British pop superstar Elton John stirred controversy in a magazine interview Friday when he claimed that Jesus Christ was "gay."
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems," John said in an interview posted on the website of U.S. celebrity news magazine Parade.
"On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East -- you're as good as dead," said John, who is gay.
The Catholic League, the largest U.S. Catholic rights group, condemned the comments.
"Jesus was certainly compassionate, but to say he was 'super-intelligent' is to compare the son of God to a successful game-show contestant," league president Bill Donohue said in a statement.
"More seriously, to call Jesus a homosexual is to label him a sexual deviant. But what else would we expect from a man who previously said, 'From my point of view, I would ban religion completely?'"
© Wire reports
67 Comments
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borscht
Actually, neither one can speak to Jesus's sexuality because there is no evidence of it - although he did hang out with a bunch of guys most of his life - either way.
sharky1
Elton, That wasn't Jesus behind you...
MrUSA
Jesus was married and had a child. I very much doubt he was gay.
shinjukuboy
But wait, there is that event with the guy in the garden -- I can't remember the name of the garden, but maybe some Bible scholars can.
Seirei Tobimatsu
Also Joseph's stepson but love thy neighbor or watch out.
guest
Most gay people think that everyone else is gay.
OneForAll
It is not what the Bible says, nor tradition. Elton had some good hits though. Good artist.
skipthesong
Well well, maybe he was maybe he wasn't. We will never know but let's see how much conviction Elton has on this issue.
Bento
Was Elton's "Gay middle eastern woman" phase before or after his "Marie Antoinette" phase?
aBout_that
Elton John is gay.
sensei258
At some point in the future, we will all witness Elton John trying to explain to the Son of God, who never sinned, why he accused Him of being gay.
aBout_that
and hopefully they don't fall for each other.
LoveUSA
I am not fond of gays and bi people because from my experience they are double faced and revengeful. Yet to meet kind gay people. I do not know why Elton John insults Christian people.
Sarge
"to call Jesus a homosexual is to call him a sexual deviant"
Wow, Bill, you just dissed how many millions of people?
Bungalow
Yeah, Jesus was happy and gay.
ilcub76
You obviously have never read the study by Alfred Kinsey.
kyushujoe
@Love USA
I'm Christian and I don't feel the tiniest bit insulted.
stevecpfc
LoveUSA, some may say your homophobia is wrong and that Christians should get over it. Everyone to themselves, Elton is not a head of state just a celebrity.
bokudayo
But Sarge, gays are sexually deviant merely by definition of the word. They are both queer and sexually deviant.
Too bad Elton John couldn't provide any rational support to his claim, but on the other hand, that is the sort of thing one can expect from a sexual deviant.
Sheeple
Elton will be dead within the week...lightning strike or something
The_Marion
Elton John: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
tonywang
Elton John is gayer than Jesus. That's a fact.
JohnBecker
40-some years ago, John Lennon was pilloried for suggesting that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus Christ". Sounds kinda tame nowadays, ne?
LoveUSA
it is not homophobia but disappointment. There is freedom of speech and Elton John can speak what he wants but he must be also considerate of the feelings of the devote christians without sense of humour.
LoveUSA
PS I do not understand what is wrong with calling Jesus superintelligent.
stevecpfc
LoveUSA, But you say gays are" doublefaced and revengeful, yet to meet kind gay peopel". That is homophobia, if Elton should be considerate of the feelings of Christians then maybe you should be considerate of the feelings of gay people.
moonbeams
10% of people are gay.
The quote began with "I think.."
Any freaking out over someone else's opinion just points to one's own insecurities.
HonestDictator
Hey, thats Elton for you. As people say, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. As for whether its true or not, thats another story.
LoveUSA
Stevecpfc, I said that not about all the gay people as a generalization, but regarding the gay people I have been acquainted with. It does not mean that I hate gay people as a whole. If I hurt somebody, I apologize. I do not like when people parade their sexuality. It should be very private matter. All respects to Elton as a singer but he should not openly announce his sexuality by claiming the sexuality of Jesus, it is his choice but the public should not be interested in such things.
presto345
Since Jesus isn't around to refute or confirm all the nonsense spoken about him, a little more restraint would seem in order. Did John mean gay as in cheerful or gay as in gueerful?
presto345
queerful??
