Settled

Bishop Eddie Long from a megachurch in Atlanta has returned to the media, with news that he has settled out of court with the 4 males that accused him of coercing them into sex and showering them with gifts.  And as of right now, neither the accusers nor Long will be doing any sort of interview.  Which makes us wonder, what exactly happened behind closed doors?

Let's rewind 8 months ago, where the pastor of 25,000 was first accused.  Photos sprung up of the pastor half-naked and was allegedly sent to the 4 males, following a lawsuit.  This was in the midst of Long opposing Gay marriage and gay rights.  And this was also the time that word of major gay teen suicide rates were off the charts, including the Tyler Clementi suicide that was so publicised in the media.  If you all recall, I posted two posts, called Sickened and Outrage in response to these topics. 

If you didn't get it by first reading those posts, I was furious.  The scandal with Long was a prime example of the hypocracy that we are seeing in America today.  Do I care that he is a gay pastor?  No.  What I do care is that he was married, possibly being involved with minors, and more importantly, opposing this livelyhood with a passion, while he goes and lives in the lifestyle.  It is people like him that drive people like Tyler Clementi into suicide.  People like Long make people like Tyler think they are worthless and they should be ashamed of them.  Long is a man of God, shouldn't he be the one, if only one that accepts him? 

Sources say that settling out means a sign of guilt.  No big suprise there.  But the big question is, what could he be guilty of?  The fact that he was involved with these males, or that he showered them with gifts such as cars, clothes, jewelry and electronic items.

Shayne Lee says that not fighting could hurt his support from his church.  "When you settle outside of court, it implies that there’s some guilt involved,” said Lee,  author of "Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace."  “To the average congregation in the black church, those are some very serious charges.  You can’t settle outside of court. You have to fight and roll up your sleeves, be defiant and fight it.”

Another big question remains, if he is guilty, where did he get the money to shower these men with gifts?  I know he could only finance so much.  So where else would he get the money?  Where else, but the church.  I know some of you won't believe it, but some pastors are scammers.  If you haven't seen it on TV, then you might have seen it locally.  I have a relative that invested a huge sum of money into the church, and the next day the pastor comes up with a new van with the tag "Paid by God" on the front.  Don't put it past them. 

So there are alot of questions that I should ask you.  Do you think he is guilty of any counts?  Do you think he has any right to stand up and fight against gay marriage?  Do you think it is people like him that send people like Tyler Clementi into suicide?  And do you think he funded his pleasures by the church?  Lots to ponder, hopefully all will become public soon!

-Tyler