Religious Freedom Doesn't Include Persecution Of Women And The LGBTQ Community

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Judge Paul Pressler dead at 94.

I’m hosting a debate watch party tonight on Zoom starting at 8:30 PM Eastern. After Trump humiliates himself, I’ll open the floor for ridicule as I record an episode of my podcast. I hope you can join us.

Paul Pressler, one of the leaders of the 41,000 churches that make up the Southern Baptist Convention, is dead at the age of 94.

The Southern Baptist Convention, with more than 16 million members, is America’s largest Protestant denomination. It was founded in 1845 as a pro slavery splinter group that broke from the Northern Baptists because the Northern Baptists consisted of way too many abolitionists.

The Southern Baptists, after picking the wrong side in the Civil War, supported Jim Crow, segregation and fought the civil rights movement all the way up until 1995 when they finally issued a formal apology for their more than 150 year war against black people.

It was then, in the late 90s, after apologizing for their bigotry, that the Southern Baptist Convention put the LGBTQ community and women’s reproductive freedom into its crosshairs.

Same bigotry, different victims.

And Paul Pressler lead the way. Pressler played a key role in the Southern Baptist Convention’s drift to the far right and warm, creepy embrace of the Republican party.

It was Pressler who nudged the Southern Baptists into opposing abortion and same sex marriage.

Pressler’s opinions carried much weight since he also served as a judge on Texas’ 14th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Because of leaders like Pressler, the Southern Baptist Convention didn’t just condemn the LGBTQ community, it officially stated that the mere desire to engage in a homosexual act is, “sinful, impure, degrading, shameful, unnatural, indecent and perverted.”

Which is all the more reason to at least try it.

The Southern Baptist Convention, thanks in no small part to Judge Pressler, still to this day equates homosexuality to adultery and pornography.

Of course it opposes abortion, and isn’t too keen on feminism.

I’m all for religious tolerance, but I refuse to abide by religious intolerance.

Southern Baptists are responsible for a lot of pain in this world. Jesus said love everyone and take care of the poor. These people are not Christians.

Meanwhile the Southern Baptist Convention refuses to recognize same sex marriage and won’t ordain any ministers who are openly gay.

All thanks in no small measure to Judge Paul Pressler, leading conservative board member of the Southern Baptist Convention who insisted homosexuality is an abomination-- dead at the age of 94. 

What more is there to say about Paul Pressler?

Other than the Houston Chronicle reported six years ago that Pressler was fired as a youth pastor in 1977 for allegedly grabbing the penis of a teenage boy while the two were naked in a sauna.

Also, back in 1977, two teenage boys stepped forward accusing Pressler of molesting them.

That would be devout Christian, Paul Pressler, Judge Paul Pressler, dead at the age of 94.

Pressler was more than a judge, youth pastor and board member of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was also part of a law firm where, according to reporting in the Houston Chronicle, and the San Antonio News, a male associate quit after Pressler demanded they both get into a hot tub naked.

According to other reporting, the law firm provided Pressler with young male personal assistants who would report to work not at the office but rather Paul Pressler’s Texas mansion.

Two of these personal assistants went on to accuse Pressler of sexual assault.

Men. Two men.

In 2004, Pressler paid another man 400,000 dollars as part of a settlement after a young man said while still in high school he attended Pressler’s bible study class and ended up getting raped by Pressler.

Pastor Pressler took a liking to the young high school student and then, according to the lawsuit, proceeded to rape the young teenage boy three to four times a month inside Pressler’s mansion.

This victim also filed a lawsuit accusing one of the other heads of the Southern Baptist Convention, Paige Patterson, of covering up for decades Pressler’s serial raping of young boys.

This lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention ended in December of last year after seven other men stepped forward saying they too were sexually abused as children by Paul Pressler.

The Southern Baptist Convention immediately settled with those victims for an undisclosed amount.

Judge Paul Pressler, Southern Baptist Convention leader, and adjudicated serial rapist of young boys, dead at the age of 94.

My condolences to his wife Nancy Avery, his three children, seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Wow, that’s a lot of children.

Yup. Judge Paul Pressler, Southern Baptist Convention leader, sure loved children.

How many suicides do you think Paul Pressler is responsible for?

How many members of the LGBTQ community were beaten up or killed because of Paul Pressler’s ministrations?

How many women stayed in violent marriages, carried their uncle’s fetus to full term, or gave up on their dreams of social mobility because of Paul Pressler?

One thing Pressler got right, there is evil in this world. He shaved the face of it every morning.

Like I said, Jesus only taught us to love one another and take care of the poor.

Religious leaders who teach us that Jesus opposed abortion and same sex marriage can go straight to hell.

-David

I’m hosting a debate watch party tonight on Zoom starting at 8:30 PM Eastern. After Trump humiliates himself, I’ll open the floor for ridicule as I record an episode of my podcast. I hope you can join us.