As the religious right descends into complete and utter madness in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage later this week, at least one Alabama church is bracing itself for the worst and implementing an official ban gay weddings from ever happening on its premises.
“The only marriages recognized by our church are between one man and one woman,” Rev. John Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, declares to AL.com. “They are the only ones that will be done in our church by our ministers.”
Related: Christian Right Prepares For Arrival Of Marriage Equality By Doing Even Crazier Things
To be clear: No same-sex couples have actually asked to be married at the church. Killian is just being proactive should a gay couple scouting wedding venues ever step foot through his church’s doors.
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Killian is implementing the policy after the Southern Baptist Convention officially declared war on gay marriage last week during its annual hate fest in Columbus, OH.
Rev. Greg Davis, president of First Priority of Alabama and host of a fundamentalist radio talk show in Birmingham, tells AL.com he could “definitely see people with an agenda wanting to put pastors in a compromising position, to try to legally put the church in a bad position. It is an issue that you can’t ignore.”
Because gay people have nothing better to do than harass Baptist ministers.
Davis wants gay people to know that those poor ministers are “not obligated to marry anyone!”
But don’t get these guys wrong, folks. Both Davis and Killian insist they’re not bigots.
“I don’t think Baptists mean any harm or want to justify hateful attitudes,” Killian said. “But we’re not going to do it (perform gay marriages).”
“Just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you dislike them or hate them or think they’re terrible,” Davis added.
The Supreme Court will issue its ruling on same-sex marriage this Friday.
Related: Did Antonin Scalia Just Signal He Has Lost On Marriage Equality?
Tommy O'Brien
Fine with me. Would not want to get married in their church anyway
Uncv1
If they, or any other church doesn’t want to follow the ruling by the Supreme Court, maybe they should give up their government sponsored tax-exempt status… I’m just saying!
kofender
This whole pronouncement by SBC is just a whole lot of nothing. No self-respecting gay or lesbian couple is going to be asking to be married by one of these ignorant preachers. No one wants to use their run-down churches (please, we have taste). And there are plenty of civil and religious officiants available and ready to perform a marriage ceremony.
Personally, I find the so-called leaders of SBC to an abhorrent lot. They have a history of preaching hate, hate, and more hate (with a cherry on top). I certainly don’t condemn all members of SBC, but I sure condemn the leadership.
Tony Chaplinski
what country, and there are many, that legalized gay marriage has come crashing down or riots in the street? NONE
Tom Hughsted
That is fine. Churches are not needed for marriages. Time that people spent the money on other things than renting church space and compensating religious officials.
Don Michael
Who would ask them anyway?
Glücklich
OH MY GOD! What are we going to do? I am SHOCKED and APPALLED! SBC banning gay marriage at one of their churches?! What’s next? The Ayatollah banning gay marriages, too?
Michael Lepper
Robb Forehand
I was raised Southern Baptist, and I would not want to give one red cent to these bigots OR have my special day in one of their churches.
Harold Vera
So sad that such a cause for celebration and love is turned into separation and hate.
Robert Paige
Lol idiots we dont need your churches your approval we want nothing from you that said suck my twat lmfao
Tony Lee Churchill
Jeff Rice
Yet another reason I’m glad I denounced my membership with that church years ago. After our pastor told my mother it was her fault I was gay. I said it then, I’ll say it now… when these self-righteous bigots get to hell (and they will) I’ll open the door for them!
GG
“Just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you dislike them or hate them or think they’re terrible,” Davis added.
He forgot to add, “But just because we don’t dislike them or hate them or think they’re terrible, that won’t stop us from refusing to serve them, not recognizing their legal marriages, discriminating against them in every way possible, and focussing our money and energies into denying them civil rights.”
Alan David
I vove how they pick and choose the rules they want to follow
Jack Anthony Owen
No one is asking u to marry gays dumbass!
Cesar Fortun
Ha ha ha!
Catherine Gordon
I guess then, there will be less LBGTQ families attending services then, and their friends and families, and so on and so on. This could be a deal breaker for Southern Baptists.In these days of declining church attendance, I would suppose that a church would need, welcome, every visitor, every attendee, every adherent , every possible member they could get. Jesus would have come to a gay wedding and been the life of the party!
Christopher Hayward
I hate this church because they try to play nanny state to all Southern’s, except the ones in Louisiana. Remember Baptist church we are a semi democracy, not a government like the one in Iran.
Robby Robinson
…..can we move on.
Howard Martin
Next subject please……move on
Vincent Turner
The wife beaters are coming out in force now. Beat the wife, whip the kids and kick the dogs. Oh, what a joyful noise we make.
