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NOGODZ20's avatar

What is it about Christianity that keeps churning out child molesters almost like clockwork?

They seem to rival Toyota in mass production.

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Richard S. Russell's avatar

I think you're mistaking cause and effect. I think what's happening, for the most part, is that people with unhealthy sexual urges think "What line of work can I go into where (1) I've got easy access to potential victims and (2) most people are likely to trust me or at least not question my authority?".

This process explains not only why pedophiles are drawn to the priesthood but why sadists are drawn to ICE.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Law enforcement in general. Check out numbers 7 and then 8 on the following list.

π–π‘π’πœπ‘ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐬 π‡πšπ―πž 𝐭𝐑𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐑𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐑𝐬? π“π‘πž π…πžπ°πžπ¬π­?

https://time.com/32647/which-professions-have-the-most-psychopaths-the-fewest/

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Walt Svirsky's avatar

An interesting list that makes sense.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Back when I was in law enforcement, and still had a magnificent head of hair, more than 40 years ago, that was one of the things I noticed: the real gung ho (usually former police) officers often had a resemblance to the people we were policing. It was one of the things that eventually drove me away from that very well paying job. The criminal justice system was often more criminal than it was just.

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Donrox's avatar

Number 8 particularly noted!

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NOGODZ20's avatar

FWIW, I was referring to the sheer numbers of child sexual abusers that we see among Christians (though molestation isn't exclusive to Christianity). It just appears endless. FA has certainly had its fair share of stories dealing with the subject.

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Richard S. Russell's avatar

Well, since about 2 out of 3 Americans consider themselves to be some flavor of Christian, it's reasonable to expect that about 2 out of 3 child sexual abusers are from that group. What's NOT reasonable is that such a disproportionate number of them come from the clergy.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Peds go where the kids are. Especially the RCC and the SBC. And the LDS.

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Walt Svirsky's avatar

And just like Toyota, they LIE LIE LIE.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

"I am leaving, I am leaving"

But the fighter still remains.

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The Epistler's avatar

Power over others with no accountability always enables predators.

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oraxx's avatar

Pedophiles go where the kids are, and it has always been easy to hide behind their clerical collars and Bibles.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

That reminds me, did you know Toyota was one of the first to resume funding of the insurrectionist candidates, (after making noise about not funding them) after the Jan 6th insurrection?

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Lynn Veit's avatar

There should be a law against corporations funding politicians.

I know, keep dreaming.

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Joe King's avatar

Obligatory: Not. A. Drag. Queen.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

But he is a hypocrite of the first order.

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Holytape's avatar

What if, he was a drag queen but to throw people off, he dressed like a straight man. He might have been second level drag. A drag queen dressing like a drag king!

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

You are confusing Drag Queens and drama queens.

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cdbunch's avatar

This isn't Victor/Victoria.

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Septuagenarian Contrarian's avatar

Great movie!

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Claudia's avatar

Which is a great movie.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084865/

But the really crucial difference to this case is that in the movie everyone was adult and consenting.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Hemant got you covered on that, right at the top of his piece!

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Claudia's avatar

Yes, I noticed that. But it's still worth repeating.

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Straw's avatar

Absolutely with you here.

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Hannah's avatar

Always

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Katie D's avatar

And not a trans person, who he says are dangerous to children. The fucking hypocrisy.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

How touching.

This man sickens me. After reading the article, I wanted to wash my hands.

I do not believe for one moment that he thinks he did anything wrong, and I also think his punishment is FAR. TOO. EASY. He should do harsh, hard, and long time.

His human filth, wrapped up in the minister's robes.

That's all I got. He ain't worth no more.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

"How touching."

That touching (and more) is what got him a paltry 6 months in the slammer.

They'd better have Protective Custody where he'll be doing his slap on the wrist sentence. Otherwise, he might find that he'll be retiring there. Permanently.

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Chris Cohlmeyer's avatar

When will judges understand, the victim was given a life sentence, no amount of therapy or restitution will erase that memory /sentence. Being in a position of power should double the time to be locked away before a parole board would even consider an application.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

And murder victims get a death sentence.

Their families also get a life sentence.

Very well put.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

He checks all the boxes. Not only is he not a drag queen, he's also not LGBTQ. He's a Republican as well.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

I think they call that a hat-trick!

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Straw's avatar

And nobody is surprised for real.

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Larry Desmond's avatar

Doesn't Trump and his cabinet members check all of the boxes, too?

