“Love the sinner, hate the sin” generally means loving a person despite the choices they make that you might not agree with.

It’s a far cry from “Tolerate the sinner, make as many excuses as you can for an unrepentant child molester.”

That repentance piece used to be a crucial factor as to whether a Christian should be allowed back into the fold. Repentance, they always preach, is the only way to be forgiven for your sins. But in Roy Moore‘s case, it seems like the more awful excuses made to explain away his alleged crimes, the more support he’s getting from his Christian base.

Newsweek explains:

Nearly 40 percent of Evangelical Christians in Alabama say they’re now more likely to vote for Roy Moore after multiple allegations that he molested children, even as voters across the historically red state now seem to be punishing Moore for his past actions, a new poll shows. A plurality of evangelicals — 37 percent — described themselves as more likely to support Moore because of recent sexual assault allegations levied against him, while only 28 percent were less likely to do so. Thirty-four percent of the supposedly devout Christians said that the allegations reported last week in the Washington Post made no difference in their support for Moore.

Why would they support Moore after stories that he molested a 14-year-old girl? Maybe it’s because they see these allegations as false. Maybe they think, if the story happened as reported, it was the girl’s fault… somehow. Or maybe it’s because they see this whole controversy as a form of Christian persecution, another attempt by the “liberal media” to block an outspoken believer from obtaining a Senate seat.

Whatever the reason, it may be that, in today’s upside-down world, claiming to be a Democrat or an atheist — or both! — makes you more likely to lose an election than being a Republican Christian who could end up on a sex offender registry.

The accusations against Moore didn’t come out of nowhere. A former colleague of his claims it was “common knowledge” that Moore dated schoolgirls, which should send red flags to anyone with a conscience. There is no such thing as a grown man “dating” schoolgirls. Normal, rational adults recognize such behavior as “grooming.”

The evidence strongly suggests Moore is a predator. One victim, according to the Washington Post, said he “touched her over her bra and underpants” and “guided her hand to touch him over his underwear.” He himself didn’t deny dating teens while in his 30s, though he added that he couldn’t remember doing so (which is very convenient) while outright rejected the claim of the 14-year-old. In response to one allegation that he bought alcohol for one underage girl, he said it was “a dry county” at the time. That’s not true; it began selling alcohol years before their encounter.

And now his religious beliefs are providing a cover for his actions. His supporters know damn well what Jesus didn’t mean when he said “Let all the little children come to me.” They just hate Democrats so much that they’ll back a child molester in order to keep their political power.

