The debate over marriage equality continues to heat up in North Carolina, with yet another religious leader speaking out against allowing same-sex couples the right to wed.
Good As You is reporting that Tim Rabon, pastor at Raleigh's Beacon Baptist Church, condemned states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland which have already "re-defined" marriage to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples.
As heard in this recording, Rabon asked his congregation, "What is stopping them from refining marriage from a person and a beast? We're not far from that."
Rabon's comments follow those of Sean Harris, senior pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville who spoke at length last week in support of North Carolina's proposed Amendment One. Harris caused further controversy later during his sermon when he urged his congregation to attack their children if they appear to be exhibiting behavior outside of gender norms.
"Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist," he said. "Man up. Give him a good punch. OK? You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male, and you are going to be a male."
In an interview with HuffPost Gay Voices Editor-at-Large Michelangelo Signorile, Harris said his comments had been taken out of the "context of a ministry," but added that Jesus Christ had "conjure[d] up violent images as well" during His own sermons.
"[Jesus is] not speaking literally. He's speaking figuratively, using hyperbole to convey the importance of the offense," he argued.
North Carolina residents will go to the polls on May 8 to vote on both the same-sex marriage measure and to pick a Republican presidential candidate.