美国前众议院议长贝纳(John Boehner)最近放言,2016美国共和党总统侯选人Cruz是“魔鬼化身”(Lucifer in the flesh)。Cruz听了很生气。但是,还有比Cruz 更生气的人。
据美国ABC新闻台网站报道,总部位于纽约曼哈顿地狱厨房(Hell's Kitchen)的国际魔鬼教(The Church of Satan),对贝纳将Cruz比作魔鬼的言论提出严正抗议。 该教大祭司 Magus Peter Howard Gilmore发表声明说:“将一个反对给予同性夫妇平等权利,并主张拒绝为所有持不同价值观的人提供服务的保守派基督徒比为魔鬼,是对米尔顿在《失乐园》中描述的那个具有积极向上、英勇果敢特征的主角的玷污。”
信奉社会达尔文主义的The Church of Satan不喜欢Cruz,美国两大魔鬼教的另一个,主张温和人道主义的The Satanic Temple对Cruz自然就更不满意了。该组织的发言人Lucien Greaves对ABC新闻台说,他认为Cruz “从事的勾当实在令人不齿”,而贝纳将Cruz比作魔鬼是“欠思考和无知的。”
“你们基督徒不能就这么把Cruz推到我们魔鬼教这里来,” Greaves说。“贝纳的意思是Ted Cruz是某一种魔鬼的化身。我认为这么说是十分有害的,是反动落后的心态,因为一些事情很清楚是某些基督徒干的。不能当事情弄糟了,就说是受了魔鬼的影响。这么说会妨碍你清楚地思考, ”他说。
Gilmore说魔鬼教徒并没有集体地支持或反对某个政治人物。Greaves说魔鬼教“不要”Cruz,“这个人与我们的主张完全背道而驰。”
Prominent Satanists want to be clear: Ted Cruz need not apply.
After former House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday called the current Republican presidential candidate "Lucifer in the flesh," saying he found it difficult to work with him, staunch Satanists decried the comparison.
"Having a conservative Christian likened to Lucifer -- one who opposes equal rights for same sex couples and promotes the ability to deny services to any with different values -- we Satanists see as besmirching the positive, heroic aspects of that character as portrayed by Milton in his epic 'Paradise Lost,'" Magus Peter Howard Gilmore, the high priest of The Church of Satan, said in a statement.
Lucien Greaves, a spokesman and co-founder for the Satanic Temple, told ABC News he thinks Cruz engages in "clearly deplorable behavior" and that Boehner's comments were "thoughtless and ignorant."
"Christians can't just push Cruz off on Satanists," Greaves said. "All he's trying to say is that Ted Cruz is some type of embodiment of evil. I think that's a rather destructive, backward mindset, because when you take clearly Christian individuals, clearly Christian activities, and things go sour, you pass them off as the influence of Satan.
"It really prevents you from thinking clearly," he said.
Cruz had previously dismissed Boehner's comparison, saying he had hardly interacted with the Ohio Republican over the years.
While Gilmore, the high priest, said that Satanists have not expressed any "collective support for any specific politicians," Greaves said Satanists do not "want" Cruz and that he "is everything opposite of what we represent."