Immorality in American Christianity

[Bact PhD]

Jul 28, 2022 21:43:24 GMT andydp said:

Jul 28, 2022 21:38:24 GMT LFC said:

My first reaction was, this creeper is still around? My second was, of course he is!

I thought he was vetted and declared "100% heterosexual" by a committee of "religious" somethings.  

Wait, I thought the Evangelicals had a serious problem with the “I’m OK, You’re OK” philosophy.

[LFC]

Another corrupt pastor who used their position of trust to victimize those who believe in them. As a group the tales of their crimes and abuse really do seem to be endless.

When a story begins with a pastor, an armed robbery in the pulpit and $1 million worth of ice, it’s headed to bad places. So of course it wasn’t long before a little digging into the background of the Right Rev. Robbery Aintwright Bishop Lamor Whitehead of Brooklyn’s Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches turned up a lawsuit claiming that $90,000 in retirement money from a member of his flock ended up in Whitehead’s personal collection plate instead.

The lawsuit claims that Whitehead lured saved saint-turned-victim 56-year-old Pauline Anderson into a relationship of trust as she recovered from major surgery, then made off with her hard-earned nest egg. Adding another layer to the cake, Whitehead was also running for office to becomeBrooklyn borough president at the time (he lost). The lawsuit was filed last September in New York Supreme Court in Kings County.

As the great rapper, thespian and Brooklynite Yasiin Bey once put it, “This is how you get got.”

Anderson says her son, Rasheed, hooked up a prayer call with Whitehead in April of 2020. By July of that year, they were on the phone again, this time because Anderson wanted to buy a house. Whitehead, the lawsuit claims, counseled Anderson on raising her credit score and identifying a target property—all things a licensed Realtor, various TikTokers and Zillow might be more qualified to do than a preacher. Later that month, the Andersons’ pastor made his move during a three-way call with Primerica, the financial institution where Pauline Anderson had her life savings.

On that call, Mr. Whitehead directed Ms. Anderson and the TransAmerica representative in moving $100,000.00 from her IRA into Ms. Anderson’s personal checking account. 15. Mr. Whitehead did this for the purpose of perpetrating the fraud and conversion that will be set forth in further detail below.

What was that fraud? The lawsuit alleges that after Whitehead introduced Pauline Anderson to two different mortgage lenders who denied her because of credit, he suggested she invest her cash in his eponymous company under a promise he’d use it to buy a house for her, make any repairs and give her back her change, if any. With that verbal agreement—because who needs such things in writing—Anderson withdrew $90,000 from her checking account in November 2020 and handed it over to the preacher, never asking for so much as a receipt.

[LFC]

And pastors continue to completely outpace drag queens in the sexual danger to minors event.

A sting operation this week in St. Paul and Stillwater led to the arrest of six people who now face felony charges in connection with attempting to solicit minors for sex or trafficking.

Undercover agents posed as minors or sex buyers on social media and made arrangements to meet the adults. When the adults arrived, they were arrested, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

One of the men, Jason James Taylor, is a pastor at Calvary Chapel Solid Rock in New Richmond, Wis. Taylor, 47, of New Richmond, was arrested and booked into Washington County jail on suspicion of felony solicitation of a minor for prostitution.

The Washington County criminal complaint gave the following details:

During the sting operation, an undercover officer posted an ad with a phone number on a known commercial sex website with a “decoy” picture of a girl appearing to be under 18. The undercover officer then contacted the people who called the number in the ad.

Authorities say Taylor was one of those who called.

During text conversations with the undercover officer, he agreed to pay $80 for a sex act. The undercover officer, acting as the girl, then said she was 17 years old. Taylor asked for a photo in a specific pose to confirm he was talking to a real person. After the photo was sent, Taylor confirmed he was OK with the girl being 17. The undercover agent gave Taylor the hotel’s address and room number. When he arrived on that floor, he was met by officers who arrested him, according to the criminal complaint.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 1, 2022 15:20:29 GMT LFC said:

And pastors continue to completely outpace drag queens in the sexual danger to minors event.

