Introduction: Speaker Mike Johnson’s Controversial Christian Beliefs
Newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson took aim at the backlash to his hardline Christian beliefs, slamming comparisons between himself and dangerous extremists as ‘disgusting’.
Johnson, 51, has come under scrutiny in the week since he took control of the House for his past comments, including calling homosexual relationships ‘inherently unnatural’ and same-sex marriage ‘the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy’.
Defending His Views: Johnson’s Response to Critics
He has since defended his views by saying anyone questioning what he believes should ‘go pick up a Bible… that’s my worldview’.
Left-leaning media figures including HBO host Bill Maher and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki have slammed Johnson for his views, with Maher sparking controversy by comparing the speaker to Maine mass shooter Robert Card as they both ‘heard voices’.
In response, Johnson told Fox News that the criticisms don’t bother him as they ‘come with the territory’, but said that such comments often run against the principles that shaped America.
Proudly Invoking Faith: Johnson’s Stand on His Christian Beliefs
Johnson is an Evangelical Christian who has proudly invoked his faith since being elected as the new speaker.
He fired a shot at MSNBC host Jen Psaki, Maher, and other people who criticized him for his faith, noting that the attacks don’t faze him.
‘Media wasn’t always so friendly to someone with a Judeo-Christian worldview,’ Kayleigh McEnany of Fox News said to Johnson.
Rebutting Criticisms: Johnson Responds to ‘Christian Nationalist’ Label
She quoted Psaki labeling Johnson as a Christian ‘fundamentalist’. McEnany asked what he thinks when he hears that. ‘Look, there are entire industries that are built to take down public leaders – effective political leaders like me.
I’m not surprised by that. I mean, it comes with the territory. It doesn’t bother me at all,’ Johnson replied. ‘I just wish they would get to know me,’ he said, adding, ‘I’m not trying to establish Christianity as the national religion or something. That’s not what this is about at all.’
The Biblical Perspective: Johnson’s Emphasis on Peace and Love
He then spoke of how the Bible commands people to show peace and love to all. McEnany raised other media criticism of Johnson’s faith, including some from the Daily Beast, in which he was labeled a ‘Christo-fascist’ who seeks to impose his religion on others such as the Taliban and the ‘mullahs in Iran’.
Dismissing Disturbing Comparisons: Johnson’s Response to ‘Disgusting’ Claims
Maher’s comments in which he likened Johnson to the mass shooter suspected of murdering nearly 20 people in Maine because the shooter ‘heard voices’ were also raised in the interview. Johnson said he saw those comparisons as ‘disgusting’ and ‘absurd’.
He said: ‘Of course, our religion is based on love and acceptance. So, to compare that worldview with the Taliban, who seek to destroy their enemies, or with some deranged shooter who murders people is absolutely outrageous.
And I think that everyone who follows and believes in a Judeo-Christian worldview should be just terribly offended by that.’
Facing Criticism and Leading with Faith: Johnson’s Perspective
He noted his willingness to face such attacks, adding that he will ‘take the arrows’ and that he is aware that it comes with a leadership role.
He said that what does bother him is that such remarks are targeted at people in the nation and the principles that made America what it is.
‘But what really hurts me is that it really is a statement about everyone who believes in this, that the country was built upon – our Judeo-Christian foundation is the heritage of our country,’ Johnson said.
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