JTF.ORG Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks on September 22, 2010, 10:30:14 AM
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Atlanta Megachurch Pastor Denies Sex With Young Men
http://azstarnet.com/news/us/article_58875a10-05ee-5eaf-b004-4f1b45279f68.html
Well why not--it's an ancient African custom.
Dr. Brennan Fan
Atlanta megachurch head denies sex with young men
Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 8:39 am
The prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch near Atlanta denies allegations in a lawsuit that he coerced two young men from the congregation into a sexual relationship, his attorney said.
Lawyers for the men, now 20 and 21, say they filed the lawsuit Tuesday in DeKalb County Court against Bishop Eddie Long. The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they were victims of sexual impropriety.
President George W. Bush and three former presidents visited the sprawling New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Lithonia for the 2006 funeral of Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Long introduced the speakers and the Rev. Bernice King, the Kings' younger daughter, delivered the eulogy. She is also a pastor there.
The men who filed the suit were 17- and 18-year-old members of the church when they say Long abused his spiritual authority to seduce them with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities.
Craig Gillen, Long's attorney, says the pastor "categorically denies the allegations."
"We find it unfortunate that these two young men would take this course of action," Gillen said late Tuesday after news of the lawsuit broke. He said Long had not yet been served with copies of the lawsuits.
Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King to her father's Atlanta grave to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman."
He also has released several gospel albums, authored books on relationships and spirituality, and hosts a weekly television program.
B.J. Bernstein, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said that when the relationships started, the plaintiffs were past the legal age of consent in Georgia, which is 16.
"Defendant Long has utilized his spiritual authority to coerce certain young male members ... into engaging in sexual acts and relationships for his own personal sexual gratification," the lawsuits read.
When asked about a possible motive for the accusations, Gillen referred to a break-in at Long's office in June.
Bernstein said one of the plaintiffs is facing a criminal burglary charge in the incident. She said the break-in was a way of lashing out at Long.
Bernstein said she contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office earlier this month when she became aware of the young men's allegations. She did not know what action, if any, the agency planned to take.
Bernstein told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she has not contacted DeKalb County law enforcement because Long has ties to county officials.
Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta, would not comment on whether federal prosecutors are investigating Long.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said his office wasn't investigating. And Orzy Theus of the DeKalb County District Attorney's office said Wednesday that county prosecutors do not plan to be involved.
"That's a civil matter. They were over the age of consent, that's not a criminal matter," said Theus.
Long was appointed pastor of New Birth in 1987. Then, the church had about 150 members. Less than four years later, the church had grown to more than 8,000 members. Athletes and entertainers claim membership at the church.
Long's church was among those named in 2007 in a Senate committee's investigation into a half-dozen Christian ministries over their financing.
Today, New Birth sits on 250 acres and has more than 25,000 members, a $50 million, 10,000-seat cathedral and more than 40 ministries _ including the Longfellows Youth Academy, a tuition-based program for young men 13 to 18.
The New Birth campus was quiet Wednesday morning, with no unusual activity. Administrative staff referred media inquiries to Long's spokesman and people at the church declined to comment on the situation.
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Associated Press Writer Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this story.
(http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azstarnet.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/4/09/f17/409f1785-3c8b-56f0-b1eb-7c92ba8fab36-revisions/4c9a28c43e863.preview-300.jpg)
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VERY SIMILAR TO MUZZIE BEHAVIOR
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VERY SIMILAR TO MUZZIE BEHAVIOR
Most of these schvartze so-called Christians are Muzzies in all but name.
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These negro megachurch pastors are disgusting. They're so materialistic you'd think they were rappers or something. They all have expensive tailored suits, obnoxiously huge gold jewelery lots of cars and private jets flying them everywhere. They refuse to humble themselves before God.
Pastor Manning made a video way back about how these clowns act like snakes and how their churches resemble loony bins with people shrieking and dancing around. I have no doubt homosexuality(aka keepin' it on tha down low) is prevelent in a lot of their churches.
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I wonder if its true.
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I wonder if its true.
A lot of blacks think gay sex is ok so long as you are the "man" in the relationship.
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Just look at the name of the female attorney representing the plaintiffs:
B.J. Bernstein.
"B J" ?
A name like that is a "secret code" proving the Megapastor is GUILTY!" ;D
By the time that trial is over the jury will have heard the Pastor's name mentioned in the same sentence with "BJ" so many times that the poor guy doesn't stand a chance! :o :::D
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Just look at the name of the female attorney representing the plaintiffs:
B.J. Bernstein.
"B J" ?
A name like that is a "secret code" proving the Megapastor is GUILTY!" ;D
By the time that trial is over the jury will have heard the Pastor's name mentioned in the same sentence with "BJ" so many times that the poor guy doesn't stand a chance! :o :::D
THATS GOOD :::D :::D :::D :::D :::D
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The people claiming abuse were kind of old at the time of the alleged abuse.... It sounds like the Pastor is the one that is being played for a sucker....People 16 or 17 years of age know what sort of sexual situations they want to be in... It sounds like the two young men were being showered with gifts which made things ok for them at the time.... This is not a criminal situation however the Pastors congregation should toss him out on his ear.
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I wonder if its true.
A lot of blacks think gay sex is ok so long as you are the "man" in the relationship.
It would not surprise me. I also wonder if Leftist homos would not enjoy ruining a religious person, or church's view in the eyes of others. It will be curious to see what sort of evidence comes out, eg, what kind of "gifts" did these men receive.
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I agree with CJD. The pastor should know much better, but these men were not completely innocent
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VERY SIMILAR TO MUZZIE BEHAVIOR
Most of these schvartze so-called Christians are Muzzies in all but name.
They are so not Christian not in the slightest.
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The people claiming abuse were kind of old at the time of the alleged abuse.... It sounds like the Pastor is the one that is being played for a sucker....People 16 or 17 years of age know what sort of sexual situations they want to be in... It sounds like the two young men were being showered with gifts which made things ok for them at the time.... This is not a criminal situation however the Pastors congregation should toss him out on his ear.
Why is it not criminal? What is the age of consent in that area?
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Who cares whether or not it was consensual sex. It is just another good example of negro "morality" (isn't that an oxymoron?).
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Who cares whether or not it was consensual sex. It is just another good example of negro "morality" (isn't that an oxymoron?).
not really. You can post on article about any kind of inappropriate behavior from a member of any race and say "It is just another good example of x 'morality'"
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The people claiming abuse were kind of old at the time of the alleged abuse.... It sounds like the Pastor is the one that is being played for a sucker....People 16 or 17 years of age know what sort of sexual situations they want to be in... It sounds like the two young men were being showered with gifts which made things ok for them at the time.... This is not a criminal situation however the Pastors congregation should toss him out on his ear.
Why is it not criminal? What is the age of consent in that area?
According to the original article ....
B.J. Bernstein, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said that when the relationships started, the plaintiffs were past the legal age of consent in Georgia, which is 16.