#2581: Geoff Botkin

Hysterical fundie preachers are a dime a dozen, so anyone wanting to make a name for themselves will have to find something unusually stupid to stand out. Geoff Botkin of the Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences, a fundie ministry that promotes Christian homeschooling and Christian Patriarchy, went for Disney’s Frozen – not a particularly original choice, perhaps, but he nonetheless managed to distinguish himself through the sheer insanity and fury of his attack. At the session “a “The Decline of Freedom: From the Bill of Rights to the Ten Planks of Communism, America’s Domestic Enemies and Where They Came From” at the 2015 “Freedom 2015: National Religious Liberties Conference” (attended by three then-presidential candidates), Botkin said that the song “Let It Go” is part of America’s rebellion against God and reminded his audience that the country is already under 50 divine judgments that will only subside once the government and the wider culture begin to abide by biblical law (so it’s unclear what difference the song would make). Likening it to Eve’s temptation by the serpent, Botkin called the song “Satan’s rebellion anthem” for its potential to corrupt children. Were it not for the venue, we would have been pretty convinced the whole screed was a poe. According to Botkin, the “spirit of licentiousness” characterizing the song, and its popularity, shows that people don’t want to follow the totality of the Bible; and God “will chasten our nation” as a result of the movie’s popularity – fans of the song are “rejecting God’s law” and are therefore “enemies of God”, and that means that God “does go to war against you”, which, if you think about it, does not reflect a very reasonable way of being in the world.  

 

But that’s his creed. Botkin is hardcore: Old Testament laws should not only be taken literally; they should be taken as your sole guide to life. As Botkin sees the world, outsiders (non-Christians) are to be hated (he repeatedly warns his audience to avoid friendships with people outside of the church militant), five year-olds can be “false prophets” (one reason why parents must be part of a “family militant” alongside the “church militant” as part of the Great Commission) and rape victims who don’t cry out for help deserve death – and Botkin emphasizes the duty of good Christians not to ignore their duties to carry out God’s justice in such situations (!). And Botkin is apparently a figure of some authority in Christian homeschooling and Christian Patriarchy Movement circles.

 

He’s got a website, too, where he publishes mostly materials advicing people on how to lead, interspersed with unhinged fundie rants and calls for donations.

 

Diagnosis: Geoff Botkin’s feeble attempts at reasoning tells you all you need to know to conclude that it’s best not to have anything to do with this deranged boogeyman in any context. His is a world built solely on hatred, anger and unforgiving coldness.

 

Hat-tip: lovejoyfeminism