Charlie Daniels Calls Westboro Baptist Church ‘Despicable’

When country great Charlie Daniels speaks his mind, he's capable of making Hank Williams Jr. seem shy. The 'Devil Went Down to Georgia' hitmaker's new song 'Let 'Em Win or Bring 'Em Home' is a statement of how he feels the U.S. government should be handling the war efforts in the Middle East, and it includes a commentary on the Westboro Baptist Church.

"First of all, the Westboro Baptist Church isn't Baptist. Second of all, it isn't a church," Daniels tells the Dallas Observer.  "A church is the body of Christ, and the God I serve is a god of love, not of hate. The God I serve isn't the God they think they're serving."

"I don't hate the people of Westboro, but I hate what they stand for," he continues. "I hate the way that they've perverted Christianity and that they've made people think that all Christians are just like them. They're despicable people. They're out telling people that the Lord hates them. They're telling people that a homosexual can't be saved. Don't tell me that. Don't tell me that anyone can't be saved. Christ is about forgiveness. They meant to tell us that God hates us? The Bible says that God gave us his Son for whomsoever, not just for Westboro Baptist. I'm constantly ranting and railing against them."

Daniels doesn't express his personal opinions onstage, but doesn't hold back during interviews. In 'Let 'Em Win or Bring 'Em Home,' he says he's just arguing that the generals on the ground need to run the war, not politicians in Washington D.C.

"The people on the ground know what's happening. When you take the power away from those that are there and base all of the strategy on politics and world perception and public relations, you're not going to win. So, if we're not going to win, why do we keep leaving the troops in harm's way? Just bring them home," he says.

This weekend, the Charlie Daniels Band have two shows in Las Vegas.