Mike Huckabee gets ripped for using the Bible to defend Kim Davis
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has stepped up to the plate as one of the biggest defenders of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed last week for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on the grounds of her Christian beliefs. Huckabee recently went as far as to say he'd go to jail in Davis' place, and praised her faith and conviction. But when Huckabee attempted to do a victory lap on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday, the hosts suggested he was picking and choosing his Bible passages.
"You and I both know, and I say this as a divorced man, that Jesus focused a lot more on lust, focused a lot more on divorce, on the poor, focused a lot more on clothing the naked, visiting people in jail, taking care of the hopeless than he did on homosexuality," host Joe Scarborough said. "You could read the text of the Gospel, and what Jesus Christ said, and there's a lot more condemnation for people like myself than there is for people who participate in the gay lifestyle."
"Homosexual marriage was not an issue in the first century. There was no push for same-sex marriage when Jesus was teaching," Huckabee responded. "When people say Jesus never talked about same-sex marriage, he did, by virtue of talking about what marriage is."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"But again, Jesus was much more explicit about divorce, and you could much more easily make an argument that a judge would refuse to grant divorces because Jesus was far more explicit about divorce equaling adultery," Scarborough said.
Kim Davis herself has been divorced three times, a point of hypocrisy that has been hotly debated (including here at The Week). Watch the trio duke it out on Morning Joe, below. Jeva Lange
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Without mandatory testing, bird flu will continue circulating at farms across the country'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Khan supporters converge on Islamabad
Speed Read Protesters clashing with Pakistani authorities are demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published