Ben Carson Placed on 'Extremist' Watch List by Southern Poverty Law Center

A legal advocacy group has labelled potential presidential candidate Ben Carson an “extremist,” according to reports. The nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) assigned Carson the label for his support of biblical marriage, which the group calls “anti-LGBT.” 

Charisma News reports that the SPLC gathered quotes Carson said in interviews as well as his recent book “America the Beautiful” to determine his place on the extremist watch list. 

Carson was quoted as saying “[I]f we can redefine marriage as between two men or two women or any other way based on social pressures as opposed to between a man and a woman, we will continue to redefine it in any way that we wish, which is a slippery slope with a disastrous ending, as witnessed in the dramatic fall of the Roman Empire,” in a 2013 interview with Sean Hannity. 

In response to the “extremist” label, Carson told WND, "When embracing traditional Christian values is equated to hatred, we are approaching the stage where wrong is called right and right is called wrong. It is important for us to once again advocate true tolerance." 

Publication date: February 11, 2015