A sting operation this week in St. Paul and Stillwater led to the arrest of six people who now face felony charges in connection with attempting to solicit minors for sex or trafficking.

Undercover agents posed as minors or sex buyers on social media and made arrangements to meet the adults. When the adults arrived, they were arrested, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

One of the men, Jason James Taylor, is a pastor at Calvary Chapel Solid Rock in New Richmond, Wis. Taylor, 47, of New Richmond, was arrested and booked into Washington County jail on suspicion of felony solicitation of a minor for prostitution.

The Washington County criminal complaint gave the following details:

During the sting operation, an undercover officer posted an ad with a phone number on a known commercial sex website with a “decoy” picture of a girl appearing to be under 18. The undercover officer then contacted the people who called the number in the ad.

Authorities say Taylor was one of those who called.

During text conversations with the undercover officer, he agreed to pay $80 for a sex act. The undercover officer, acting as the girl, then said she was 17 years old. Taylor asked for a photo in a specific pose to confirm he was talking to a real person. After the photo was sent, Taylor confirmed he was OK with the girl being 17. The undercover agent gave Taylor the hotel’s address and room number. When he arrived on that floor, he was met by officers who arrested him, according to the criminal complaint.

Yeah but it's hetero-sex and it's with sluts, underage just makes them sluttier.  Poor pastor had a moment of weakness and is sorry.

[LFC]

Another one. Is it just me or does the rights, especially the religious right, seem to be guilty of an inordinately high percentage of these cases of rape, sexual assault, and sexual infidelity? Basically when it comes to sex, these people just seem to be f***ed up.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — At least two victims have come forward regarding allegations of sexual misconduct involving a former youth counselor at Wrightsboro Baptist Church in New Hanover County.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office arrested Alan Croom, 35, for indecent liberties with a minor. The arrest took place at Wilmington International Airport, as Croom was traveling back to Wilmington from California.

Investigators say Croom was arrested on the same charge in April of 2022 for the first victim. He bonded out in April on a $250,000 bond.

Investigators say these crimes took place in 2012 when Croom was a youth counselor at Wrightsboro Baptist Church. According to the sheriff’s office, Croom left Wrightsboro Baptist Church in March.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 3, 2022 21:52:37 GMT LFC said:

Another one. Is it just me or does the rights, especially the religious right, seem to be guilty of an inordinately high percentage of these cases of rape, sexual assault, and sexual infidelity? Basically when it comes to sex, these people just seem to be f***ed up.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — At least two victims have come forward regarding allegations of sexual misconduct involving a former youth counselor at Wrightsboro Baptist Church in New Hanover County.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office arrested Alan Croom, 35, for indecent liberties with a minor. The arrest took place at Wilmington International Airport, as Croom was traveling back to Wilmington from California.

Investigators say Croom was arrested on the same charge in April of 2022 for the first victim. He bonded out in April on a $250,000 bond.

Investigators say these crimes took place in 2012 when Croom was a youth counselor at Wrightsboro Baptist Church. According to the sheriff’s office, Croom left Wrightsboro Baptist Church in March.

I'm sure there are some great moral "youth pastors" in the business but sheesh! Talk about "groomers" of children...that seems to be the point of being a youth pastor.

[LFC]

Aug 3, 2022 23:01:12 GMT goldenvalley said:

I'm sure there are some great moral "youth pastors" in the business but sheesh! Talk about "groomers" of children...that seems to be the point of being a youth pastor.

Organized religion's obsession with not allowing any scandal to appear publicly is light a bright spotlight to child predators. They've created one safe haven after another. Thank FSM that these "religious" organizations and leaders are finally being exposed but let us not forget that it was religious conservatives who fought this transparency tooth and nail. Some still are.

[LFC]

Yet another church based youth groomer. The church itself must be sweating bullets as they wait to see if he had any involvement with children while working for them.

A now-former Cherry Hill church youth group director is facing child pornography charges. Arnold DiBlasi was arrested last Tuesday at his Marlton home after an investigation found thousands of child porn images on his home computer and cellphone.

