Mississippi Gov.: Christians Willing to be Crucified to Protect Anti-LGBT Law

Christians will risk crucifixion in order to defend their right to discriminate against LGBT people, claims Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant.

Bryant made the statement while speaking last week at the Watchmen on the Wall conference, an event hosted by the hate group Family Research Council, where he was presented with the Samuel Adams Religious Freedom Award by FRC president Tony Perkins for signing anti-LGBT House Bill 1523 into law in April, reports Right Wing Watch. Watchmen on the Wall is FRC's ministry to pastors.

HB 1523, formally known as the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, allows businesses, individuals, and religiously affiliated organizations to deny service to LGBT people and others who somehow offend an individual's "sincerely held religious belief." It also directly targets transgender residents, effectively claiming that one's sex assigned at birth is immutable and will be the only gender recognized by the state.

During his acceptance speech, Bryant told audience members that "all of the secular progressive world had decided that they were going to pour their anger" out on the governor because he signed the bill into law, falsely believing he would veto HB 1523. He went on to say that critics underestimated the willingness of Christians like him to stand up for their beliefs, even if they face crucifixion, reports Right Wing Watch.

The governor spoke fondly of Perkins, saying that he remembered being in Sunday school and reading his favorite story "about a giant, a bad giant, who came into a valley one day and he called to the Israelites, 'Send down your champion and let me vanquish him.' We were in that valley, but Tony Perkins was there with us. He was there as surely as Our Lord and Savior, as surely as the God of all gods stood there with us. And I can tell you how fortunate we are in this nation and in this organization to have a man of faith and leadership in Tony. God bless you for what you do."

The Mississippi governor elaborated on his position, saying, "They don't know that Christians have been persecuted throughout the ages. They don't know that if it takes crucifixion, we will stand in line before abandoning our faith and our belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So if we are going to stand, now is the time and this is the place."

Watch the video of his comments at the conference below.