Pastor claims Hurricane Harvey was God’s punishment for Texas failure to pass anti-LGBT law

Well, we all knew it would happen.

A pastor with ties to GOP Senator Ted Cruz has claimed that Hurricane Harvey was a ‘punishment’ from God for Texas rejecting an anti-trans law.

Pastor Kevin Swanson made the shocking assertion as Texas continues to be crippled in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which has seen thousands displaced from their homes and at least 31 deaths.

In the wake of the hurricane record rainfall has caused catastrophic floods across Texas and Louisiana.

It has been most severe in Houston, the fourth-biggest city in the US.

Following the disaster, Swanson linked the hurricane to the state’s recent failure to pass an anti-transgender law.

Earlier this month the Governor of Texas admitted that proposals for an anti-trans bill are dead, following opposition from Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Speaking on his Generations radio show about the Hurricane, Swanson claimed: “Just last week the state of Texas failed to pass a bill patterned after the North Carolina bathroom bill that would have prevented cross-dressing men from using women’s restrooms in the state of Texas.

“Two Republicans would not allow the bill on the floor, they wanted to encourage the abomination of men attempting to dress like women in the state of Texas.

“They were gung-ho to support this abominable activity in the state of Texas.

“We’re not saying that God sent the Hurricane just because of this, but we are looking for stuff to repent of for the state of Texas and city of Houston. We hope they’re paying attention.”

According to Right Wing Watch he added: “If they refuse Jesus, if they continue in their sin, there’s a warning here for them.

“I think that the entire state of Texas and the entire United States of America needs to take note of this, and realize that there is a God in heaven, He brings His judgments and He calls nations to repentance, as He is doing right now.”

“It’s interesting that the city of Houston, which… apparently there was a very, very, very aggressively pro-homosexual mayor active until 2016.

“Jesus sends the message home, unless Americans repent, unless Houston repents, they will all likewise perish.

“That’s the message that the Lord Jesus Christ is sending home right now to America. Is America listening?”

Check out the clip here:

Depressingly he’s far from alone.

Ann Coulter recently wondered about whether Hurricane Harvey was “God’s punishment” for Houston electing a lesbian mayor.

Even though former Mayor of Houston Annise Parker left office in 2016, she wrote: “I don’t believe Hurricane Harvey is God’s punishment for Houston electing a lesbian mayor. But that is more credible than ‘climate change’.”

Of course if the flooding hit more liberal states that supported LGBT rights, evangelical pundits would have been quick to blame their inclusiveness for incurring God’s wrath.

Given Texas is hardly the most pro-LGBT of states and Parker isn’t even in office, we can’t help but feel that it’s reaching a little bit to blame the gays this time.

Radio host Bryan Fischer previously blamed the “sodomite Mayor” of Houston for a disaster.

He said: “If you’re going to attribute the flooding in Texas to some kind of supernatural cause, you can make a geographical connection between the flooding and the practice of the occult and witchcraft and the embrace of homosexuality.

“That’s where the disaster is being felt the worse.

“Sodom and Gamorrah – it was a natural disaster, but it was very localised. It wiped out those two towns, it didn’t wipe out the entire region, it just wiped out those two cities where homosexuality had been embraced.”

Senator Ted Cruz was forced to disavow any links to him last year after attending a rally at which Swanson called for gay people to be put to death.

Texas Senator Cruz had attended the National Religious Liberties Conference, which was organised by Swanson.

At the event, Swanson shouted: “Yes, Leviticus calls for the death penalty for homosexuals! Yes, the Apostle Paul does say that homosexuals are worthy of death! His words, not mine, and [screaming] I AM NOT ASHAMED! I am not ashamed of the truth of the word of God!”

For months Cruz ignored calls to apologise for appearing alongside Swanson – who also claims that parents should drown children who want to read Harry Potter.

However, a Cruz spokesperson did eventually say in a statement: “Senator Cruz is passionate about religious liberties.

“Many respected organizations were sponsoring [the conference], but, given these offensive comments, it was a mistake for Senator Cruz to appear at the event.”

Related: Radio host claims homosexuals are scaring away US fighter pilots

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