In a statement, the church pastor says he only learned of the charges Monday.

A 71-year-old grandfather, husband and church youth director is charged with possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

DiBlasi did not answer when CBS3 knocked on the door of his Marlton home where neighbors say they saw Evesham Township police arrest him last Tuesday.

According to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation prompted by the FBI back in May revealed DiBlasi distributed more than 11,000 photos to 30 different people in an online chat room. A preliminary search of his cellphone also showed illegal content.

DiBlasi was released from the Burlington County jail following a detention hearing.

DiBlasi worked with kids as youth director at Holy Eucharist Parish in Cherry Hill.

In a statement, Pastor Jason Rocks says officials assured him “no parish youth were involved in the materials, none of the activities took place on parish property, nor were any parish electronics used.”

Father Rocks also went on to say DiBlasi completed all required training and criminal background checks before being hired.

[LFC]

Nice to see many of this dirtbag's parishioners followed the morality they preach and left his ass.

The hipster pastor who admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” with a church employee earlier this year has hit a roadblock on his journey to redemption: the foreclosure of his Tennessee megachurch, which has been shedding members and staff ever since news of his infidelity broke.

The building housing Venue Church in Chattanooga—once one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation—is now set to be auctioned off outside the county courthouse after defaulting on its nearly $2.8 million mortgage.

The news has left some former congregants wondering where all of their donations went.

“Now with everything that’s come to light, you do wonder where the money is, or where it’s gone to,” said Arron Gribble, a local truck driver who joined the church in 2019 and left last year.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 9, 2022 18:33:25 GMT LFC said:

Nice to see many of this dirtbag's parishioners followed the morality they preach and left his ass.

The hipster pastor who admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” with a church employee earlier this year has hit a roadblock on his journey to redemption: the foreclosure of his Tennessee megachurch, which has been shedding members and staff ever since news of his infidelity broke.

The building housing Venue Church in Chattanooga—once one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation—is now set to be auctioned off outside the county courthouse after defaulting on its nearly $2.8 million mortgage.

The news has left some former congregants wondering where all of their donations went.

“Now with everything that’s come to light, you do wonder where the money is, or where it’s gone to,” said Arron Gribble, a local truck driver who joined the church in 2019 and left last year.

If you put your mind to it Mr Gribble, I'm sure you can come up with the answer to your wondering.

[AnBr]

[LFC]

The DOJ is investigating the Southern Baptist Convention after they revealed a 205 page list of sexual predators.
katu.com/amp/news/nation-world/southern-baptist-convention-under-doj-investigation-department-of-justice-list-of-alleged-sexual-abusers-released-in-may-great-commission-council

[LFC]

Deny your child or find another job. How "Christian."

A Christian pastor was told that he and his wife had to denounce their transgender son in order for him to keep his job as a Christian camp director. Instead, he and his family packed up their bags and moved to New Zealand.

Chris Kinman got his dream job as an assistant director and then as a director at the nondenominational camp in the Pacific Northwest that both he and his wife, Lindsay, attended as children. Lindsay started working as a midwife in the nearby town.

Their son Jay, who was assigned female at birth, had yet to come out as transgender. He was a young evangelist, trying to convert his friends at school.

My stomach turned at this. What "hearings?" What went on? If I had to bet a hundred bucks it would be that per modern psychology these "hearings" were mental child abuse.

When he was 17, someone started outing him as transgender, and he eventually came out to his parents. But by then the community knew, and churches in the area – some of whose members had kids who attended the camp – were calling Chris in for hearings.

“They got their hackles up and were saying you can’t be gay or trans and be a Christian. They said, ‘If you’re going to have gay people at your camp, we’ll have to pull out,’” he said.

Churches started hosting meetings to discuss the Kinmans. Others called them in for disciplinary hearings, even though they weren’t associated with those churches.

Lindsay said that people from the town were walking in on her midwife duties to talk to her about her transgender son. “I would be in the middle of a birthing, and they would want to pray for me,” she recalled.