Junnama
So, this explains the divine conception? Anyway, Jesus wasn't gay. Maybe asexual...but that doesn't work with Mary Magdelene!
Junnama
Was Jesus a queeny gay or butch gay?? Elton, help us out here...
medievaltimes
Religion as we know it today won't even be around in 500 years.
Blue_Tiger
Jesus was not gay.
Mr. USA, proof please? And, please, let's not involve Dan Browne's fiction...
goatlover
i am not gay but for jesus i would make an exception. he was totally hot with his rugged beard and trendy sheets
OneForAll
"Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they do." Jesus
realist
Elton John may be "gay" if he likes, but to describe the Son of God as "gay" is just plain blasphemy, probably one of the most dangerous sins imaginable. I pity him, and will pray for him.
smithinjapan
MeanRingo: How DARE you address your student by his proper name, Jesus!
I just get a kick out of how people get so offended out of someone's opinion, and declare him/her wrong without the least scrap of evidence, while he/she has given their rationale as to why they think the way they do.
Christianity changes its definition of things every day to fit the world when it realizes it no longer fits into the world itself; remember, kiddies, that you would be dragged around by horses and have your tongue cut out for suggesting the universe did not revolve around the flat earth!
Within a couple decades Elton John will probably be vindicated on these comments, with religious nuts having no choice but to say, "Well, it's possible that Jesus was gay/bi-sexual, because God created all of the possibilities", etc. The very fact that Christianity is always changing its stance is what makes it so humorous, and gives people like Elton more footing when they make statements like this.
adaydream
These are all opinions. Whether it's Elton John's opinion or the posters opinion.
There is no scientist evidence that there ever was a Jesus. There is a book written years, some books as many as 200 years after he supposedly died.
Remember Jesus is a person sustained by "Faith".
Someone posted that Jesus had a child. You can't prove Jesus walked the earth, so how do you intend to prove he had children.
Whether Jesus was gay or not in simply an opinion. < :-)
grafton
Is Elton John a good artist? Like or dislike isn’t really a issue, the answer is yes, he has produced a lot of very good music in his time. As such he as become an incredibly well known person, for his music. But how does that qualify him to use that celebrity to express opinions that so many people will find insulting? We have seen what people like Geldof, Bono and Anne Lenox do with their celebrity, are any of these people qualified simply because they can make music? With celebrity must come some responsibility for what they say and do otherwise the unthinkable will one day happen and we might have an actor as president and where might that lead? I rate Jesus, the tooth fairy and Father xmas as all being much the same, but I don’t take what pop stars think very seriously, unless it is about their own music, which this wasn’t.
Taka313
Maybe Elton John has a point. After all, a "real man" would have turned that water into beer. Just sayin'.
Taka
ca1ic0cat
Taka might be right since we know whisky is the water of life and the angels take their share...
tclh
To God, EJ or his opinions is just like a piece of dirt in the entire universe, neither significant nor correct.
goodDonkey
Junnama at 12:39 AM JST - 21st February
Jesus could be somewhat of a drama queen sometimes.
The_Marion
Jesus did live in Auam Ethiopia for 15 years before he went to be crucified and he and Solomon built the Church of Mary and Jesus did have three childre by Mary Magdalene and I have a 2000 year old icon that depict all I have written above and from the icon it appears that Mary Magalene was a black as was the wife of Solomon (she was the queen of Shiba.) Solomon was the son of David.
Sarge
goatlover at 1:03 AM - Har!
dolphingirl
LoveUSA: 'I am not fond of gays and bi people because from my experience they are double faced and revengeful.'--I am curious...exactly how many gay and bisexual people have you met?
'I do not like when people parade their sexuality.'--Elton John is not parading his sexuality; he is only stating his idea. Most straight people assume other people are straight so yes, gay people do have to make it a point of saying--Hey, I am not straight. I'm gay.'
