• Sotuanduso@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Looks like, based off a quick Wikipedia skim:

    • The lead pastor resigned
    • That’s a different guy preaching
    • That’s about 30% of its normal attendance
    • At least one person in the audience is there to take a picture and point out how many people are still there ; )

    What do you expect, the church to completely dissolve? I wouldn’t be surprised if this church had some serious theological issues given its association with Trump, but one pastor, even the lead pastor, doing an evil doesn’t mean the whole church is faulty.

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
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      4 months ago

      but one pastor, even the lead pastor, doing an evil doesn’t mean the whole church is faulty.

      There’s a reason the saying is “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.” That kind of fraud and manipulation infects the leadership, wittingly or unwittingly, and I would not be shocked to learn that he’s taught them some bad habits when it comes to outing bad leaders. I myself left another megachurch whose story was very similar to this one, and while it may not be exactly the same, it’s uncanny how the stories rhyme.

    • Xanis@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      …but one pastor, even the lead pastor, doing an evil doesn’t mean the whole church is faulty.

      You’re probably right. The problem I’m running into is religion’s history of causing literally every issue you can think of, up to and including war and everything that comes with it. So while that church may not be faulty, our failure to not use religion as a wall to hide atrocities behind sorta makes it automatically on the wrong side of the fence. Unless it proves otherwise, of course. Which, I think, it has failed to do so quite remarkably.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      corruption in the ecclesiastical leadership of a spiritual organization - pedophelia no less - should implode any such org.

      their whole thing is supposedly about good and evil and righteous justice for victims, if you read their texts.

      instead it’s another grift. tithes and perverts.

      • Sotuanduso@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        It’s not just about good vs evil. It’s about love and forgiveness. That’s not to say pedophiles should get off scot free, because it’s also wisdom - it’s very unwise to keep a pedophile in a position where they have access to kids like that.

        But I digress. If the org is imploded, all the churchgoers will have to find a new church, and many won’t bother. Unless the church has serious theological issues (which just about no church would think they do,) that wouldn’t be good. Instead, it’s possible to remove the bad apple and replace them with someone else. The way my church’s denomination does it, whenever a pastor steps down, the new pastor comes from another church, which helps to make sure there isn’t lasting corruption. From what I read about this one, the new pastor is the old pastor’s son, so…

        • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          If the org is imploded, all the churchgoers will have to find a new church, and many won’t bother

          oh’s nos. moving on.

          Unless the church has serious theological issues

          if their pastors are pedophiles I’d suggest it has some serious fucking theological issues.

          The way my church’s denomination does it, whenever a pastor steps down, the new pastor comes from another church, which helps to make sure there isn’t lasting corruption.

          displaying a bare minimum of sense at least…

          From what I read about this one, the new pastor is the old pastor’s son, so…

          so the grift goes on.