Jimmy Swaggart: This Man Makes Me Vomit
I would like to curse Eugene Volokh. His article made me watch Jimmy Swaggart, just to see if the foolish preacher actually said something so horrifically dumb about gay marriage (about 36:00):
I'm trying to find the correct name for it . . . this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. . . . I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died.
That Swaggart said something disgusting isn't exactly news. But if even the Devil can quote Scripture, let's also point out that the Devil would quote it well. "Kill him and tell God he died." That's been tried before without much success:
9: And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?10: And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11: And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
(Genesis 4:9-11)
So suffice it to say that if Swaggart ever made it four chapters into Genesis--I'll admit, a dubious proposition--he should have some idea of what it means to fib to powers omniscient.
But then, Swaggart isn't the Devil, he's just a fool with a microphone.
Comments
I'm amused by how many in both Right and Left Blogistan are taking Swaggart's "I'll kill him and tell God he died" comment literally.
Since I came to live in The South 3.5 years ago, I've heard the comment, "I'll kill him and tell God he died" (or more often, "I'll kill you and tell God you died", directed to someone, obviously) a number of times. It's a Southern idiom (or as I like to call them, a "Southernism"). Since I'm not a native Southerner I've not doped out the exact meaning, but glarking from context it appears to mean something roughly along the lines of "I'll kill him, and no jury in the world will convict me" or "I'll kill you, and the jury will find it justifiable homicide".
Which doesn't change the fact that Swaggart makes me want to vomit, too.
Posted by: Len Cleavelin | September 22, 2004 09:39 PM
Len:
Have to admit, I didn't hear that in all my time in Alabama. I'll be willing to believe it's a bit of local color, but I'll also say it's stunningly unwise to say something like that on TV.
I still think it descends from the Genesis quote I gave above, though: and makes more sense with that meaning.
anmrPosted by: A. Rickey | September 22, 2004 11:36 PM
Christian website/book using the phrase -- speaking about one's family, no less, which does suggest the Cain origin. Apparently it's a Texas-ism, though I don't recall having heard it.
Also, "kill him and tell God he died of natural causes," "kill him and tell God he met with an accident," and my favorite, "kill him and tell God the alligators ate him."
Posted by: PG | September 23, 2004 09:37 PM
Jimmy is from a good family. His mother was precious and his sister Jeanette was a saint. Jimmy let success go to his brain. This is not like Jimmy. I am so sorry for I know his entire family and they are good people.
dmeckbu rpnxPosted by: Stella Lyle | January 14, 2005 07:19 PM
Jimmy Swaggart is a man...just like the rest of us. Why do people continualy scandalize his name? I tell you one thing HE DOESN'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS ABOUT HIM!! He knows who he is in Christ and is USED by God to win many millions of souls from hell. God is using him to help people be free from the false doctrine that is what I believe to be 98% of the so called Christian churches of today. Only those who have ears to hear the truth do and the others need to check their hearts, especially those who call themselves Christian continually try andhurt the Swaggarts. I think it is actually mind boggling to watch so called Christians try and hurt the man God has chosen personally to do what he is doing. How foolish to mock God.
jftuezPosted by: Michelle | July 30, 2005 09:52 PM