Homophobic Reverend doesn’t like billboards

19.11.09 | bob |

“Humanist poster stirs up religious storm” says the Belfast Telegraph. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but they did find a Free Presbyterian Church minister (Rev McIlveen) and a Muslim “father-of-four” to say a few angry things.

Frothing only slightly, the good Reverend says:

I would totally reject the [Don't Label Me billboard] advertisement. It is reprehensible and so typical of the hypocrisy of the British Humanist Association today. They have a defeatist attitude and are just trying to draw attention to themselves. I think it is totally arrogant, presumptuous and sparks of total hypocrisy. I believe this doesn’t deserve a counter campaign. I will be expressing my public position on it in my own church on Sunday.

David McIlveen "And here's my proof"

That should get the punters in.

This is the same Reverend David McIlveen, by the way, implicated in the Advertising Standards Authority decision to ban his church’s anti-gay advert in December last year. The newspaper advertisement had said that “sodomy” is an “abomination” and “God’s judgment upon a sin.”  It is apparently “a cause for regret that a section of the community desires to be known for a perverted form of sexuality.”

To be fair, in his defence, McIlveen said, “It has never been our intention to deliberately offend anyone,” – (wait for it there’s always a ‘but’) – “but we cannot deny that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will by its very nature be a source of offence to those who rebel against its message and in turn despise its messengers. … It is totally unacceptable for any church to look to an outside body for their approval to print gospel tracts that are based on the word of God. This we cannot and will not do.”

Translation: Wider social consensus on what counts as hateful and discriminatory language is irrelevant to me and my church.