(via mi compadre, Harold Cook)
Sadly, Westboro Baptist has it all wrapped up for the worst church. But The Church Of Corinth near Dallas is doing their best to come in a close second place. It started when their pastor, Jeffrey Dale Williams, was jailed yesterday, charged with attempted sexual performance of a child. Police say the entire pathetic episode was captured on a two-hour audio tape, and they’re currently seeking out possible additional victims. Curious, I went to the church’s Facebook page early this morning. I found scores of comments, almost all of which were supportive of, sympathetic with, or combative on behalf of, the church and its accused pastor. Many indicated their belief that this accusation is an attack on the church and its pastor by Satan.
Sometimes I find myself wondering if a complete lack of self-awareness (and an inability to understand irony) is a prerequisite for being a born-again, Fundamentalist Christian. The uber-arrogant “I’m not perfect, just forgiven” mindset too often leads to some truly epic, mind-boggling hypocrisy…but it’s OK, because it’s all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, eh? Hey, I’m not perfect, just…oh, never mind….
I’m sure the good people at the Church of Corinth near Dallas, TX, think they can feel the hand of Satan at work…or maybe it’s just the cold reality of denial in full flower. They don’t seem to grasp that being “holier than thou” doesn’t negate their willingness to blow right past what their pastor is accused of. That’s not the hand of Satan, y’all; that’s a child sexual predator at work. Yet instead of standing up for their children, the church has gone into full-on denial mode, blaming Pastor Jeffrey Dale Williams’ scandal on Satan. This isn’t merely a case of Williams trying to put the “fun” back into fundamentalism, this is a case of him being accused of using his position to attempt to sexually exploit a child. You’d think that would be cause for outrage.
You’d be wrong. WAY wrong.
Harold Cook at Letters from Texas caught a look at the Church’s Facebook page (which seems to have magically disappeared). His post includes two screen captures of their efforts to delete comments asking why their concern was for Williams and not the underage girl he propositioned. Both comments were deleted, evidently for being insufficiently Jesus-y or for just asking inconvenient and uncomfortable questions. Would that they could have seen fit to do the same to those willing to look past the crime Williams is accused of.
Remember the prayers over our Pastor and family a few weeks ago….this is Satan in full force trying to destroy!…. Praying and believing in Pastor Jeff, and the TRUTH to be revealed
Correct me if I’m wrong (it’s happened once or twice before in this space), but asking a minor female to strip isn’t normally considered to be within the scope of pastoral duties. I assume that this child has a parent(s), but there seems to be no outrage expressed on her behalf. I realize that since I don’t believe in God I’m hardly qualified to expound on Church doctrine. Nonetheless, I can say with some authority that if you think that sexually exploiting children is part of the benefits of being a man of God, you’re one sick bastard.
Ignorance allows those to believe this accusation to be true. I’m not one of them. I know the truth will come out, hopefully sooner than later. God bless…. This shows me that the devil will stop at nothing to try and shake our faith. We must not falter in our FAITH to God. Prayers to the all TCOC family.
Of course, I don’t know exactly what transpired that led to the charges against Williams, but the police clearly feel they have a case. With two hours of a recorded encounter to buttress their case, it would stand to reason that TCOC parishioners should be engaging in some serious self-examination. One of their daughters- possibly more- was sexually exploited by their pastor…and they’re blaming the charges against him on the pervasive and corrosive influence of Satan?
Being a Christian doesn’t mean enjoying the inalienable right to sashay through life with your anterior firmly deposited in your posterior. This is especially true if you have children. If your first instinct as a parent is to blame Satan instead of protecting your child from an accused sexual predator…well, I’d submit that you have little if any right to be raising children.
And people wonder why I don’t believe in God….
