Arkansas State Representative: ‘If Slavery Were So Godawful, Why Didn’t Jesus Condemn It?’

Arkansas state representative Loy Mauch has become the second Republican legislator in the state to claim that slavery may have actually been a good thing. Mauch, whose colleague Jon Hubbard claimed that slavery was “a blessing in disguise” for African Americans, was outed by the Arkansas Times for pro-slavery, pro-Confederacy letters to the editor he has written over the past 10 years.

The letters were sent to the Democrat-Gazette and show Mauch defending slavery, repeatedly suggesting that Jesus would have condoned it, reports Think Progress. An excerpt of one letter reads:

“If slavery were so God-awful, why didn’t Jesus or Paul condemn it, why was it in the Constitution and why wasn’t there a war before 1861? The South has always stood by the Constitution and limited government. When one attacks the Confederate Battle Flag, he is certainly denouncing these principles of government as well as Christianity.”

Along with his comments about slavery and the Confederate flag, Loy Mauch also states that Abraham Lincoln was a Marxist “war criminal.” Gawker notes that the Arkansas state representative also wrote:

“Nowhere in the Holy Bible have I found a word of condemnation for the operation of slavery, Old or New Testament. If slavery was so bad, why didn’t Jesus, Paul or the prophets say something? This country already lionizes Wehrmacht leaders. They go by the names of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Custer, etc. These Marxists not only destroyed the Constitution they were sworn to uphold, but apostatized the word of God. Either these depraved infidels or the Constitution and Scriptures are in error. I’m more persuaded by the word of God.”

NECN reports that Arkansas’ State Republican Party announced on Monday that they will no longer financially support the three candidates whose writings have come under fire for racial charges. The candidates are Mauch, Hubbard, and House candidate Charlie Fuqua, who believes that the death penalty should be used for rebellious children.

The Party’s Chairman Doyle Webb stated that they would no longer financially support any of the three candidates, though he stopped short of asking them to pull out of their races. US Representative Tim Griffin also stated:

“I read a sample of Rep. Mauch’s statements, and they range from outrageous to historically inaccurate and anachronistic to downright odd. As we all know, both parties have folks that say ridiculous things, but I would not have financially supported Mauch had I known about these statements.”

Do you think that Arkansas state representative Loy Mauch is correct in saying that Jesus would have condoned slavery?