Oklahoma Republican says LGBT community is 'worthy of death'

MOORE, Okla., June 11 (UPI) -- A Republican candidate for Oklahoma's state House has caused controversy after posting a series of Facebook rants in which he endorsed executing homosexuals based on his personal interpretations of the Christian Bible.

In response to Pope Francis asking "who am I to judge," candidate for House District 91 Scott Esk posted excerpts from the Old Testament that endorsed stoning homosexuals. When one individual asked that he clarify that he did not intend that passage be taken literally, Esk answered to the contrary, proceeding to rant in favor of executing the LGBT community.

"I think we would be totally in the right to do it," Esk wrote.

"Ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss."

In other posts, Eck defended his extremist views, saying he's only concerned with issues he interprets the Christian bible as classifying as "abominations" and that U.S. soildiers are being "used to promote the New World Order."

When local investigative journalist Rob Morris discovered the Facebook posts, he contacted Esk, who only doubled down on his extremism.

"What I will tell you right now is that was done in the old testament under a law that came directly from god," Esk told Morris.

"It was totally just, it came directly from God ... I do have some very huge moral misgivings about those kinds of sins. If men wink at such perversions, God may have no choice than to judge such nations with calamities."

On his campaign website, Esk makes no apologies for his extremist worldview, calling Jesus Christ his "master" and admitting his intention to legislate from that perspective.

I have tried to use my life to become more like my Master Jesus Christ every day, and I look forward to applying Biblical principles to Oklahoma law.

Esk has not spoken with the media since Morris' interview.