This has nothing to do with 'parading one's sexuality' but everything to do with letting other people know who you are and who you are not. And why shouldn't the public be interested in hearing a new opinion? Isn't that what being open-minded and democratic is all about?
dolphingirl
bokudayo: I think sarge is right. The word 'deviant' generally has a negative connotation and means differing from socially acceptable norms so to say that homosexuals are sexually deviant implies they are unacceptable people because of who they are and what they do.
LoveUSA
Dolphingirl,you are right, i was wrong to say these things, i do not understand myself why I can be so stupid sometimes...I am sorry! Everybody can choose to be what they are.
skipthesong
why just jesus.... is he afraid to claim ALL the prophets were gay???? I love to see how Londoners would take hearing their prophet was gay.
SuperLib
Elton John is gay, says Jesus.
XXXXX
So what if He was? I don't agree with his implying that one has to be gay to be compassionate, intelligent and understanding of human problems.
shinjukuboy
Well, the only people who would really know lived 2010 years ago.
knackerz
Elton, please, please, please, share your thoughts about Muhommad with the public.
Madara
Hilarious!jesus was gay.Elton's gonna piss a lot of people.
WilliB
Elton John finds it easy to insult a religion that does not respond with death threats. Don´t hold your breath for the brave hero Elton to say something about some other religious founders.
Damien15
One has to exist before he can be a gay. Jesus is an image, not a real person. I'm sure for Elton, Jesus must surely be gay. How can a gay person respect a straight prophet!!
kokorocloud
Oh he was not. But then I've heard worse things said about Jesus, so...
DenDon
getting old, lost the limelight...how can I get in the news again? aaaaah, I know. throw another party Elton and leave this kind of thing to Stephen Fry who genuinely cares and knows what he is talking about.
sharky1
Elton John, however wealthy, famous, and talented, is devoid of all sound judgment...don't take my word for it...
BurakuminDes
Poor Elton John, He is bald, talentless and struggling to stay relevant. Just go back to singing that Princess Diana tribute tripe, already!
nandakandamanda
Jesus probably was gay at times. I am sure he wasn't homosexual though.
tranel
Maybe Jesus of Nasareth was a real person, but he was not the son of God. Christianity is built on myths and stories—as a pretty much all religions. That said, it is possible that he was gay—why not?
featherhead
Elton John has every much right to say he thinks Jesus is gay or anything else as anyone does. Folks who prop themselves up to be experts on such things, when the evidence to support most of their theories is virtualy nonexistent, have no business on claiming the "truth" for themselves. Personally, I'd MUCH prefer were Jesus a flaming drag queen who believed in peace than a macho man who told people that only real people carried guns, and liked to fight. And I have a sneaking suspicion that were Jesus to return today, many of those who claim to 'KNOW' Jesus best would be utterly disappointed when he told them they were WAY off track, and, perhaps, told them to dress in drag as a repentance.
Midnightpromise
Theres quite a few things Elton John says, but many of them would be banned by the moderator though, Enuff said about that idiot.
LFRAgain
I may not agree with Elton John, but I can appreciate what he’s saying here. We all expect our heroes to bear some sort of resemblance to ourselves (hence the predominant image of Christ as some white guy from Lancashire), both physically and ethically. It stands to reason that Elton John and other gays might easily see Jesus, a figure who personifies tolerance and harmonious coexistence, as someone who wouldn’t necessarily say, “Love thy neighbor. Unless he or she is gay.”
The thing that really impresses me the most about this story (and this thread) is that it hasn't produced anywhere near the degree anti-gay/anti-religion vitriol and rhetoric it would have, say, 10 or even 5 years ago.
Normally, threads like this run into the 100s of posts, most filled with hate and anger on both sides. Nice to see that Elton John (who is indeed gay, and never pretended otherwise) can express his opinion more freely than he might have been able to in the past.
That’s the thing about opinions: One of the consequences of having the right to express them is the understanding that we alternatively don’t have the right to not be offended by them.