In the Name of God
I read a very disturbing piece in yesterday’s Washington Post about a local minister who seems to be running his church like it’s a cult. After reading MediaConcept’s post about Mormons interfering in California’s Proposition 8 issue, I reflected that in both of these instances, religion has gone very wrong as it adversely affects people’s lives.I’m somewhat incredulous that thinking parishioners would allow Pastor Star R. Scott to become a dictator over their lives, resulting in multiple broken families. There was a 16-year-old whose parents were given the ultimatum of throwing him out of their house or being excommunicated after he told them he wanted to leave Calvary Church. Another member was told to divorce her husband, a non-member.
Pastor Scott’s interpretation of the Bible results in statements like this: “Church isn’t for everyone who just wants to show up. It’s not a community club. We’re not looking to build moral, successful children. We’re looking to build Christians.” WHEW! Since when are Christians not expected to be moral?
Scott seems to control every aspect of this church, including its finances. Families are expected to tithe sometimes as much as 20% of their earnings. In addition to paying for Calvary Temple’s building, multiple houses for pastors, and all of Scott’s living expenses, the money has gone to purchase a fleet of RACE CARS that allow Scott to conduct a racing ministry around the country.
It gets worse. When his wife died of cancer several years ago, he announced within a few weeks that the Bible instructed him as a high priest to take a virgin bride from the faithful. A week later he did just that, marrying a pretty 20-year-old who had been a star basketball player on the church team.
The 2,000-member congregation has dwindled to 400 as more and more people’s lives are adversely affected and they finally leave.
This is the sort of thing that gives religion a bad rap. But then, I suppose people have been doing evil things in the name of serving God since the beginning of time. It’s just that this is awfully close to home.
posted by Barbara at 7:59 AM
14 Comments:
Well, the good news is, people are catching on and his congregation is dwindling. Yikes!
Steve -- I must say I shuddered when my stats today showed someone landing on this post by Googling the minister's name + the church's name. I wouldn't relish being punished by this guy or his congregation for spilling the beans, although I suppose they should really be taking on the WaPo since they devoted over a page to this story!
I see you're still on your Blogging break. I miss my daily photo and thought for the day from NYC!
Barbara, his point was church is not a social or moral club that wants to make good citizens. Rather they are focused on building Christians. Certainly Christians are to be moral but the 2 are not synonyms. You can be moral and not know the Lord. Morality is not Christianity.
Regardless He is someone who started out on the right path but throughout the years he's gotten off course by over emphasizing certain doctrines. He's also removed all accountability and set himself up to have complete control over all doctrinal and financial matters. Very scarey considering the pride, arrogance, and ego he walks around with.
Regards,
Anon
He reminds me of Solomon. Let's get richer and richer off of the people, and build my palace bigger than the temple and have 1000 women and .....
Thank goodnes the WaPo did a story on him. T
Thanks for the mention. I too am glad to see that this church is feeling the consequences of its dictatorial actions. What concerns me more than churches or their pastors acting in a hateful and irresponsible manner are people who act like sheep and enable this hate by doing whatever they are told without thought or question. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
I saw this article as well. I will never get over the amount of evil and harm that is done under the guise of Religion and the 'Lord' in this world. It is an age old problem.
I've just started reading a book entitled Reverence, Renewing a Forgotten Virtue, where the author stresses a need to expect that there is always something bigger and more important than you, and the inherent tragedy that comes from knowing you're right without question. It always surprises me when anyone makes that mistake in God's name. Well, maybe not "surprises", so much as disappoints.
Anon#1 -- You sound like someone with inside information. Pride, arrogance, and evil don't bode well for religious endeavors.
Anon#2 -- Good analogy!
MC -- I too can't fathom how people can take orders to do things they know are wrong. I guess that's how the Holocaust happened...
Huck -- Agreed.
Ulysses -- Humility is a virtue in just about every walk of life. Religious leaders shouldn't be exempted.
I know a number of immoral Christians, which seems worse than "unchristian" people with a strong moral compass. I am glad that I found a church that focuses on both, one that is not "building" Christians but "growing" them.
Kristin -- Amen!
In light of the 30 year anniversary of the People Temple suicides/massacre, this is chilling. One of the hard facts of freedom of religion is that other people's religion is going seem strange to someone outside the religion. I guess that it is more important to me that people have freedom to religion than it all make sense. Being part of a dyad that has different religions has taught me that tolerance is more than a mere noun, but an active verb.
Very scary. I hope the remaining 400 come to their senses and leave as well.
Kellyann -- This is so wise: tolerance is more than a mere noun, but an active verb.
Bozoette -- I wonder what happens to the race cars if the whole thing goes under?
This issue of people who give away their own freedom of thought is something that has been bothering me since I was young - and was confronted with the holocaust. Why do people want to follow someone who tells them what to think? What stops them from deciding on their own? Mankind is so easily misled, and that is so scary! As some of your commentators have wisely said, it is the "good" people who look away or don`t speak up who are responsible for the bad things that happen. The silent majority who mind their own business. A German author whose books were burned by the Nazis said it in simple words, Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es!
We in Germany have given a lot of thought to these matters since the end of the War, and we are still horrified at the abyss into which we look. But mankind is never far from it - that is the scary part.
The good part is that MORE people take a stand these days, and at least in our countries we have a free press and now the internet!! Great invention!
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