Anti-Gay Pastor Worley Won't Talk To Media, But His Supporters Will: VIDEO

CNN tried to do a follow-up interview with Charles Worley, the North Carolina pastor who suggested letting LGBT people die in internment camps, but apparently Worley's not interested in pleading his case - he just walked on by the cameras.

Meanwhile, as Worley hides out at his church, supporters and opponents alike have taken to the streets to voice their own opinions.

Watch the video AFTER THE JUMP to hear from both sides. And be sure to listen for the response from a man asked why he claims AIDS is Biblical retribution. Hint: it isn't, and he knows it.

(h/t JMG)

Thousands Protest NC Pastor Charles Worley, Who Said Gays Should Be Fenced in and Killed: VIDEO

Videos, AFTER THE JUMP...

More than 2,000 protesters came out from all over the country to protest Providence Road Baptist Church Pastor Charles Worley, whose Mother's Day sermon in which he suggested gays and lesbians should be fenced in and killed went viral last week, the Hickory Record reports.

The protestors came out in force to bring a message of love and acceptance. Their signs bore bold statements like, “Jesus had 2 dads and he turned out just fine.” And “I am a gay, moral, conservative Christian.”

Sheriff’s deputies and Newton police officers kept the peace as the protestors stood by the side of the road and cheered every time a car drove past and honked in approval.

A vocal group of more than 50 counter-protestors were on hand to support Worley and his church. They too had signs with slogans like, “Sodomites are vile, unnatural and worthy of death. Romans 1:21-32.” And “Gay pride is why Sodom got fried.”

The Charlotte Observer reported the crowds were slightly smaller:

About 1,200 people came from across North Carolina and other states Sunday to protest a Maiden preacher’s recent anti-gay sermon. Beyond the protest, many said they wanted to support each other after a demoralizing ballot defeat and to show the nation that many people in North Carolina support gay rights. Some even came to declare their sexuality publicly for the first time.

There was also a reported arson attempt on Worley's church on Friday night:

Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid said about 50 law enforcement personnel patrolled during the protest, and there were no arrests. The Sheriff’s Office, however, did issue at least one warning citation to a counter protestor for violating the noise ordinance.

“With this many people, it went pretty well,” said Reid.

Reid told NewsChannel 36, the Observer’s news partner, that someone set fire to a power box at Providence Baptist Church on Friday. Reid said the fire marshal is investigating the incident, but there is no reason to believe the fire is linked to the protests.

Worley, meanwhile, was greeted with a standing ovation by his congregation, the Hickory Record reported:

Church members and about 100 visitors from in and outside the area gave Worley a standing ovation when he approached the pulpit. A few members stood up from the pews and spoke out in favor of Worley as officers watched and intervened when one particularly longwinded member spoke.

The atmosphere was a vocal and jubilant one. The sanctuary was mostly full, with the vast majority of the crowd singing and crying out in joy. Many threw their hands up in praising the Lord and in support of the pastor.

“I appreciate all the support,” Worley said, buoyed by the loud cheers and applause of the congregation.

Barely touching on the subject of his May 13 sermon that sparked the controversy, Worley did not apologize. “I’ve got a King James Bible,” Worley said. “I’ve been a preacher for 53 years. Do you think I’m going to bail out on this?”

Instead, Worley focused on being proud of the Bible. “Everything I do, say, or preach, I believe in this book,” he said.

Watch a video and two news reports on the protest, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay 'Replacements Ltd' Owner Faces NC Hate After Opposing Amendment One

A business owner who came out against Amendment One with a big financial donation is facing hate and boycotts from anti-equality North Carolinians, the NYT reports:

Replacements Limited, which sells silver, china and glassware, and is based in Greensboro. Its founder and chairman, Bob Page, is gay. The company lobbied legislators, contributed money to causes supporting gay marriage, rented a billboard along the interstate near its headquarters, and sold T-shirts at its showroom. Its experience may explain why no other for-profit company followed its example.