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Sarah Longstaff's avatar

I'm old enough to remember when people were encouraged to address teenagers as "young lady" or "young woman" or "young man." It was supposed to encourage us to act more grown-up and mature. It was never meant to enable sex abusers to take advantage of children. Christians fundamentalists LOVE twisting words. They also love enabling abusers by "forgiving" them. I wish I could have spied on whoever evangelized Sean Combs in prison because he, too, now is saying he's a new man. I envision some Christian handing him a Bible and saying "hey, Sean, if you let me throw some water on your head, the judge might go easy on you. That's how we all do it--say Jesus forgave us to get out of atoning for our crimes." And yet, if they were really Christian, shouldn't they wait till after they die to be forgiven?

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Forgiveness of sins is one thing. A pardon for a crime is entirely another ... and the two have very little to do with each other.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Some judges make no difference between the two.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

And therein lies a considerable problem.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

And of sin and crime, only one of those two things is real.

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dammit barry's avatar

Does he have a receipt signed by god and suitably notarized? If not, why? Their gawd is omnieverydamnedthing

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Claudia's avatar

By all means call young people 'young lady', but this still does not change the fact that this 'young lady' was not adult and definitely not consenting.

I've written it a few times and I'll repeat it again: As far as sex is concerned, there are only two aspects which matter - that all (!) participants are consenting and adult. Other than that I don't give a flying fig what people get up to, twosomes, threesomes, orgies, men, women or 'those who have yet to make up their mind'*.

* - that's a quote from a cracking film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434124/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1

Kinky Boots!

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Straw's avatar

I have a cousine that was abused by a BIL. One night my cousin could not take anymore of that, so my cousin screamed. And then they fled to our home. I'll never forget that.

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Claudia's avatar

Could you please send some greetings to your cousin? I am an internet stranger but I still want to send them some good wishes, hoping that they're doing ok.

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Straw's avatar

Next time we'll meet I will. They are doing well now, or at least much better than, oh my Thor how time fly by, 48 ya.

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Claudia's avatar

Thank you.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

That is my philosophy as well. I say safe, sane, and consensual adults.

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Claudia's avatar

β€˜Sane’ might be tad overrated ….

:-)

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

It’s the BDSM creed.

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Claudia's avatar

That I didn’t know. And yes, then your mantra makes perfect sense.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

The oldest trick in the convict book "I've been SAVED!"

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

it’s a part of Christian culture, or a part of prison culture.

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Old Man Shadow's avatar

They don't care about child sex abuse. They just enjoy using accusations of such as a vile and false blood libel against LGBTQ people.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Yes, the same as they use blood libel aqainst people of the Jewish faith.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I have quite a few thoughts on this, of course. Some of them may disagree with what others have said, but I suspect that most of them will be the same about hypocrisy, power, insulation from consequences, white male evangelical Christians, and yada yada yada.

β€œ inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.” an attempt to put distance between himself and his actions. See? It wasn’t so bad.

β€œ His lengthy restoration process”. I apologized to the ceiling, and we all agree that I have been restored. Ted Haggard said the same thing.

β€œ There have been no other moral failuresβ€œ. That anybody knows about or admits to.

A bunch of other pastors were forced to resign. Sounds like there were great many moral failures, just not necessarily Morris’s. Oh wait, there was one more of his. Calling transgender people a threat to children, when it turns out that the number of pastors arrested or convicted or sentenced every year for their sex crimes, usually against children, far exceeds anything anything they even bother to make up about transgender people. And they all went along with that as well, even knowing about Morris.

I know I’ve said this many times before and on these very pages. I’ve been in the gay rights fight for 54 years. And in that time, the hypocrisy and the despite inherent in evangelical Christianity and directed at LGBT people has been unrelenting. We are their whipping boy, their scapegoat, For everything that is wrong with them, which they project down to us and then make every effort they can to send us out into the wilderness FOR THEIR GODDAM AND GODDAMMING SINS.

No matter how many times one of these reprobates is arrested or convicted or sentenced, their narrative does not change. And so, neither does mine.

This is not about hypocrisy, which would be refreshing the honest in the situation like this. At least by comparison. This is all about corruption in the classic Catholic sense. They are what they claim to hate. They have managed to convince themselves despite the evidence, that it’s just a little bit of a moral failing, and could happen to anyone. They managed to convince themselves that they can continue to believe what they claim to believe, and nobody is going to notice that they don’t. And I think that there’s a very deep seated reason for that:

Because if they notice the corruption of MORRIS, they would have to notice the corruption of THEMSELVES. And that isn’t going to happen.

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Sarah Longstaff's avatar

I've been (slowly) reading through Marlene Winell's book Leaving the Fold about Christian fundamentalism, and they have no parenting, they are taught to externalize all their good feelings to their god and all their negative feelings to demons/the devil. Projection is all they know how to do. Winell is a psychologist who describes them as developmentally delayed--that's how twisted they are. Every accusation is a confession.