Then the camp board of directors turned on Chris. They sent him a letter asking him to resign but telling him that he could stay on if he wrote a public statement denouncing his own son.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 17, 2022 14:44:38 GMT LFC said:

Deny your child or find another job. How "Christian."

A Christian pastor was told that he and his wife had to denounce their transgender son in order for him to keep his job as a Christian camp director. Instead, he and his family packed up their bags and moved to New Zealand.

Chris Kinman got his dream job as an assistant director and then as a director at the nondenominational camp in the Pacific Northwest that both he and his wife, Lindsay, attended as children. Lindsay started working as a midwife in the nearby town.

Their son Jay, who was assigned female at birth, had yet to come out as transgender. He was a young evangelist, trying to convert his friends at school.

My stomach turned at this. What "hearings?" What went on? If I had to bet a hundred bucks it would be that per modern psychology these "hearings" were mental child abuse.

When he was 17, someone started outing him as transgender, and he eventually came out to his parents. But by then the community knew, and churches in the area – some of whose members had kids who attended the camp – were calling Chris in for hearings.

“They got their hackles up and were saying you can’t be gay or trans and be a Christian. They said, ‘If you’re going to have gay people at your camp, we’ll have to pull out,’” he said.

Churches started hosting meetings to discuss the Kinmans. Others called them in for disciplinary hearings, even though they weren’t associated with those churches.

Lindsay said that people from the town were walking in on her midwife duties to talk to her about her transgender son. “I would be in the middle of a birthing, and they would want to pray for me,” she recalled.

Then the camp board of directors turned on Chris. They sent him a letter asking him to resign but telling him that he could stay on if he wrote a public statement denouncing his own son.

Fear.  These folks are so afraid that they want to banish what they fear just in case that camp director and his wife somehow made their own son be transgender.  Then they won't have to think about it or wonder about it.

[pnwguy]

Aug 17, 2022 15:38:27 GMT goldenvalley said:

Fear.  These folks are so afraid that they want to banish what they fear just in case that camp director and his wife somehow made their own son be transgender.  Then they won't have to think about it or wonder about it.

Just ask them what to do about chromosomal inter-sex people.  They obviously must not be people.

[LFC]

Aug 18, 2022 15:53:41 GMT pnwguy said:

Aug 17, 2022 15:38:27 GMT goldenvalley said:

Fear.  These folks are so afraid that they want to banish what they fear just in case that camp director and his wife somehow made their own son be transgender.  Then they won't have to think about it or wonder about it.

Just ask them what to do about chromosomal inter-sex people.  They obviously must not be people.

Easy. You either have a penis or a vagina. That's the end of any and all discussion on gender. (Hermaphrodites are rare enough to not even bother talking about.) Aren't simple black and white answers crated out of ignorance so much better than all your sciencey / knowledgey stuff?

[LFC]

But yeah, younger generations turning their backs on Christianity is all about the sexual revolution.

Pastor Carlton Funderburke of the Church at the Well in Kansas City, Missouri told his congregation that he was "disgusted" with them for not buying him an expensive watch.

"I ain't worth your Louis Vuitton? I ain't worth your Prada? I'm not worth your Gucci?" Pastor Funderburke said to his disloyal flock.

After the video came out of Pastor Funderburke scolding and berating his congregation for not buying him a watch, he had a change of heart. The "video clip does not reflect my heart or my sentiment toward God's people," he said.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 18, 2022 16:03:46 GMT LFC said:

Aug 18, 2022 15:53:41 GMT pnwguy said:

Just ask them what to do about chromosomal inter-sex people.  They obviously must not be people.

Easy. You either have a penis or a vagina. That's the end of any and all discussion on gender. (Hermaphrodites are rare enough to not even bother talking about.) Aren't simple black and white answers crated out of ignorance so much better than all your sciencey / knowledgey stuff?

It is so much easier.  The odds of having to deal with any of these issues in real life is pretty slim so why think about it?  Just fear it and react badly if you hear about it.  That'll protect you.

[Bact PhD]

Aug 18, 2022 16:17:48 GMT LFC said:

But yeah, younger generations turning their backs on Christianity is all about the sexual revolution.

