Gordon Klingenschmitt is crazy. Like, LaBarbera crazy. All you need to know is that he comes from that brand of Christianity which teaches that you should pray for your enemies to die, which is the adult spiritual equivalent of “And if I die before I wake, I pray for all my toys to break, so none of the other kids can play with them.” It’s one of the weakest stances imaginable, relying as it does on the idea of revenge meted out for perceived earthly grievances by an angry, angry God.
Also, he’s one of the Religious Right’s Super Martyrs, who claims that he was kicked out of the Navy for his religious beliefs, when it was simply because he was insubordinate. In case you’re not familiar with How The Military Works, insubordination is not a character trait they value very much. For fun, here’s what his former boss had to say about him:
“I was the dishonored ex-chaplain’s supervisor for the past 2 years,” Holcomb wrote in his message. “I found him to be totally untruthful, unethical and insubordinate. He was and is contemptuous of all authority. He was not court martialed for praying in Jesus’ name. I sent him out in uniform every week to pray at various ceremonies and functions. He always prayed in uniform and in Jesus’ name. He was never told that he could not pray in Jesus’ name. In fact, the issue of prayer had nothing at all to do with his dismissal from the Navy. He disobeyed the lawful order of a senior officer. I am sure that you understand that Navy Regulations forbid any of us, regardless of rank or position, to appear in uniform in support of any political or partisan event.”
Holcomb goes on to say, “He appeared in direct support of a political event, demonstrating contempt for the order of his Commanding Officer and Naval Regulations that we all swear that we will abide by…. The ex-chaplain is a man without honor and you have accepted his story and in doing so you have had ‘the wool pulled over your eyes.’
Anyway, so he did the Wingnut Crybaby Dance, and now the Religious Right treats him as a hero. [cf. career of Matt Barber]
So now you’re caught up, in case Klingenschmitt’s name was new to you. So he went on David Pakman’s Midweek Politics show this week, and they had a lot of fun! He is so upset about the abortions and the gaynesses!
Seriously, it’s entertaining. He starts out asking if he can bless everybody in Jesus’s name, to which David replied, “Sure, whatever,” sort of like the Navy did.
