I can totally understand that his congregation would WANT him to be innocent. And to an extent, I can understand why his congregation may THINK he's innocent.
But when the congregation learns that one of their own may have been abused by their leader, it's amazing that the congregation doesn't rally behind their own, but instead ostracizes their own and gets behind their leader instead. And they do this as a default move, as if they refuse to even give the issue any thought.
Because they must think, "After all, their leader couldn't do any wrong." None of them want to be lied to. None of them want to realize that the one person they all looked up to was secretly an evil hypocrite. That in turn must make them look bad, as they were fooled into it.
It is sad and scary. But this will sure make for an interesting series of unfolding events.
Is the pastor insinuating that he is going to stone to death those who are suing him? He didn't say he was speaking metaphorically. And as a baptist, doesn't he take the bible literally anyway?
The creepiness can be dispelled and even replaced with some small measure of pity, by seeing that their cheers - even if they themselves don't realize it - are largely intended as a means of pompous self-assurance. It's hollow bluster against their own similar "sins". It's the commoners of Salem cheering the hanging of the convicted. The witches are gone. They've succeeded in banishing the evil spirits.
The cheers are intended to deflect painfully shameful doubts about their own preferences; which given the particularly homophobic style of this church's preaching and the unavoidable nature of human behavior, there must be very, very many.
The applause creeps me out.
ReplyDeleteCreeps me out too.
ReplyDeleteI can totally understand that his congregation would WANT him to be innocent. And to an extent, I can understand why his congregation may THINK he's innocent.
But when the congregation learns that one of their own may have been abused by their leader, it's amazing that the congregation doesn't rally behind their own, but instead ostracizes their own and gets behind their leader instead. And they do this as a default move, as if they refuse to even give the issue any thought.
Because they must think, "After all, their leader couldn't do any wrong." None of them want to be lied to. None of them want to realize that the one person they all looked up to was secretly an evil hypocrite. That in turn must make them look bad, as they were fooled into it.
It is sad and scary. But this will sure make for an interesting series of unfolding events.
I was blinded by his ring shining!
ReplyDeleteIs the pastor insinuating that he is going to stone to death those who are suing him? He didn't say he was speaking metaphorically. And as a baptist, doesn't he take the bible literally anyway?
ReplyDeleteThe creepiness can be dispelled and even replaced with some small measure of pity, by seeing that their cheers - even if they themselves don't realize it - are largely intended as a means of pompous self-assurance. It's hollow bluster against their own similar "sins". It's the commoners of Salem cheering the hanging of the convicted. The witches are gone. They've succeeded in banishing the evil spirits.
ReplyDeleteThe cheers are intended to deflect painfully shameful doubts about their own preferences; which given the particularly homophobic style of this church's preaching and the unavoidable nature of human behavior, there must be very, very many.
It's more sad than creepy, much more sad.
So where's the part where he actually says, point blank, I didn't do it?
ReplyDelete