Johnson has recently attended an event hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC) alongside a pastor named Johnathan Cahn. The pastor claimed in his speech that “demons” were to blame for the progress the LGBTQ+ community was making in establishing their rights. The House Speaker Mike Johnson took to the stage after the pastor to pray against “alternate lifestyles.”
LGBTQ+ Healthcare Is a “Demonic” Activity
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The Southern Poverty Law Center first reported on the event. In their article, they stated that pastor Cahn had claimed in his sermon that abortion and LGBTQ+ health care were “representative” of “demonic activities.”
Pastor Claims “Demons” Are Responsible
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Jonathan Cahn, a pastor who some have claimed is a “false prophet,” also stated in his sermon that ancient spirits and “demons” were responsible for the advances the LGBTQ+ community has made in terms of their rights and gender-affirming healthcare.
Dark Spirits Are Driving God From Americans’ Lives
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Cahn claims “a dark trinity” of ancient Gods have returned to the US to “drive God from public life” by Baal’s possession, Ishtar’s enchantment and Molech’s destruction. The pastor accuses these ancient gods of seducing US culture and encouraging parents to “sacrifice their children.” Jonathan Cahn writes about the pagan gods in his book called ‘The Return of the Gods.’
Ishtar, Celebrating the Alteration of Gender
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Cahn further claimed that, in particular, an ancient Sumerian goddess called Ishtar is primarily to blame. The goddess (originating from ancient Iraq) was the goddess of love, sexuality and fertility. Cahn stated she was “the goddess of parades, parades that celebrated the alteration of gender.”
Gods Will “Possess the Culture” During Gay Pride Celebrations
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Cahn further claimed the ancient goddess would “possess the [US] culture” during June, which is the month Gay Pride is celebrated. Cahn alleged that the ancient deity represented “abortion, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQ+ pride month,” as reported by the SPLC.
Stonewall Riots Opened a Portal to Another Realm
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It was also reported that pastor Cahn stated that Ishtar and the other ancient pagan gods “were able to return to the earth because of the 1969 Stonewall riots,” which, as CBC reported, Cahn believes “opened the floodgates to another realm, allowing ancient pagan deities to spill back onto Earth… now seeking vengeance against Christianity.”
Stonewall Riots: The Catalyst for Gay Rights Movement
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The Stonewall Riots erupted in June 1969 when NYC police raided a gay club in Greenwich Village. The raid triggered a riot, which resulted in six days of protests and clashes with police. These events acted as a catalyst for the global and US gay rights movement.
Johnson and Other Members of Congress in Attendance
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The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson attended and spoke at the FRC’s event straight after Cahn’s speech, in which he spoke about “cultural upheaval” in the US. The article also reported that Speaker Johnson was joined by around 16 other members of Congress.
SPLC Designated FRC a Hate Group
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The SPLC has previously defined the FRC as a hate group. The FRC designates itself as a church and a non-profit. However, the SPLC believes its primary activities are promoting anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion rights.
They Prayed to Stop “Homosexuality and Abortion Rights”
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The SLPC explained how Johnson and other attendees prayed to stop feminism, homosexuality and abortion rights.
Johnson Attends Summit With Links to the Far-Right
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They also reported that after the event, Johnson attended the International Religious Freedom Summit (IRF Summit), which has connections to international far-right extremism due to the activities of its Hungarian and other European sponsors.
ADF Also Designated a Hate Group
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Furthermore, sponsors of the IRF Summit have strong connections to the organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which has also been reported on by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and has also been designated a hate group.
ADF Played a Pivotal Role in Overturning Roe v. Wade
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Johnson previously worked for the organization and maintains close ties to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF.) The organization is said to have played a pivotal part in overturning Roe V. Wade.
Johnson’s Ties to New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)
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Johnson has also alleged ties with another pastor, Jim Garlow, and a group called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR.) In November last year, NPR reported on Johnson’s relationship with the organization, which they say operated on the fringes of the far-right, and further wrote that Pastor Garlow has stated during a World Prayer Network livestream that Johnson had worked with the organization “very closely.”
The Most Anti-equality Speaker in History
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In October 2023, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, Kelley Robinson, voiced her concerns over Johnson and other MAGA Republicans in the House, stating that the House Speaker was the “most anti-equality Speaker in US history.”
Johnson Seeks to “Erase” LGBTQ+ Community From Society
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She also stated that “Johnson is someone who doesn’t hesitate to express his disdain for the LGTBQ+ community from the rooftops and then introduces legislation that seeks to erase us [LGBTQ+] from society.”
A “Near Perfect Example” of Christian Nationalism
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A sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Andrew Whitehead, has written extensively about Christian Nationalism and its rise in popularity and has called Johnson a “near-perfect example” of the movement.
Johnson Believes America Is “Dark and Depraved”
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Johnson spoke to the World Prayer Network in October last year, where he alleged that young people identifying as LGBTQ+ were to blame for America becoming “so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable.” HuffPost has further reported that Johnson’s wife, who runs Onward Christian Counseling Services, is an organization that “equates homosexuality with bestiality,” as it states in “operational documents.”
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