U.S. Senate hopeful Craig James suggested during a televised debate Friday night that his opposition to legal benefits for same-sex couples, including civil unions, is rooted in the Ten Commandments.
During a debate sponsored by the Belo Corp. in Dallas, moderator Sarah Forgany of KENS-TV Channel 5 in San Antonio asked James how much his personal faith would affect his ability to represent all Texans.
A clip was then played from a recent interview James did with the Texas Tribune, in which James doubled down on his previous statements that gay people will have to “answer to the lord” for their actions, that being gay is a choice, and that same-sex couples shouldn’t be entitled to any legal benefits, including civil unions. James previously made those statements during a forum at the Dallas Country Club in February, as part of a group attack against candidate Tom Leppert for appearing at gay Pride while mayor of Dallas.
This time, Forgany pointed to recent polls showing that 61 percent of Texans support civil unions for same-sex couples. “In this case, would your personal religious faith be in the way of supporting that issue?” Forgany said. Here’s James’ response:
James: “You know, I have said also, as I start every speech that I’ve done now for four months, my goal in life is that when I meet my maker, he says, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant, period.’ It’s not to become a United States senator. So whenever I make the decisions and the things that I just talked about there [in the clip], all of us are free to make decisions in this country, and all of us will be accountable to God for those, including me. I do support the marriage between a man and a woman, and my faith is my core, and anyone who doesn’t support their core and what they believe … This country was founded on the principles of Christianity, and I’m never gonna back away from that.”
Forgany: “So you’re saying that there are times when your personal religious faith will get in the way of that?”
James: “Never gets in the way. The moral fiber of this country is in trouble, and I will stand and honor the Ten Commandments, always will, and I’ll never be apologetic for that. I will always look and seek what the light put at my feet from the lord has provided for me, absolutely. In regard to being judgmental or discriminating, absolutely not. Everyone’s free to make their own decisions, and at the end of the day we all will be accountable to our lord and maker.”
None of the other candidates at the debate — Leppert, Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — was asked to weigh in. However, all four major candidates in the Republican primary have indicated in the past that they oppose both same-sex marriage and civil unions. The exchange with James begins at about the 11:45 mark in the video below:
Language his son used in an email made me want to throw up on someone else’s shoes.
This almost forces me to throw up on my own.
So I guess he keeps the Sabbath? And never bears false witness? And never uses the name of the creator in word or print? Somehow I get the feeling this Bozo has never read the commandments in either Exodus or Duteronomy. Neither say anything about marriage as one man and one woman, but do treat wives as property. Oy vey!
Good for him. Stay away from my state’s government though. Live for Jesus, or live for the people who elected you. Don’t live to force Jesus on the people who DIDN’T vote for you.
I’ve read the 10 commandments. King James version. I didn’t see anything about marrying a man or being queer. Now I still use the King James version I know there are alot of other versions of the Bible out there but in the king james version I don’t see anything about marring a man or sleeping with a man or having anal intercourse, sucking cock in the 10 commandments…….someone please show me where any of that is in the 10 commandments. What Bible is it in? It only talks about your neighbours man servant. That means a man that is already taken and belongs to someone else. They were referring to slaves. My neighbours are all black and have no slaves or man servants for me to lay with.