A group of anti-LGBTQ evangelical leaders including former Rep. Michelle Bachmann, visited Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday and laid hands on the president.
Such an honor to pray within the Oval Office for @POTUS & @VP . pic.twitter.com/JrDOSJyFeN
— Rev. Johnnie Moore ن (@JohnnieM) July 12, 2017
About 30 leaders received invitations to the White House around a week and a half ago and included many of Trump's faith advisory council from his campaign, including Florida megachurch pastor Paula White, South Carolina megachurch pastor Mark Burns, former Republican representative Michele Bachmann and Southern Baptist pastors Jack Graham, Ronnie Floyd and Robert Jeffress.
Evangelicals, especially those who consider themselves more charismatic, often lay hands on individuals during prayer. In the New Testament, the apostles would lay hands on believers, often using it as a sign of responsibility or authority. Many Christians lay hands on those who are being ordained in the church.
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More evidence of the meeting came from homophobe Michelle Bachmann:
The meeting came a day before Trump sat down with anti-LGBTQ televangelist Pat Robertson for an interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
GLAAD condemned the interview, which aired this morning:
Robertson is infamous for calling for so-called “religious exemptions” to push a dangerous anti-LGBTQ agenda, accusing LGBTQ people of deliberately spreading HIV and AIDS, supporting so-called “conversion therapy,” and comparing the LGBTQ community to Satanists as well as thieves, rapists, and murders.
“Today's interview with anti-LGBTQ activist Pat Robertson should be the last straw for anyone leaving hope that President Trump would be an ally to LGBTQ people,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Trump refused to speak out about LGBTQ Pride Month or against the atrocities facing gay men in Chechnya in favor of today using the office of the President to give credibility to a debunked TV personality with a long history of peddling vile inaccuracies and salacious insults that harm LGBTQ people. As anti-LGBTQ activists like Robertson get the red-carpet treatment at the White House, LGBTQ people must stay visible and fight back against all those seeking to erase our hard-fought progress.”
Among the clips released in advanced was one in which Trump claimed that Vladimir Putin would have been much happier with Clinton as president.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFEqw0OxLSM
