Robert Morris’ resignation comes days after he seemingly admitted to molesting a pre-teen in the 1980s, when he was already 20 with a wife and a kid.

Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris, who Donald Trump once named as a spiritual adviser to his administration, announced he was stepping down from Gateway Church amid allegations he molested a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.

The resignation comes days after Morris, 62, seemingly admitted to molesting the girl in a statement to The Christian Post. In that statement, he conceded that he engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a “young lady” when he was already married with a child in his early 20s.

Morris didn’t mention the girl’s age—but his alleged victim, Cindy Clemishire, told the religious watchdog blog The Wartburg Watch on Friday that she was only 12 when she was first sexually abused by Morris on Christmas Day in 1982. She claimed that he invited her into the room he was staying in at her family home during a visit, and touched her inappropriately on her breasts and “under her panties.”

  • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
    63·
    4 months ago

    I don’t think you’re giving normie white American evangelicals enough credit. Aside from kids and very old people, most join megachurches for community and status reasons. It doesn’t matter at all if the pastor preaches the exact opposite of what the Bible says — prosperity gospel, for example — it’s about showing up, seeing friends, and being part of a community. They aren’t being duped.

    I don’t want to say no Evangelicals are sincere in their faith because, obviously, that isn’t true. Plenty people practice their faith by doing good works and helping the poor. But as that Niebuhr quote says: “Religion makes good people better and bad people worse.” A lot of white American Evangelical churches are about giving bad people excuses to be worse. Trump hasn’t been good for much but he did create a big “mask off” moment for lots of American “Christians.”

    • snooggums@midwest.socialEnglish
      31·
      4 months ago

      It doesn’t matter at all if the pastor preaches the exact opposite of what the Bible says — prosperity gospel, for example — it’s about showing up, seeing friends, and being part of a community. They aren’t being duped.

      Yeah, it isn’t like people in the US where megachurches are located have multiple other churches to choose from.

        • Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net
          2·
          4 months ago

          Near me, a megachurch has been under construction for two decades has been begging for funds from the very poor community.

          Every time I drive by it I hope I see a burned out shell instead. That money could have helped people, Jesus said to pray quietly at home