Luis H. Lopez
Stupid anti gay bigots ignorant ridiculous !
Dave Hughes
Congrats, no gay would get married in your shitty church anyway.
Brian W Jones
What happened to the faith of the believer?
Scott Mellon
I am Canadian. I don’t expect the Catholic or Anglican (episcopalian) churches to marry gay people either. That’s their own internal issue to be addressed by their own members and has nothing to do with legal marriage.
Stefano Gant
Why would any gays want to be married in those hateful places? If they do, the marriage won’t last. It’s a bad sign. Lol
Troy E. Pelaar
I would never think of going there to marry anyway
Brad Krueger
Sounds like a lot of fist clenching, eye rubbing, and feet stomping.
Boxton Beats
Obviously churches wouldn’t be obligated.
Shirley White
As if any sane LGBTQ person would set foot into his hateful church! PLEASE fool….
Dakotahgeo
I will be more than entertained to watch Baptist bigots’ heads explode… of course, nothing will come out of them but hey, they tried… just left a mess!
Ladbrook
I’d even go so far as to question the mental health of ANY gay or lesbian couple hoping to get married in a Southern Baptist Church. Good Lord, talk about masochistic behavior.
As a former Southern Baptist, I can honestly say that I knew/know a lot of straights who have stopped attending local SBC churches primarily because of what they hear from the pulpits about homosexuality. After all, all families have at least one gay member, and no one wants to sit in a church and hear the preacher say “s/he’s going to hell.”
Transiteer
Tough talk coming from a group of people who’s family tree looks like a broom handle. Won’t follow Laws of the Land? Then it’s TAX TIME! Get ready to pay up!
Joey McDaniel
Softly and tenderly,
Hatred is calling.
Calling for you and for me.
Craig Marker
Bigots.
Craig Marker
Keep the church out of state matters!!!!
SashineB
The sign shows ONE man, ONE woman for marriage. Yet, the baptist divorce rate is through the roof. Here is the Southern Baptist resolution declaring divorce in their rants to be a scandal. And look at the preachers who have had affairs and more than one wife. They are the last ones to talk about the marriages of other people. http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/1205/on-the-scandal-of-southern-baptist-divorce
Nicholas Brackett
I’m fine with that. It’s their religious right to do so. As long as they don’t try to force their views on te rest of us or on our laws, we all cool !
Eric Kamm
Please … it’s not like you were marrying same-sex couples … EVER. We know grandstanding when we see it. We know you hate LGBTQ people. The SCOTUS ruling – CHANGES NOTHING!!!
Ray Essman
There are plenty who will Marry us. So…they can go ahead and go to their church, drink their alcohol after work, screw their neighbors mate, search for sex on Craigslist, get their divorces, hate others, keep it white, then go back to church.
TampaBayTed
These are the same Baptists that broke away from their northern brethren over the issue of slavery.
AtticusBennett
the good news is no self-respecting gay person would want to get married in one of them. why would we when we can simply go to one of THESE churches:
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.ca/2015/06/the-church-i-grew-up-in.html
billywonka
Why would anyone want to marry in the unholy
Church of Ignorance and Hate?
Let them stick to marrying inbred cousins.
Earnest Jeffery Wiles
Oh, this is going to make a huge difference…NOT
Michael Norris
Are their heads going to explode IF and WHEN the SCOTUS passes it? Can’t wait!
Jason Eric Klemm
Talk to your mega church leaders and their affairs, and THEN get back to us!
Terry W Thrasher
And we implement no donations ever, not one thin dime, will ever be donated to help southern baptists.
Phoenix Lopez Harman
Tough, you can be hypocrites and marry as many times as you want, populate the planet, heterosexual divorce rate over 50%, it’s about time we show you how it’s really done!
Chuck Cardillo
If they refuse to marry same sex couples they shouldn’t be allowed to marry heteros.
BlueDude
@TampaBayTed: I was unaware of this info! Not surprised at all. Several years ago, the SBC had lost so much membership, they allowed Black Baptist congregations to join the ranks. The gross irony of this is that after hating Blacks for such a long, long time, now the Blacks AND Whites together can hate the LGBTs in christian love! WTF?
Richard Golden
So what who cares stop giving the assholes attention
David Senecal
We have our pick of churches and locations. Moving on…
Chris Mommaerts
Come on it’s the 21century
Bill Hohn
As is their right.
Bill Kelleher
Two words say it all , Southern and Baptist .
Jose Irwin
There is no NUT like a religious NUT.
