( Washington Times )
Don Lemon says U.S. Christians who revere the founding fathers need to realize that “Jesus Christ, admittedly, was not perfect.”
The CNN host’s comment, which contradicts the faith’s central belief that Jesus Christ was sinless — and hence able to die on the cross for the sins of the world — came Monday during a discussion with colleague Chris Cuomo.
“Here’s the thing,” Mr. Lemon said to Americans upset over criticism of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical giants. “Jesus Christ, if that is who you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly was not perfect when He was here on this earth. So why are we deifying the founders of this country, many of whom owned slaves?”
Those then cited the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise to buttress his point, although he neglected to mention that it was an attempt to hold the fragile nation together while simultaneously weakening the South.
“They are not perfect. They are not perfect. We have to stop deifying them,” Mr. Lemon said.
Conservative pundits and media outlets ridiculed the CNN host as the footage went viral on social media.
Some responses on Twitter include:
Podcaster Michael Knowles: “Prominent leftists don’t understand even the most basic aspects of the most basic things we believe.”
Dana Loesch: “Uh, this isn’t Biblical. Christ was perfect.”
Becket Adams, The Washington Examiner: “Lemon is not wrong when he says we should not deify mere men, but it is damn near impossible to hear his point over the sound of his squeaky clown shoes. As to the question of whether Christians believe Jesus Christ was a perfect human being, that hasn’t been controversial in over 1,500 years.”
Mr. Cuomo stayed silent during Mr. Lemon’s commentary on Christ, although he eventually said “nothing human is perfect” in response to another remark about the Founding Fathers.
“We are all fallible,” Mr. Cuomo said. “Especially [because] people are limited by time. There’s no question about that.”