Christian Nation Nonsense in Oklahoma Legislature

March 13, 2012 by Ed Brayton

Pastor Bill Ledbetter of Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma served as the weekly chaplain for the Oklahoma legislature recently and gave an impassioned sermon full of lies and falsehoods to that state’s House of Representatives. For example, he completely distorts the now-infamous Lutz study of references made by the Founding Fathers during revolutionary times.

He passes on the fake quote from Patrick Henry about the nation being founded on Christianity. Amusingly, he does this while extolling the godly virtues of the Constitution, which Henry railed against and opposed. Then he spreads some creationist manure around and claims that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment on New Orleans for sin. It’s like a perfect distillation of Christian right stupid and crazy in one 15 minute sermon.

httpv://youtu.be/PfG_3t7fP3k

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Randomfactor

Just out of curiosity, is New Orleans qualitatively more sinful than Las Vegas? Because it’s been a LONG time since there was a tidal surge which overwhelmed the levees of Las Vegas.
dingojack

Surely you mean: “… served weakly as chaplain for the Oklahoma legislature… ”

It’s an easily made spelling error.

🙂 Dingo
Alverant

Brought to you by tax payers.
D. C. Sessions

Then he spreads some creationist manure around and claims that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment on New Orleans for sin.

And then there’s Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Kentucky. Talk about hotbeds of sin!
Larry

Because it’s been a LONG time since there was a tidal surge which overwhelmed the levees of Las Vegas.

And the Lord did sayeth: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
curtcameron

I’d like to ask him about which parts of New Orleans he views as sinful. The decadent French Quarter was pretty much unscathed by Katrina. The poor neighborhoods, which presumably were also the most religious, were devastated.
iknklast

I have to admit, I automatically wince anymore when I see the word “Oklahoma” in the title of an FTB article – because I know it will be bad.

I think all of us who went to school in Oklahoma should join together in a giant class action suit against the Oklahoma legislature for making our degrees look ridiculous! (and yes, on one job interview, I was asked if I would be willing to teach evolution, and they told me they always ask that to people who went to school in Oklahoma or Texas).
naturalcynic

Because it’s been a LONG time since there was a tidal surge which overwhelmed the levees of Las Vegas.

No tidal surges, but we get really nasty flash floods every 5 years or so. Storm channels and detention basins are our levees.
jaranath

Could someone enlighten me as to what the infamous Lutz study is? Link, maybe? I saw the video earlier and wondered where he was getting those weird stats from…
Aquaria

I think all of us who went to school in Oklahoma should join together in a giant class action suit against the Oklahoma legislature for making our degrees look ridiculous! (and yes, on one job interview, I was asked if I would be willing to teach evolution, and they told me they always ask that to people who went to school in Oklahoma or Texas).

Hey, count yourself lucky that you got the job interview despite that. Can you imagine what happens to resumes for people that mention Oklahoma or Texas on them, unless it says UT or maybe–maybe–Texas A&M?
Modusoperandi

jaranath “Could someone enlighten me as to what the infamous Lutz study is? Link, maybe? I saw the video earlier and wondered where he was getting those weird stats from…”

Here is some more on it. Alternately, I could offer to google that for you, providing a convenient and cheekily appropriate link.
jaranath

Modusoperandi:

Thanks. I confess I didn’t google it before asking…I assumed “Lutz study” was too vague to get useful hits, but yeah, it’s still worth trying for the whole minute it takes.