Patty Thoennes-Essman
Old biggot cronies. Liars, cheaters, child molesters, perverted narrow minded idiots! Ok I’m done……..for now!
Howard Martin
Raised baptist….would never step foot in another Baptist church
Mark Williamson
Who cares! My guess is there will be ‘get hitched here’ signs going up all over the city to accommodate the flood of gay weddings that will inevitably occur.
Isaias Ramos Garcia
se callen la boca, luego a cada poco aparecen casos de pedofilia gay entre esa gente
Michael Woodruff
Omg… I.am.so.surprised.
ChutneyGray
I am an ordained minister in the Wiccan tradition. Of course, I see nothing at all wrong with same sex marriage. So long as both parties are LEGALLY eligible to marry under the prevailing laws of the land. I have performed weddings for people of many religions. And in some interesting places too, like the bottom of the Devil’s Punchbowl in Oregon during a full moon low tide. Awesome place. So energetically clean in there. Why they named it after the devil puzzles me.
Anyway. As a practicing pagan theologian, I have spent considerable time in the study of opposing religions and I came across this passage in the bible. This passage sheds some very interesting light on the actions of the conservatives and their views of how they should comport themselves.
Romans 13: 1 – 7
1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
I thought that conservatives claim to follow the word of their god as though it were the law of the land. Or am I mistaken?
Dakotahgeo
@ChutneyGray: Awfully good to hear from you. I have two close friends who practice the Wiccan religion and my Christian minister creds have never gotten in the way of our relationship.
Your last statement is not hard to understand: “I thought that conservatives claim to follow the word of their god as though it were the law of the land. Or am I mistaken?” The sad fact is that the conservatives expect OTHERS to follow the Word of God, not they themselves. Were it not so sad, it would almost be funny… but no one’s laughing.
Blessings and Peace! Pastor Dak!
Sue Essman
Ray Essman: it is a crazy upside down world we live in…..be strong!!
Liberty Bowen-Blair
Marriage: two people in love who want to spend the rest of their lives together
Zombie_Killer
I can not see any gay and lesbian couples would even try to be married by such a backward religious group.
You all need to get a grip.
Jerry Mitchell
Closed Minded Bigots!!!!!!
T-Wicked Iris Morgue
Actually , one man n one women isn’t really in the bible, men has many wives, and would do their sisters or daughters, so it’s a bit twisted, and when Christians say it’s one man and one women it’s wrong, they are wrong.
Vincent Bernhard
implement away!!!! This is NOT about religion. SUCK ON IT! You have no right to my CIVIL MARRIAGE!!!!!
Patrick C Arnone
Pathetic antiquated thinking. Nothing to do with GOD or the teachings of Christ. Don’t get me started !!!
Gabriel Waldron
so who was the beloved disciple and why did Jesus love him so much??
Gabriel Waldron
why are there gay married saints in the christian church???
Gabriel Waldron
please explain??
Eddie Rioux
Yawn! Cast the first stone those with NO SIN!!
Dennis Crowley
So? How many gays are Southern Baptists? Not many
Samuel Jaxsin
Perfect! Nobody wanted to attend their church anyway…do they really think that gay couples were going to be begging them for a wedding ceremony? Ignorant!
Rosalynn D'Angela
burn your churches in protest ,
Harley
They don’t perform interracial marriages either. They are still stuck in 1870, when the SBC was formed in the south AFTER they lost their slaves. They are still bitter.
John Crockett
Isn’t it time that the Southern Baptist are classified as a terrorist group
o.codone
The picture is wrong, it’s a crucifix and Baptists don’t use them, they use just a plain cross. I did not expect that the Christian hating gay population and the editors of Queerty to know the difference.
And, whether gays want to admit it or not, religious organizations are not bound by the rulings of the secular american government. nor should they be. if the baptists say no gay marriages, then no gay marriages. gays are not that special, gays are not going to have their way in every situation. and we already know, when gays don’t get their way they are the most venomous, bigoted, hate-spewing spawns ever placed on this earth. see for yourself the kinds of comments this post generates from these “tolerant” people.
Dakotahgeo
@o.codone: By Jove, I do believe you’ve OD’d on the o(xy)codone! You are so full of yourself!! I despise closet cases like you who ‘think’ they know sooo much about the gay life or gay anything! You are disgusting to both sides, conservatives AND the GLBTQ community! Go back to the woods and hills!
o.codone
@Dakotahgeo: you know nothing. and you are humiliating yourself in public right now. sorry for you.
Dakotahgeo
And your point is? Still inebriated, I hear. You count for nothing, little one! Go back to bed and put the bottle away.