Hostile letters and e-mails poured into the company from customers canceling their business and demanding to be removed from its e-mail list. “I understand that your company donated $250,000 or so to the effort to ban the marriage amendment,” read one. “I am very concerned that with an increased visibility and acceptance of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, one of my children, who would have grown up and been happily married to a husband, could be tempted to the lesbian lifestyle.”

Another read: “I was excited to see your wares and expected a pleasant shopping experience. Instead I was accosted by your political views, which I do not share. It was very uncomfortable and unpleasant browsing with all those signs and T-shirts against amendment one, to the point where I had to leave.”

Here's Replacements Ltd's website. If you wish, show Page and his company your support!

NC County Officials Say Protest Against Pastor Charles 'Kill the Gays' Worley Can Go On

NOTE: If you haven't seen Anderson Cooper's interview with Worley backer Stacey Pritchard, it's a must. Check it out HERE.

Catawba County, North Carolina officials have granted the use of land for a protest this Sunday against Pastor Charles Worley, after the planned demonstration swelled with national attention and organizers are now expecting up to 2,000 people to attend. The County had earlier denied the request, McClatchy reports:

In originally denying the request, the county had cited county codes governing public use of grounds. Provisions include completing an application 14 days prior to the date of the proposed use, a requirement that a group making the request must have been in existence at least one year and proof of insurance.

Protesters went to the ACLU, and the County has relented:

"We want to peacefully and respectfully practice our First Amendment rights," said protest organizer Laura Tipton, 24, of Hickory. "We aren't a specific group or organization. All we want is the use of the grounds - a safe place."

On Thursday night, the county posted a statement on its website, saying officials had received an application earlier that day for public use of the lawn of the Justice Center for Sunday's protest.

"This application raised questions regarding the constitutionality of the existing regulation, specifically the 14-day requirement for applications to be received in the County Manager's Office," the statement said.

Officials said they consulted with constitutional law experts after receiving the application and then chose to grant permission for the assembly "in the interest of demonstrating appropriate respect for the ideals embedded in the Constitution."

The protest is to be held on the grounds of the Catawba County Justice Center in Newton, about 12 miles away from Pastor Worley's church.

Information about the protest can be found HERE.

Members of Pastor Worley's Church Back His Call to Kill Gays: VIDEO

WCNC spoke to a few members of Pastor Charles Worley's Providence Road Baptist Church, asking them if they backed Worley's sermon advocating the imprisonment and killing of gays and lesbians within an electricified fence.

Said church member Geneva Sims: “He had every right to say what he said about putting them in a pen and giving them food. The Bible says they are worthy of death. He is preaching God’s word.”

Another, Stacey Pritchard, agreed: “Sometimes you’ve got to be scared straight. He is trying to save those people from Hell.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

NC Pastor Worley: Wishing Gays Could Be Killed Since 1978 - AUDIO

Yesterday, we posted the video of North Carolina pastor Charles Worley advocating that gays and lesbians be put in camps so they'll die out.

Jeremy Hooper at Good as You did a bit of digging and found an old sermon from 1978 revealing that Worley's views haven't changed much. In the audio, which one of Worley's congregants chose to post on the web, Worley waxes nostalgic for the days when they would have hanged gay people.

Says the pastor:

"I’m God’s preacher. I just believe the book. [We're] living in a day when, you know what, it saddens my heart to think that homosexuals can go around — bless God — and get the applause of a lot of people. Lesbians and all the rest of it? Bless God — forty years ago they’d have hung 'em — bless God — from a white oak tree. Wouldn’t they? Amen."

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

A protest is planned at Worley's church on Sunday.

In related news, the web site of Worley's Providence Road Baptist Church has been taken down since yesterday. Radio host David Pakman spoke with a lesbian mother who has heard Worley's sermons.

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously...
NC Pastor Wants to Build Electrified Fence to Contain, Starve, and Ultimately Kill Gays [tlrd]