Pastor Carlton Funderburke of the Church at the Well in Kansas City, Missouri told his congregation that he was "disgusted" with them for not buying him an expensive watch.

"I ain't worth your Louis Vuitton? I ain't worth your Prada? I'm not worth your Gucci?" Pastor Funderburke said to his disloyal flock.

After the video came out of Pastor Funderburke scolding and berating his congregation for not buying him a watch, he had a change of heart. The "video clip does not reflect my heart or my sentiment toward God's people," he said.

Why not just go for broke and ask for…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj3uXzAjmeI

[LFC]

This is from a post in TPM's member chat area. "Live not by lies" strikes again.

From the far-right Christian site Charisma News :

Often when God answers a prayer, He does so in a way we are not expecting. Having a teacher shortage is not ideal and an extraordinary circumstance, so there needs to be unique ways to solve the problem. Some states have decided to just throw money at the problem and hope that fixes it.

Florida appears to have actually put in the time and effort to come up with a plan that actually united both political parties and employ those who swore an oath to defend this country and the Constitution. That is a God move.

When asking God for help in a situation, Christians must be willing to be led to things that may be unconventional. Remember Gideon? He led an unconventional army. What seemed an impossible task turned out to be an opportunity for the Lord to display His power and glory.

[LFC]

Another pastor / rapist gets busted, this one particularly sick and clever. Maybe Dreher is right and the problem is a "sexual revolution", just the one where the people revolted and are exposing all of the sex crimes of religious leaders. Are most churches truly taking this seriously? Do the preach that this is an evil that must be called out and for which no pastor/priest can come back from as a leader? I kinda' doubt it.

A former youth pastor from Palmyra was indicted Tuesday on charges related to persuading 13 boys on social media to send him nude pictures and videos, the Burlington County Prosecutor said.

Sean Higgins, 31, also used these photos and videos to blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his enjoyment, the prosecutor also said.

Higgins was indicated on 75 total counts that included charges of endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, cyber harassment and obscenity to a minor, according to the prosecutor.

The victims, who were all aged 12 to 17 years old, resided in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Tennessee at the time of the offenses, the prosecutor said.

Higgins has been in prison since October 2020, when he was one of 15 people arrested as part of a massive crackdown on child pornography amid the coronavirus pandemic, the prosecutor said.

That 2020 arrest led to the execution of a search warrant at Higgins' house and church that yielded multiple electronic devices, according to the prosecutor.

Those devices indicated Higgins adopted the persona of a teenage girl he named Julie Miller and then used Snapchat and Instagram to start talking with underage boys, the prosecutor said.

After a bond was forged between 'Julie Miller' and each of the underage boys, Higgins "would suggest that they trade photos. Higgins would then send pictures" of an unidentified teenage girl, the prosecutor's office stated.

Higgins often received nude pictures of the teenage boys in return, according to the prosecutor.

Higgins would take a screenshot of the teenage boys' friends who were listed on their phones, "send that screenshot back to the victim and threaten to send the nude photos he had just received to the list of the victim’s friends unless the victim did exactly what Higgins demanded," the prosecutor's office stated.

"In most of the cases that were investigated, Higgins then demanded that his victims go into the bathroom at their residence and place the phone on the floor, or at an angle looking up, and would instruct the victims to masturbate or perform sexual acts on themselves. Higgins would record what was transpiring," the prosecutor's office continued.

The teenage boys often begged Higgins to let them stop this behavior, but he would threaten to send the recordings he was making to the teenage boys' friends if they ceased following his commands, according to the prosecutor.

He committed the crimes while he worked as the youth pastor and music leader at Harbor Baptist Church in Hainesport and serving as a teacher at the adjacent school, the prosecutor said.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 20, 2022 17:11:25 GMT LFC said:

Another pastor / rapist gets busted, this one particularly sick and clever. Maybe Dreher is right and the problem is a "sexual revolution", just the one where the people revolted and are exposing all of the sex crimes of religious leaders. Are most churches truly taking this seriously? Do the preach that this is an evil that must be called out and for which no pastor/priest can come back from as a leader? I kinda' doubt it.

