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Bob Ierian—a pastor who posts using the TikTok handle @knothead9620—had social media users cheering after he criticized Christians who constantly claim they're being persecuted and demanded they "stop the whining and sniveling right now."
Ierian—who describes himself as a “Feral Lutheran Pastor"—has a TikTok page that includes many of his thoughts on faith, LGBTQ+ rights and other issues related to the church that have garnered significant press as cornerstones of the right-wing culture war.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
\u201cUsually I have an aversion to "Men of the Cloth" but I gotta say, this one get's it. \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude07\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1674440644
He said:
"Stop it! Stop the whining and the sniveling right now!"
“There are Christians in the world who are oppressed, yes."
"There are Christians in North Korea who can’t go to worship without risking being thrown into a gulag. There are Christians in Palestine who can’t even get to their churches because of Israeli checkpoints and walls."
"You are not oppressed as a Christian in this country. “You’re whining and crying because what? Because nobody’s letting you treat gay people like sh*t anymore?”
"Stop it!"
Many praised Ierian for speaking out.
\u201c@Biff_Metatron Let's be real for a moment. \n\nmaga christians are inherently whiny. \ud83d\udc4f\n\nTheir entire existence depends on their perceived victimhood. \ud83d\udc4f\n\nSo they aren't gonna stop.\ud83d\udc4f\n\nGrievance is their actual religion.\ud83d\udc4f\n\n#hypochristians #evilgelicals\u201d— Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1674440644
\u201cI need more Christians to act like this and stand up to the bigots in their religion. \n\nYES! \n\nI don\u2019t want to hear, \u201cthey\u2019re not real Christians!\u201d \n\nTHEY \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffc ARE \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffc.\u201d— P. K. Reeves \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@P. K. Reeves \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1674569619
\u201cListen, I am irreligious and have an aversion to anything Christian related.\n\nBut when you meet a good pastor or priest? You'll know.\n\nTheir sermons will speak to you regardless of what religion you follow.\u201d— Smoochable Faces.png (@Smoochable Faces.png) 1674572149
\u201c@Biff_Metatron @MuellerSheWrote As a Christian I support this message. Also,\u201d— Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1674440644
The person who shared the pastor's TikTok on Twitter commented:
"The [one] thing I have learned from this Tweet is that... "
"1. Liberals can't believe that this man is a real pastor because he has compassion."
"2. Conservatives can't believe this man is a real pastor because he has compassion."
" Funny how that works out."
\u201cThe on thing I have learned from this Tweet is that...\n\n1. Liberals can't believe that this man is a real pastor because he has compassion.\n\n2. Conservatives can't believe this man is a real pastor because he has compassion.\n\nFunny how that works out.\u201d— Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Biff Metatron - Procyon Lotor Angelus \ud83e\udd9d\ud83d\ude07\ud83e\udd8b\ud83c\udfb1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1674440644
Reverend Ierian eventually joined the conversation and set the record straight.
He tweeted:
"Okay, for reasons I don't understand, there's a lot more of you here than there were this morning, so I feel like I should make a few things clear:"
"1. Yes, I'm really a pastor. Yes, I also have a sailor mouth. No those aren't mutually exclusive."
"2. I am a vehement ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, but not a member of it. I do not speak for LGBTQIA+ people. But I will absolutely stand between them and the hatemongers."
"3. I hate Illinois Nazis. And all the other kinds, too."
"4. Misogyny and sexism will not be tolerated."
"5. I don't play nice with bigots or others who would abuse the marginalized. Calling myself a 'feral Lutheran pastor' isn't a joke, it's fair warning."
"6. I'm not qualified to be anybody's Messiah, and sooner or later, I'll probably disappoint you, piss you off, or both. I'm human."
\u201c(1) Okay, for reasons I don't understand, there's a lot more of you here than there were this morning, so I feel like I should make a few things clear: \n\n1. Yes, I'm really a pastor. Yes, I also have a sailor mouth. No those aren't mutually exclusive. \n\n2. I am a vehement ally...\u201d— Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f (@Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f) 1674532900
\u201c(2) ...of the LGBTQIA+ community, but not a member of it. I do not speak for LGBTQIA+ people. But I will absolutely stand between them and the hatemongers.\n\n3. I hate Illinois Nazis. And all the other kinds, too. \n\n4. Misogyny and sexism will not be tolerated. \n\n5. I don't...\u201d— Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f (@Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f) 1674532900
\u201c(3) ...play nice with bigots or others who would abuse the marginalized. Calling myself a "feral Lutheran pastor" isn't a joke, it's fair warning.\n\n6. I'm not qualified to be anybody's Messiah, and sooner or later, I'll probably disappoint you, piss you off, or both. I'm human.\u201d— Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f (@Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f) 1674532900
Reverend Ierian finished with an adorable picture of his dog.
\u201c7. Here's a picture of my dog. (end)\u201d— Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f (@Knothead, Feral Lutheran Pastor\u2694\ufe0f) 1674532900
While numerous pastors have made headlines over the last couple years for espousing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and channeling their persecution complex through emboldened right-wing Republicans, others have been frank in denouncing behavior they perceive as abandoning principles of love and tolerance.
Last year, Kevin Smith—a Florida pastor and former executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware—criticized his fellow pastors for being "wh*res" for former Republican President Donald Trump during a speech he gave on the first day of the annual Southern Baptist Convention.
Smith said some ministers were guilty of "losing their damn minds" after former President Barack Obama, a Democrat and the first Black President of the United States, was re-elected in 2012.
He suggested Obama's re-election inflamed racism within the Southern Baptist denomination, though he acknowledged he'd witnessed this metamorphosis following the murder of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager who was gunned down by a White man and whose death was widely justified by the right-wing in its defense of "stand your ground" laws.