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Maltnothops's avatar

I recently finished β€œA Well Trained Wife” which about a woman’s escape from patriarchal fundie Christianity. Like you, I had to go thru it slowly. It was just so appalling.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

I couldn't even read "The Handmaid's Tale" when it came out, it makes me very stabby to think about the evil involved in subjugating a society to be breeders.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I have no doubt.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

That does explain their weird wording of things. And I have often wondered why so many seem developmentally delayed, and emotionally stunted.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Everything you say is spot on. I realized how developmentally delayed I was when I left for college and realized I had zero decision-making skills because I had been so controlled my entire life. I had to take credit for my own failings and not blame them on the devil. Decades later I finally realized I had an anger management problem and began working on that. I had bouts of depression and had to realize it wasn't evil spirits and it was okay to ask for help. I could go on.

The worst thing about religion is it never allows you to grow up, especially if you're a woman.

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ericc's avatar

If a sermon is about the sinfulness of homosexuality, porn, adultery or illicit sex, then it's really about what the priest is struggling with.

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dammit barry's avatar

The louder they scream, the bigger the fight within them.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Very likely.

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Claudia's avatar

Your three points are absolutely true.

As regards LBGTQ people: I don't actually care. I care whether they are good people, whether they are kind and honest or - as regards Substack, whether they write well and/or about interesting things. Beyond that I don't give any flying fruit!

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

That is because they think Morris did nothing wrong, children (of either sex) are theirs to use as sex toys, because they control the minds of the parents. And their blatant corruption is covered by projecting their fetish onto others, the designated group to hate. I have often remarked that their obsession with pedophilia suggests an unhealthy desire for it, or they are obsessed because they were victims of it, possibly both. Sexually healthy adults, simply don't obsess about heinous things like child rape.

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Claudia's avatar

Apologies, if my other comment was a bit rude, it was not intended. What I was trying to say, that LGBQT people are people. And this informs my opinion, if they're kind and honest, then they're good people. The fact that they're LBQTG does not matter!

I am very much influenced by a song written by our national poet. It's called 'A man's a man for a' that' - here's it sung by Midge Ure (who used to be a big pop star) at the opening of our parliament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QSkoIeris&list=RDx6QSkoIeris&start_radio=1

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I wasn’t taking it as anything rude at all. I know exactly what you meant.

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Claudia's avatar

Thank you.

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cdbunch's avatar

I hope her courage encourages any others (anyone here believe she was the only one?) to come forward and if possible press charges.

And a not the topic point. A retirement worth "millions of dollars". No "house" of God should have that kind of money on hand. Facilities, an honest salary for employees, a modest "rainy day" fund, and anything left should be used to help others or returned to the congregation.

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dammit barry's avatar

Surely you jest. Just look at pope leroy's Rolling Cadillac Church of Holy Pedophiles.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

You speak the truth. There is no way she was the only one. I wish they would all come out, but I understand why they don't.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

As though we didn't see THIS coming. In fact, I think this one actually made the evening news last night, or maybe on my NY Times feed. In any case, the "sin" that Morris finally got recognized for what it is: a CRIME. And now, in addition to any of the religious titles he might have claimed for himself, he can add one more to the list:

SEX OFFENDER. Indeed, REGISTERED sex offender. Shrug that one off, Robbie.

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Sarah Longstaff's avatar

Oh I'm sure the Trump Regime is working on getting rid of the sex offender registry. After all, Ted Cruz said what they're all thinking: "Let's stop attacking pedophiles."

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John Smith's avatar

Well, then let’s declare all republicans and their supporters as child molesters until they prove otherwise!

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Many of us have known this for decades. It is the few that are exceptions that are surprising.

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John Smith's avatar

That is the sad part, when exceptions are what surprises us!

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Fuck. You are most assuredly correct.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Guerillasurgeon posted about it yesterday.

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Hannah's avatar

My disgust is overwhelming. I'm not strong enough for this shit.

No girl or boy should have to deal with this. It's immensely damaging in psychosexual development. It alters you at your core. You are never ever the same. Therapy teaches you how to manage it. It's not better, you just learn to live, instead of die. You learn behavior, you're not fixed.

There are monsters among us and if they use language that, for reasons I will never understand, somehow excuses their vile acts, they move on.

You people are lovely and I apologize for being a downer.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

πŸ‘†πŸŽ―

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Hannah's avatar

Thanks Nat. I need all the help I can get today.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

πŸ’–

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Sean's avatar

You do realize that since you've written something negative about religion, that makes you a terrorist organization. That's how free speech works in America now. You're free to agree, only.