Do religions that are not monotheistic have such issues, or as many instances of them?  I'm wondering if the concept of one all powerful god lends itself to having clergy that assume they are so powerful that they can act on their.... uhmmm...negative proclivities without fear of being caught or punished for it.

[Bact PhD]

Aug 20, 2022 17:43:30 GMT goldenvalley said:

Aug 20, 2022 17:11:25 GMT LFC said:

Another pastor / rapist gets busted, this one particularly sick and clever. Maybe Dreher is right and the problem is a "sexual revolution", just the one where the people revolted and are exposing all of the sex crimes of religious leaders. Are most churches truly taking this seriously? Do the preach that this is an evil that must be called out and for which no pastor/priest can come back from as a leader? I kinda' doubt it.

Do religions that are not monotheistic have such issues, or as many instances of them?  I'm wondering if the concept of one all powerful god lends itself to having clergy that assume they are so powerful that they can act on their.... uhmmm...negative proclivities without fear of being caught or punished for it.

Interesting thought. Even non-monotheistic traditions have leaders, though, and I would guess the temptation of a leader to act on proclivities and think they won’t get caught “because they’re the intermediary between one of many gods/Enlightenment and mere mortals” is strong.
We don’t hear much about rabbis or imams in this context, though, do we? I suspect we hear more about corrupt/venal Christian leaders because Christianity is the dominant faith tradition in the West.

[goldenvalley]

Aug 20, 2022 18:09:28 GMT Bact PhD said:

Aug 20, 2022 17:43:30 GMT goldenvalley said:

Do religions that are not monotheistic have such issues, or as many instances of them?  I'm wondering if the concept of one all powerful god lends itself to having clergy that assume they are so powerful that they can act on their.... uhmmm...negative proclivities without fear of being caught or punished for it.

Interesting thought. Even non-monotheistic traditions have leaders, though, and I would guess the temptation of a leader to act on proclivities and think they won’t get caught “because they’re the intermediary between one of many gods/Enlightenment and mere mortals” is strong.
We don’t hear much about rabbis or imams in this context, though, do we? I suspect we hear more about corrupt/venal Christian leaders because Christianity is the dominant faith tradition in the West.

There was a recent report on problems in Jewish summer camps.  And some with rabbis etc.  Note the article I linked to says the report was commissioned by the governing body the Reform Jews.  I wonder if the other branches are having similar investigations.  

[Bact PhD]

Aug 20, 2022 19:17:08 GMT goldenvalley said:

Aug 20, 2022 18:09:28 GMT Bact PhD said:

Interesting thought. Even non-monotheistic traditions have leaders, though, and I would guess the temptation of a leader to act on proclivities and think they won’t get caught “because they’re the intermediary between one of many gods/Enlightenment and mere mortals” is strong.
We don’t hear much about rabbis or imams in this context, though, do we? I suspect we hear more about corrupt/venal Christian leaders because Christianity is the dominant faith tradition in the West.

There was a recent report on problems in Jewish summer camps.  And some with rabbis etc.  Note the article I linked to says the report was commissioned by the governing body the Reform Jews.  I wonder if the other branches are having similar investigations.  

Concur re the last sentence.

Hmmm. The more I think about it, LFC may be on to something with this, copied from another thread:

Is it just me or does the rights, especially the religious right, seem to be guilty of an inordinately high percentage of these cases of rape, sexual assault, and sexual infidelity? Basically when it comes to sex, these people just seem to be f***ed up.

These are the sort of folks who embrace authoritarianism, and all of its attributes—The Leader’s Word Is Law; The Leader Can Do No Wrong (it’s that errant follower’s fault for tempting The Leader), and so forth. Fearful Follow are far, FAR less likely to report this shit to those who can DO Something for fear of repercussions—unfortunately, I have a closer-hand knowledge of this than I care to discuss any further in a public forum (not me, but a close relative, and it only got to the introductory “grooming” stage before the family realized what was up)