Disgusting Accused Sexual Predators in the Black SDA Church

[Rocky91]

I don’t know how many SDA folks are on this forum, but I just wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts on a growing scandal that is happening within the church.

Cliff notes:
-This young lady was sexually preyed upon for almost ten years by multiple, high-ranking pastors.
-It started when she was in a vulnerable place after losing both of her parents and the first accused predator stepped in as a confidante.
-Back story: she originally mentioned their names because they were on a flyer promoting some huge event.

 

[Rocky91]

I was originally hopeful that this would be part of a reckoning within the church as an organization, but JUST TODAY one of these accused dutty predators was right up on the pulpit asking for thoughts and prayers. So now I think nothing substantial will change.

 

[Shimmie]

This situation is very unfortunate, but it doesn’t occur in all SDA Churches. I’m not an SDA member, yet I am careful not to ‘label’ them unjustly because of the sinful ones and their enablers.

The same applies for the Catholic Faith and other denominations who truly love God and follow Him with a true heart, honoring God’s Word. There are far more that love and honor God with a sincere heart that would never want to sin against Him.

Predators in any Faith, should always be exposed and dealt with under the law and punished accordingly, no matter who they are or whatever title they hold in any Church affiliation. Wrong is wrong.

However, attacking the ministry as a whole should not be.

 

[Rocky91]

I am an SDA member, proudly. I’m on the piano or organ every week to prove it. I lead youth ministry, I lead my church’s choir, etc.

None of that stops me from calling a spade a spade, and I am very willing to point this out as a deeply pervasive pattern within the church. Maybe I’ll start caring about painting the disgusting men within the church as an institution with too broad a brush when they stop collectively enabling and protecting PREDATORS.

I sent a strongly worded email to the conference leadership for letting this disgraceful accused rapist on the pulpit the same Sabbath after this news became public. We’ll see what they say.

 

[Lylddlebit]

Those pieces of trash did take advantage of her for sure. I do consider them predators. They are absolutely disgusting and unfit to be leaders, husbands and/or labeled a men in general. I also feel a level of compassion for her for losing her parents as a young adult. but let's be genuine here: this was a grown woman whose consequences are the results of very adult actions over an extended period of time, not a teenager. For all the naivety she wants to lead with, sleeping with a married man for 5 years is willful. It is also completely avoidable by having a modicum of regard for the wife she knew that trash had.


That's the cycle though. When you're living foul, you're so focused on being toxic(even when you are probably not honestly calling it that) that you don't have time to pay attention to being taken advantage of and manipulated. You don't have time to look past your feelings towards who you disregard and justify or ignore hurting. You don't have time to pay attention to playing yourself. ( I could accurately apply that to the dudes and her). I say it all the time, because I have seen it all my life: People living foul are the easiest folks to mistreat. They literally remove natural safeguards that honor, integrity, virtue, discipline, self respect, kindness towards others, true protection from others who actually respect you would provide to you, etc... etc... etc would have boxed out of your life and experience. They literally don't show the kindness and regard towards those in the way of what they want, that they would have needed to receive. That allows the cycle of toxic to continue. If any one of those dudes would have shown her the love of a sister, a daughter, a neighbor that could have stopped this. If she would have shown that wife the love of a sister, a daughter a neighbor,(heck even feeling the disgust towards a fool whose mess she didn't want to be any parts of) she would have save herself from so much pain.

One day people are going to understand that: the biggest monster isn't the only monster. The biggest predator isn't the only predator. Stuff like this is systematic and organized, it being systematic and organized is what allows it to be so successful. If you only focus on the apex of the pyramid(the high ranking older dudes). The foundation stays intact to continue building upon. If you just focus on the base of the pyramid(Those who yell #metoo after years of willfully living foul, who normally recruit others to be comfortable in dysfunction, who are willing to hurt those in their way) those at the apex stay protected and continue business as usual. They were all wrong. That is why it went on for so long and contained so many people.


People are really following that leadership?!
People are calling her a hero?!

As long as people take sides instead of truly boxing out the toxic contained within each side this mess will continue.

 

[Shimmie]

Those pieces of trash did take advantage of her for sure. I do consider them predators. They are absolutely disgusting and unfit to be leaders, husbands and/or labeled a men in general. I also feel a level of compassion for her for losing her parents as a young adult. but let's be genuine here: this was a grown woman whose consequences are the results of very adult actions over an extended period of time, not a teenager. For all the naivety she wants to lead with, sleeping with a married man for 5 years is willful. It is also completely avoidable by having a modicum of regard for the wife she knew that trash had.


That's the cycle though. When you're living foul, you're so focused on being toxic(even when you are probably not honestly calling it that) that you don't have time to pay attention to being taken advantage of and manipulated. You don't have time to look past your feelings towards who you disregard and justify or ignore hurting. You don't have time to pay attention to playing yourself. ( I could accurately apply that to the dudes and her). I say it all the time, because I have seen it all my life: People living foul are the easiest folks to mistreat. They literally remove natural safeguards that honor, integrity, virtue, discipline, self respect, kindness towards others, true protection from others who actually respect you would provide to you, etc... etc... etc would have boxed out of your life and experience. They literally don't show the kindness and regard towards those in the way of what they want, that they would have needed to receive. That allows the cycle of toxic to continue. If any one of those dudes would have shown her the love of a sister, a daughter, a neighbor that could have stopped this. If she would have shown that wife the love of a sister, a daughter a neighbor,(heck even feeling the disgust towards a fool whose mess she didn't want to be any parts of) she would have save herself from so much pain.

One day people are going to understand that: the biggest monster isn't the only monster. The biggest predator isn't the only predator. Stuff like this is systematic and organized, it being systematic and organized is what allows it to be so successful. If you only focus on the apex of the pyramid(the high ranking older dudes). The foundation stays intact to continue building upon. If you just focus on the base of the pyramid(Those who yell #metoo after years of willfully living foul, who normally recruit others to be comfortable in dysfunction, who are willing to hurt those in their way) those at the apex stay protected and continue business as usual. They were all wrong. That is why it went on for so long and contained so many people.


People are really following that leadership?!
People are calling her a hero?!

As long as people take sides instead of truly boxing out the toxic contained within each side this mess will continue.

I read your post again and I agree. This woman made a choice to remain in that situation. She could have / should have left; exposed them from the onset; filed charges-and kept it moving.

There are more than enough groups, woman’s causes and agencies who lay in wait to take these kind of men down and legally put them out of society, by any means necessary.

I feel bad for this woman’s suffering. Very. Yet, she chose to remain; she didn’t have to. In this day and age, she was not without options to be free and have these men legally indicted.

 

[Rocky91]

I very much disagree with holding this young woman culpable for what happened to her. It’s easy to call her a grown woman if you don’t understand the extent to which many SDA folks raise their daughters in a completely sheltered way. This was, at the very least, sexual coercion, if not outright rape and assault.

and I am taking a side, firmly on the side of the young woman and countless, nameless other young Black women who are predated upon by predatory men in the church. I make no apologies for that.

It is idolatrous to refuse to hold these men accountable, as though they are above both the law of man and the law of God. I have to laugh at the fact that the same legalistic SDA folks who will call you out for wearing earrings and other adornments because of Old Testament law will gloss over these disgusting situations. Old Testament law would dictate that we stone these predators.