Nigel Farage’s new best friend Stephen Clayden seems to be a bit of a character, doesn’t he? He runs a Christian organisation called Bread Of Life and is very angry about a variety of things, especially homosexuality. Last year, he told a meeting in Essex that the Bible described homosexuality as “vile, disgusting and wicked”, “a sin so wicked and detestable it was worthy of death”, and the “filthy conduct of the wicked”. He added that homosexuality was an “abomination” and would lead to eternity in hell. Britain’s most influential fascist, the Fagash Fuhrer Farage, told Clayden he was “fully on your side”. But he hates lots of other people, too.
Preaching last month, Clayden declared: “All adulterers, all fornicators, all sodomites, all drunkards, all thieves, all blasphemers, all liars, all mockers. Their home shall be in the lake of fire … we are here telling you what the word of God says.” That’s quite a list, there, and you do wonder if there is anyone this bampot actually likes?
I have a bit of an issue with the likes of Clayden and, frankly, anyone who tries to persuade me that I should abide by the word of God. That is because for one thing I do not believe in “Him”. My belief system is this: On the first day Man created God. He is not there, never has been, never will be. His so-called existence is founded on belief systems that came about when no one knew what was going on and a bunch of illiterate goat-herders in the Middle East came across someone they believed was God. It’s just nonsense.
Look, I am sorry if I offend the thoroughly decent folk who worship the God of their choice. I am the first person to defend the rights of anyone to believe in whichever God they prefer, so long as it does not impact on my own life. It is when they do interfere in my life and those of others, like for instance gay people, I am not prepared to sit back and meekly accept it. It is pure and simple hate speech.
I’m definitely in bother in the eyes of this religious nut case. Doubtless, he would accuse me of being a blasphemer, a mocker and perhaps even a drunkard, on rare occasions, and a fornicator (every day, five times a day, at least in my dreams). Well, I don’t care. How can you blaspheme against a God who isn’t there? And if I want to take the piss – sorry, mock – fanatics like Clayden, then I jolly well will.
Farage has offered to involve his far right friends in the so-called Free Speech Union, a shady organisation which won’t reveal where it gets its funding from in assisting Clayden, in order to allow him to continue with his hate speech. I am a little old fashioned and I prefer love to hate, but this free speech malarkey cuts both ways. If he is free to say what he wants – and frankly, I have grave reservations about as to whether he should be – then I shall use my free speech to call him what he is: a fanatical religious bigot.
This is yet another example of Farage’s playbook. Find yet another group of people to hate – in this case, numerous groups – and seek to divide us even more. That is how he hopes to secure power. Maybe he has noticed how Hitler managed to do it in the Second World War by blaming, among others, Jews? No one is saying Farage is anything like Hitler – I know how litigious these free speech warriors can be – but there are clear and present dangers if we allow such hate speech to go unchallenged.
I’ll repeat what I always say when religious extremists express their hatred towards certain groups, in this case gay people. You provide actual evidence that your God actually existed and then prove that He exercises any kind of influence today. And you won’t do that because you can’t because there isn’t any.
And the fact that the nicotine-stained man frog who wants to be our next prime minister supports the likes of Clayden tells you everything you need to know about him. You want hate, Farage is your man. Just beware because there is a fair chance he will hate you, too.
