One would think that in 2012, even if equal rights for LGBT people lag in many parts of the world including the United States, we as human beings would have at least graduated from the medieval practice of blaming unexplained events and natural disasters on other human beings.

Sadly, superstition still runs thick and strong even in the most “holy” of places and people.

Hurricane Sandy, which recently hit the East Coast of the United States, flooded several states and killed at least 149 people. A category one storm, that earned the nickname “Frankenstorm”.

On October 29, 2012, while the storm was still tearing into the East Coast of the United States, Huffington Post posted an article saying that Preacher John McTernan, a right-wing Christian preacher, placed blame for the hurricane on the LGBT community as well as presidential candidates Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Not only does McTernan make a ridiculous claim that I would hope most compassionate human beings can regard as absolutely laughable, but his political facts need some fact checking.

Yes, it is true that President Obama came out in support of gay marriage on May 5, 2012, and has recently announced supports for several referendums for legalizing same-sex marriage that appeared on the ballot this November 6.

But if Mitt Romney has a “gay agenda” beyond being fervently against gay marriage since well before he ever thought to run for the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential election, then it must also be true that the earth is made of blue cheese, Elvis lives and aliens built the Great Pyramids.

Of course, this isn’t the first time a natural disaster has been blamed on a minority group or even the first time McTernan has accused gay people of trying to destroy America.

Earlier this year when Hurricane Isaac hit the Gulf coast of America, McTernan paid specific attention to New Orleans and ‘Southern Decadence’, an annual gay event in New Orleans, around the time the hurricane hit. Naturally he connected the two without any thought to the truth that correlation does not imply causation.

McTernan also had similar thoughts about Hurricane Katrina. You know, that hurricane that killed 1,833 people and destroyed large parts of Louisiana.

Whether or not one believes that homosexuality is a sin I’d hope that the average intelligent human being could see how utterly ridiculous McTernan’s claims are and how utterly uncompassionate he has been and is being to the victims of these disasters by using these tragedies to further his own religious agenda.

Perhaps the next time preacher John McTernan opens his Christian Bible he should seek out the Book of Matthew, 22:39 which reads quite simply:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love everyone, no exceptions. Including a vital part of the Earth’s water system.