Hovind, the Tax guy and his sheep

This Friday, one "Dr." Kent Hovind (young earth creationist from Pensacola Florida) and his wife were convicted of numerous counts of income tax evasion and other tax-related crimes. Kent's defense was that because he works for God, he does not owe any taxes. This absurd defense is not surprising since Kent is full of other absurd logic. Kent once claimed, for example, that the speed of light is not constant because if you are driving down the road at 60 mph and turn on your lights, the speed of light is 'c'. However to a person on the side of the road, the speed of light is 'c+60 mph'. My point in blogging this court case is not to discuss the illogic of Hovind's defense or even to gloat about his conviction. The more interesting phenomenon is how Kent's followers view his conviction. Here's one scary comment:

"You seem to revel in the misfortunes of Dr. Kent Hovind. This is because you are spiritually blinded and a child of Satan. Until a person is "born-again" they are enemies of God. You attack the messenger of the Word of God but your real problem is that you hate God. You must admit that you are a sinner and fear God. The problem is that people love their sin and despise the goodness of Jesus. So it is natural that you would appreciate the perceived defeat of Dr. Kent Hovind. But Mr. Hovind loves God with all his heart and is right now (in jail) praising His name and thanking him for all His blessings. He is praying for his enemies as we speak. This is a real trial for sure for the Hovinds but they know that their Lord and Saviour will vindicate and use this trial to further the gospel. Amen. The Church grows during persecution! "


What is scary about this post is that the writer misses several key points. Hovind is not above the law. Jesus was not above the law and Jesus understood this quite clearly. Hovind committed a crime and he must pay the price for that crime. The church was not on trial here, Kent Hovind was. The Church is not being persecuted here, Kent and Jo Hovind are being prosecuted for purposefully disobeying the law. Kent's loyal followers have bought into his baloney hook, line and sinker. They'll continue to praise him and when he does get out of prison they'll revere him as a hero of God. Hovind will probably do some time, but it's unlikely that either he, or his followers will learn anything from this experience.


Cheers

Joe Meert