Congressman Louie Gohmert Says We're Farther From God After Slavery

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) stated on Tuesday that the legacy of slavery in the United States was a particularly ugly moment in the nation's history, but that the situation now is even worse.

Speaking on a conference call with far-right pastor Rick Scarborough, Gohmert warned listeners that the nation could be coming "toward the end of [its] existence," as evidenced by its leaders and citizens allegedly neglecting to remain true to biblical teachings.

"We strayed away different times. Andrew Jackson's time was not a great time, different times slavery was a blot on our existence," Gohmert said. "But the trouble is we have never as an entire nation overall been so far away from God's teaching and so openly rebelling, even from the top, against God's teachings in the Bible."

Gohmert frequently speaks about what he sees as the degradation of religious principles in American society. Over the summer he blamed the supposed trend for the mass-shooting in Aurora, Colo.