Stephen Colbert Argues Christ Never Condemned Gay Marriage
Comedy Central's mock-news host Stephen Colbert argued on last Thursday's edition of "The Colbert Report" that Christians angry at President Barack Obama's recent endorsement of same-sex marriage are forgetting that the Bible doesn't record Jesus as having ever said anything about such unions.
Addressing the issue that made headlines all across America last week, Colbert played the clip of Obama's official endorsement in an interview with ABC News last Wednesday, and then joked about it in his usual satirical style.
"I don't know about you, but I am still reeling from President Obama's announcement that he is gay," Colbert said. "I have to assume that's the reason he supports gay marriage."
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The talk show host, a Catholic Sunday school teacher who opened up about his faith in Christ earlier this year, played a clip by Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress who said in an interview that Obama has "contradicted the Jesus he says he followed" by endorsing same-sex marriage. Colbert then took out a Bible and searched for what Christ might have said about gay marriage.
When he failed to find a passage, Colbert remarked: "I would like to, but he never said anything about it. Evidently Jesus was so filled with rage that he was speechless.
"I am confident he condemned it all the time in private, when he was hanging out with those other 12 dudes at their elaborate dinner parties, where they all sat on the same side of the table, just living the bachelor life together, drinking wine and working on their washboard abs."
Conservative Christian leaders across the nation have been vocal against Obama's endorsement, however, and some have argued that Jesus did address traditional marriage.
One of President Obama's spiritual advisers, the Rev. Joel Hunter of Florida's Northland Church, said in an interview with The Christian Post that Obama should not point to the Golden Rule to explain his support of gay marriage. Pastor Hunter quoted New Testament passage Matthew 19:4-5 to support his belief of Jesus speaking on the issue of marriage.
Jesus says in the passage: "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?'"