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Die Anyway's avatar

Hemant and the FA regulars probably each have an FBI file an inch thick. They will get to us eventually if we are unable to stop them soon.

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dammit barry's avatar

Ask me if I give a fuck. Please? Flail away, kkkristers!

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John Smith's avatar

Well, if I am going to be killed for being an atheist. I might as well get additional β€œCharges” of blasphemy. So here goes: Hey, you fucking piece of shit GODDYBITCH asshole who likes sucks dead animals dicks while watching humanity suffer. If you (fuckwit) don’t like the way I live, why don’t you get off your lazy fat greasy ass and come down here and smite me, unless you don’t have the testicular fortitude to do it. Maybe you can send that even more lazy good for nothing BASTARD idiotic fuckhead of a son of yours JEEZYBOY to come and smite me, unless that donkey fucker is so scared to show that ugly face that everyone want to punch jeezyboy teeth in. Just don’t send that flying rat of yours, because I will shot the goddamm fucking flying turd and feed it to my neighbour’s cat.

Well, that should offend some Christian nationalists (Davy the wannabe nazis for one), so there the Trump regime and their followers can go suck jeezyboys’s very dead dick.

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David V. Miller's avatar

Once AGAIN, yet ANOTHER pedophile is caught. Is the pedophile ___?

A- RELIGIOU$

B- REPUBLIKAN

C- BOTH

Hint: Only 1 answer is correct, all others half correct.

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dammit barry's avatar

Honesty was NEVER a requirement for ministry. The entire thing relies on lying very convincingly.

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BJW's avatar

Except for the most fundie and deluded, most ministers learn in reputable college ministry programs when they are studying the Bible about all its ins and outs and flaws. And how they have to keep their flock encouraged in spite of that, but not to ever tell the flock the full truth.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

"They can't handle the truth!" 😁

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Claudia's avatar

Great Film!

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Runfastandwin's avatar

β€œThere can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children" otoh we think 6 months in jail just about covers it. FFS

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Len's avatar

'... Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area.'

In this area? What about 'completely'?

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

"I have walked in purity and accountability..."

Really. Got any corroboration for that assertion? Considering your crime, why should we believe a convicted sex offender?!?

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Straw's avatar

Because you are easily fooled? And since you definitely are not easily fooled, you won't believe that. I don't believe him either.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Let's just say that, when someone uses such purple prose as: "I have walked in purity and accountability...," I become just a tiddle-bit skeptical.

And we can leave it at that! 😁

BTW, who else other than Christians and usually evangelical Christians even USE that kind of phraseology???

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

It's xtian code for "I threatened them so they'll never speak of it."

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ericc's avatar
Oct 3Edited

No, not even in this area. Its so much bullflop it makes me wonder if they even understand the terms they use.

He covered up his crime for 40 years. That is not "walking in accountability" for this deed. He has only actually walked in accountability for the last few days since he pled guilty, and even that was probably involuntary in the sense of he only did it on advice of his lawyer.

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dammit barry's avatar

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

What about when he travels? What about walking in purity in those areas? Like Oklahoma.

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wreck's avatar

Another pedophile in Pedodent tRump's orbit, like Pedodent tRump's dead pedo bestie Epstein. Pedodent tRump sure seems to attract other pedophiles, doesn't he? Wonder why that is.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Saw the following on the back of a jacket yesterday:

(in all-caps) HE FUCKED THE COUNTRY BECAUSE HE CAN'T FUCK HIS DAUGHTER

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wreck's avatar

Who says he hasn't?

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

I wonder why he’s paying more attention to his granddaughter than his youngest son? It’s giving me GoT vibes (Sam’s wife who was the daughter of her grandfather and gave birth to his baby) .

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cdbunch's avatar

Why should Barron be any different than the other two. I had had some hope that while Trump was busy fucking up the country the first time, he'd be raised by 'the help' and might turn out half-way decent. But neither he nor we were that lucky.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

He would always want to emulate his older brothers, in white nationalism, there was never any hope for his given his vacuous trophy-wife mom.

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cdbunch's avatar

Only Donald would think Melania was a trophy.

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cdbunch's avatar

I wouldn't particularly surprised if he made his son-in-law stand in the corner wearing a cock-cage and watch.

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Len Koz's avatar

I wouldn't be surprised if his son-in-law was into that.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Uncle Epstein surely did.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Was it a homemade job, or can I get one of those jackets online?

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NOGODZ20's avatar

I think it's homemade. But I could be wrong.

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