{"id":36209,"date":"2012-02-06T07:05:19","date_gmt":"2012-02-06T14:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=36209"},"modified":"2012-02-20T06:47:21","modified_gmt":"2012-02-20T13:47:21","slug":"pastors-comments-spark-protest-online-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2012\/02\/pastors-comments-spark-protest-online-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Pastor\u2019s comments spark protest, online debate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>

A screen shot of KOAT-TV\u2019s coverage of Sunday\u2019s protest.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dozens protested outside Albuquerque\u2019s Legacy Church on Sunday while, inside, Pastor Steve Smothermon defended comments he made to NMPolitics.net about the governor appointing a gay man to office.<\/h4>\n

A few dozen people protested in front of Legacy Church<\/a> in Albuquerque on Sunday in response to comments Pastor Steve Smothermon<\/a> recently made to NMPolitics.net about the governor appointing a gay man to office.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Smothermon told his congregation inside the church that he would not apologize, the Albuquerque Journal reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And the situation sparked a lot of discussion online about the controversial issue.<\/p>\n

NMPolitics.net was the first to report<\/a> last month that Doug Howe, who Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a> appointed to the Public Regulation Commission, is gay. Martinez\u2019s spokesman said Howe was the most-qualified applicant for the vacancy created last year when Jerome Block Jr. pleaded guilty to felonies and resigned<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smothermon told NMPolitics.net last month that Martinez \u201clooked me in the eye personally and said she\u2019s socially conservative\u2026 she wouldn\u2019t espouse the homosexual agenda.\u201d He said Howe\u2019s appointment \u201cgoes against that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese aren\u2019t the people we voted for you to appoint. We voted for you to appoint people who think like we do,\u201d he said, adding that he is \u201cnot against the human being, but the lifestyle and the political power that the homosexual agenda has today, as a lobbying agenda, that\u2019s what I begin to come against.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sunday, several dozen people, including Jesse Lopez of Get Equal New Mexico<\/a>, stood outside the church holding signs, KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor so many years we have sat back and we have done nothing. And today\u2026 we are taking all of that hate that that man has put out, and we are gonna send as much love as God calls us to, to send back on him,\u201d Lopez was quoted by KOAT as saying.<\/p>\n

One Legacy Church member, Michael Angel Gutierrez, told the protesters he had been gay for 25 years, but \u201cbecause of the truth that God has revealed to me, I\u2019m no longer a homosexual man.\u201d KOAT reported that he and the protesters agreed to disagree.<\/p>\n

Smothermon defends \u2018right to hold a biblical worldview\u2019<\/h3>\n
\"Steve<\/a>

Steve Smothermon<\/p><\/div>\n

On Sunday, Smothermon, speaking to his 20,000-member congregation, drew applause for saying he wouldn\u2019t apologize for insisting on \u201cour right to hold a biblical world view,\u201d the newspaper reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like the mayor, if you campaign as a conservative, and you say you will govern as a conservative, I have an expectation when you say to me that you will do what you said, and hire and appoint people that are conservatives,\u201d the Journal quoted Smothermon as saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just a pastor of a church in this state that believes that people ought to keep their word,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The sermon Smothermon gave Sunday isn\u2019t yet online but will be posted at this link<\/a>. I don\u2019t know whether his comments about the situation will be included.<\/p>\n

Smothermon has long been involved in politics. The Albuquerque Journal profiled him in December<\/a> and highlighted his fights with several politicians, including battles with Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry<\/a> over the signing of a proclamation supporting an annual gay-pride parade and someone Berry hired to work in his office.<\/p>\n

Online debate ensues<\/h3>\n

Smothermon\u2019s comments about Howe\u2019s appointment and the ensuing protest sparked an online debate. Darren White, Albuquerque\u2019s former public safety director and someone Smothermon has criticized in the past<\/a>, tweeted that the pastor\u2019s views are \u201crepugnant.\u201d<\/a> He also tweeted<\/a> that Get Equal New Mexico\u2019s Lopez \u201cis right about Smothermon. We are ALL God\u2019s children. There is no compassion when you preach conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Legacy Church\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>, parishioners and others expressed their support for Smothermon.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking the bible literally seems like such a bad idea to people who refuse to do it. We all love you and appreciate you,\u201d Rainny Fernandez wrote<\/a>. \u201cLegacy Church saves lives, but they never mention that do they? You know God is keeping score of all of your good work, and that\u2019s all that matters in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProtestors this morning outside of church baffled me. \u2018God is Love\u2019 The last year and a half Ive been goin to Legacy has been the best time of my life,\u201d Justine Marie Otero wrote<\/a>. \u201cThe love I have been shown at Legacy through the Word of God and his people has changed my life and saved me!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Karen Ruth wrote<\/a> that \u201cSatan is using these protesters\u201d and \u201chas convinced them that what they are doing is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have taught us the Bible.. Not part, not some… BUT ALL\u2026,\u201d Ruth wrote. \u201cWe cannot choose what part to accept and what parts to just trash and decide God must have made a mistake…These people and groups are in fear… Satan is in fear because you are reaching the people…\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on Lopez\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>, Brandon Aragon expressed support for the protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m damn proud of what you all did,\u201d he wrote. \u201cPolitics and churches just don\u2019t mix…. and now I realize how sad it is that people would rather judge than accept that fact that a certain candidate is \u2018qualified\u2019 for their job!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dozens protested outside Albuquerque\u2019s Legacy Church on Sunday while, inside, Pastor Steve Smothermon defended comments he made to NMPolitics.net about the governor appointing a gay man to office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[233,217,177,107,269],"class_list":["post-36209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-gay-and-lesbian-issues","tag-prc","tag-religion","tag-roundhouse","tag-steve-smothermon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}