Pro-Trump Pastor Defends Roy Moore By Saying ‘Morality’ Isn’t A Requirement For Leaders

Pastor Mark Burns, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, tried to defend sexual predator Roy Moore on Saturday, telling the AM Joy panel that “morality” isn’t necessarily a requirement for our leaders.

According to Burns, it’s okay if we elect immoral leaders like Moore because “Jesus was the only perfect man who walked the earth.”

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After Joy Reid asked him if he knows anybody who’s been accused of the things Moore has, Pastor Burns said:

I personally never known anybody that has been accused of sexual immorality. But the thing that I’m saying is we need to also understand – we need to be wise with due process. In an ideal world, we would want all of our candidates to be morality, but Morality is not the only qualification for leadership. We’re discovering that throughout the history of the Bible, throughout the scriptures, we discovered God had used so many immoral people. … Jesus was the only perfect man that ever walked the earth.

The lengths to which Trump and Moore supporters will go to defend these men is both stunning and deeply disturbing. This is doubly true for those who claim to be religious leaders.

Using the Bible to defend a man who has preyed on teenage girls? Pointing to Jesus as the reason it’s okay for a potential leader like Moore to engage in this type of unspeakable behavior? I’m no religious expert, but I can confidently say that no faith condones this conduct.

Despite what the right-wing pastor said on Saturday, the controversy surrounding Roy Moore is not about the fact that he isn’t a perfect human being – nobody is. But there is a difference between imperfect behavior and having a history of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls.

We can and do elect flawed and imperfect leaders all the time. As humans, we don’t have much of a choice. But we shouldn’t equate common, human imperfections with disgusting predatory behavior toward underaged girls.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.