Church defaced with anti-gay Bible quote after pastor’s same-sex wedding
A church in Georgia has been defaced with Biblical graffiti, after the pastor married his same-sex partner.
Pastor Rick Sosbe, of the Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer in Augusta, tied the knot with his partner after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.
The pair were the first in Richmond County to receive a marriage license – but this week Sosbe’s church was defaced with graffiti.
White spray paint appeared across the front of the door over this week, reading “Leviticus 18:22”, “burn” and “lies”. Further graffiti on the steps read: “Leviticus 18:20”, and “you’ll burn”.
The pastor told the Augusta Chronicle: “I was angry. I was very sad and I thought, ‘Just why?’
“To me, it seems so interesting that they’re saying on there that you’ll burn – in other words saying ‘You’ll burn in hell,’ I’m sure – and quoting scripture.
“Is that what Christianity, right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity, has come to?”
Watch a clip via the Chronicle below:
Rather than be put off by the incident, the local LGBT community came together to hold a defiant rally on Tuesday night.
Takya Browning, president of Augusta Pride, told the newspaper: “Just because we had marriage equality come down does not mean that everything is roses and rainbows.
“It means the real work begins and this is a sign of work happening. If we weren’t here making a difference, nobody would bother those doors.”
Though Leviticus 18:22 does refer to homosexuality as an abomination, Leviticus also bans shellfish, haircuts, modern clothes, and women being anything other than men’s property.
