ARIZONA'S PASTOR STEVEN ANDERSON ARGUES THAT AIDS WOULD BE ERADICATED IF GAYS WERE 'EXECUTED'

An Arizona pastor is making headlines after claiming that "we can have an AIDS-free world by Christmas" if gays were "executed." 

The New Civil Rights Movement first reported that Pastor Steven Anderson, who runs Tempe's Faithful Word Baptist Church, made the shocking claims during a sermon delivered Nov. 30. 

Arguing that members of the gay community are "filled with disease because of the judgement of God," Anderson said, "Anybody who's a homo or bi -- it's all the same category -- sodomite is what the Bible would call them." 

Citing Leviticus 18:22, he then added, "It was right there in `the Bible all along ... It's curable right there... if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn't have all this AIDS running rampant." 

It isn't the first time that Anderson, who "holds no college degree but has well over 140 chapters of the Bible memorized word-for-word" according to his church's website, has ruffled feathers. 

Earlier this year, he argued that "remarriage is adultery," noting, "I don’t care if our society embraces divorce, and even Christians are getting divorced at the same rate as the world, I'm not gonna change!"

He has also argued in favor of keeping women silent in church. 

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection," he said in a sermon. "But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man."