Cindy Clemishire was a 12-year-old girl who dressed in flowery pink pajamas and still liked to play with Barbie dolls.
On Christmas that year, Morris — who would go on to found Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and become a leading figure in the American evangelical movement — began what he would later describe as “inappropriate sexual behavior” with Clemishire while he was staying at her parents’ home in Oklahoma. Clemishire said Morris told her to come see him in his room before bed, and she was the type of girl who listened to instructions from trusted adults.
How dare those barely pubescent jezebels tempt our poor helpless megachurch pastors into sins they cannot possibly avoid!
12 is well below the age of consent. What she allegedly initiated doesn’t even remotely matter.
But didn’t you know that if a child initiates sexual behavior with an adult, the adult has to participate? What other choice could they possibly have? /s
God, it made me sick to even type that out. If a 12 year old was trying anything even remotely sexual toward me, I’d shut that shit down immediately and I’d be extremely concerned about whether they were safe. Because I’m a normal adult, unlike this sick fuck. What really infuriates me is that they think this will sway people to his side, and even worse is that it’ll work on some people. I hate everything about that.
Also, to be clear, I don’t believe him for a second. She almost certainly didn’t initiate a damn thing.
I get that everyone has a right to a legal defense, but, that’s disgusting.
Then again, this is the country that invented the gay panic and affluenza defenses, so disgusting is kinda our thing.
The best they could possibly get out of this is “he’s not a predator; he’s an opportunist.”
You know, I think unsettled here.
Drag queens are usually pretty great role models for kids. Better than most pastors.
Also, they happen to usually be sexy.
So when they say shit like “grooming”, really what they’re saying is “you’re teaching kids they can be who they are and be wonderful people at the same time… and I can’t help myself. I can’t keep it in my pants. And I’ll force myself on anything I can, so long as it has a pulse and I get to ruin their lives, because i can’t stand people being themselves.”
Naw. Who am i kidding that level of introspection would probably cause an aneurism inducing migraine.