Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Better to drown children than let them read 'homosexual' Harry Potter, says extreme right-wing pastor

Kevin Swanson believes America should repent that Dumbledore 'emerged as a homosexual mentor to Harry Potter'

Jess Denham
Monday 09 November 2015 08:50 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Parents should drown children before they let them read the Harry Potter books because of gay character Dumbledore, an extreme right-wing pastor has said.

Preacher Kevin Swanson was speaking at the National Religious Liberties Conference when he made the staggering suggestion during an impassioned rant against homosexuality.

“Friends, we are on the very cusp of judgement as I see it. We need to call America to repent. Repentance from defying the almighty. Repentance of abortion, the hundreds of millions of dead bodies, I don’t know how many,” he began, before bizarrely targeting JK Rowling’s bestselling wizarding novels.

For tens of millions of parents it would be better that a millstone be hung around their neck and they be drowned at the bottom of the sea

&#13; <p>Kevin Swanson, National Religious Liberties Conference</p>&#13;

“America, repent of Harry Potter. Repent that Dumbledore emerged as a homosexual mentor for Harry Potter.”

Not content at stopping with Harry Potter, Swanson went on to attack adorable animated movie How to Train Your Dragon. “Children are raised to be stumbled by the Dumbledores and Hiccups on How to Train Your Dragon,” he said. “My friends, America needs to repent.”

Then, came the closing comments that surely even Voldemort himself would not have dreamed up: “For tens of millions of parents it would be better that a millstone be hung around their neck and they be drowned at the bottom of the sea.”

Let us not forget that Swanson is the same man who, in March 2014, declared Disney hit Frozen “very evil” gay propaganda. “You wonder sometimes if maybe there’s something very evil happening here,” he said.

“I wonder if people are thinking: ‘You know I think this cute little movie is going to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian or treat homosexuality or bestiality in a light sort of way’.”

Swanson went on to attack the studio, claiming that if he were the Devil wanting to do something “really, really, really evil” to young children in US Christian families, he would “buy Disney in 1984”.

He believes Christians will one day be burnt at the stake by homosexuals but ended his speech by saying he wants to give the LGBT community time to repent before using the death penalty against them.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in