkie1cat
@Transiteer: That is absolute bull. This world would not be here without a loving God who accepts you even in your unbelief. I am tired of atheists putting down Christians. Most of us are not like the haters.
Billysees
@Rio50:
” But it does enrage me when they hurt other people with their hateful speech. ”
It enrages everyone who is familiar with ‘loving your neighbor’ and ‘not sitting in that seat of the scornful’.