Is it common for American pastors to say stuff like this?

[Chris]

I would say that it is hard to say because we only hear from the really wacky ones. I have been in every corner of the United States except Hawaii and have found fundamentalists who are unmoved by evidence and more liberal believers who will accept homosexuality and evolution as part of God's plan everywhere. Often, the fundamentalists scream the loudest, so they get the coverage from the media.

When I was a regular church-goer (Lutheran and later Methodist), we generally learned of evolution as the mechanism God used for creation and that homosexuality was undesirable, but was a private matter.

I don't know what convinces clergy that lying for Jesus is a good idea, nor do I know how common it really is.

[ChildoftheKing]

No, it is not common for American pastors to say things like that, just like it isn't
common for someone to kill 20 children. There are radicals in ALL walks of life.
Racism is an excellent tool to stir up the emotions of others. Thank you for at
least taking the time to calm him down.
As you are an atheist, it would be difficult to have you understand where the other
pastors are coming from regarding the shooting of the innocent children, but I will try.
There is more going on in this world than what mankind can perceive with the five
senses. There is a supernatural side to our world; part good and part evil. The God
that Christians know through a personal relationship; not through just thoughts and
emotions, but personal experiences; conversations, miraculous healings, unexplained
favors, warnings of dangers, and many other things that cannot be rationalized away.
He is the God of good.
Satan, or the Devil, is also real in the supernatural realm and he is the manipulator of
evil. Not all evil can be attributed to him but he has a hand in most of it. He is expert in
influencing a persons' thought life to destroy man one way or another, and at the same
time let God take the blame for it..
Since the 1960s' America has been trying to disassociate its' relationship with God.
Denying his existence or ever even having a former relationship with him. Being raised
in the 1940s' I know better. The former President of the USA acknowledged God in all
of his speeches and urged the prayers of the people for Gods' protection during WW2.
Songs in our schools, on the radio, the mention of God in our movies and many other
references to God were prevalent during those times. Now, today's generation wants
no part of him. Well, just as any gentleman would, if someone doesn't want him
involved in their affairs, he will let them handle it themselves. So when Satan has the
opportunity to cause a disruption, he will. Satan, knowing that God hates the sin of
homosexuality, can influence someone to create a disaster, such as 911, on down
to the massacre of the children, and since America doesn't want Gods' existence in
their lives, God doesn't interfere. With the people rejecting him and being disobedient
by allowing something he abhors, Satan has a free hand and God gets the blame for
letting it happen.

[autocratic being]

No one ever said that cristians weren't corrupted...I say the pastor was really uneducated and very young in his spiritual mentallity.

[jethom33545]

Sadly, there are many of them.

[Mark]

First of all, I'm not a poorly educated twit. I'm probably more smarter than you. I'm only in 8th grade learning geometry. so don't accuse me. Second, I never said my feelings were 'butt hurt.' You're being really immature. Third, I won't leave because I don't care about your judgmental comments.

[andymanec]

It's pretty common for Creationists in general to grossly misrepresent the theory of evolution. Sometimes it's because they don't understand it (yet, for some reason, think that they can be an expert on it without ever having studied anything even remotely related to it). Sometimes it's deliberate, since they know they can't go up against it with evidence or real logic. I tend to lean towards the latter, because they will make a big deal about how "evolution is racist" but at the same time, believe in the Hamite origin of Africans - that they were descended from one of Noah's sons, but cursed for his sins.