Anti-gay pastor gets standing ovation after admitting he sexually abused a teen
A US pastor who preaches against homosexuality and endorses anti-gay conversion therapy has admitted to sexually abusing a member of the church when she was 17 years old.
Jules Woodson last week accused pastor Andy Savage of Highpoint Church of making sexual advances towards her in 1998, according to .
Woodson alleged in a blog post that when driving her home from school, Savage groped her and asked her to perform oral sex on him.
鈥淚 was scared and embarrassed, but I did it,鈥� wrote Woodson.
鈥淚 remember feeling that this must mean that Andy loved me.
鈥淗e then asked me to unbutton my shirt. I did.
鈥淗e started touching me over my bra and then lifted my bra up and began touching my breasts.鈥�
She said that following the incident Savage told her not to tell anyone about it.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 concentrate at school,鈥� she wrote.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 think about anything else鈥� The fear, shame, anger and hurt consumed me.鈥�
Woodson said that after reporting the abuse to church leaders, she was told to say silent and that it would be investigated internally.
鈥淟ittle did I know, the very people I was about to entrust to protect me and help me would not only victimise me all over again but would also engage in a cover up to protect my abuser and the image of the church,鈥� she wrote.
The pastor this Sunday admitted to the abuse to his congregation鈥攖o a standing ovation.
鈥淚 was and remain very remorseful for the incident and deeply regret the pain I caused her and her family鈥� as well as the pain I caused the church and God鈥檚 Kingdom,鈥� Savage said.
He said that he was taking 鈥渇ull responsibility鈥� for the incident.
A statement by Savage on the Highpoint Church website said it had been 鈥渄ealt with鈥�.
Woodson responded to Savage鈥檚 statements, calling the standing ovation by the church 鈥渄isgusting鈥�.
Savage is vocally opposed to homosexuality and has spoken in support of anti-gay conversion therapy.
The guy used his position of authority within the church to sexually assault a 17 year old woman. She describes how she confused his fumbling and groping for deep love because of her religious instruction, which enabled the abuse. THIS IS WHAT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM MEANS TO TOO MANY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. People place a higher trust in people with standing in their church (or mosque or synagogue or whatever) because they think that’s what their god wants, only to find perverts abusing their positions and their daughters and sons.
Needless to say, the groping and the sexual advance were bad enough but the psychological impacts of the religious aspect of the abuse were likely far worse for someone who had lived a life of religious faith.
The government review of religious freedom is taking submissions until early February. Flick them an email expressing your concern for how religious freedoms are inevitably abused by some very terrifying people within religions to commit appalling abuses. Empowering religious parents to withhold their kids from school programs alerting students to bullying and abuse will actually result in some of those kids becoming victims like the woman in this story.