Take a look at these twelve pastors who made religion look less than inspiring.Īfter these cringey pastors, check out more famous pastors behaving badly, like David Koresh, and the John Frum Cargo Cult.Right-wing televangelist Kenneth Copeland is begging viewers to send him cash to support his private jet so he won’t have to deal with coronavirus vaccine mandates to travel, which he called “the mark of the beast.”Ĭopeland, who in the past has claimed that he needed a private jet to avoid “demons” on commercial flights, made the claim during his “VICTORYthon” fundraiser on Tuesday.
Though sometimes, as in the case of Creflo Dollar, they end up facing no repercussions and actually follow through with their shocking extortions. Pastors who are caught stealing from collection plates or using donations for something other than their intended purpose often end up facing consequences. Then there are the scandals that are more palpably devastating, like the pastors or preachers that extort money from the members of their congregations. For congregations where homosexuality is frowned upon, these revelations can be particularly shocking. Some pastors who claim to be clean as a whistle, on the straight and narrow, and happily devoted to their godfearing wives have turned out to be lying, cheating, or caught with gay prostitutes.
The scandals aren't always as sinister as abuse though. The expose rocked the Catholic Church but resulted in new ordinances being put in place to ensure that it didn't happen again. In the early 2000s, the Boston Globe uncovered hundreds of priests and church officials who had been abusing children for years without consequence, thanks to a network of people positioned to relocate them. While most pastors behaving badly were stopped, there were some who remained in power far too long.
Pastors were more thoroughly vetted, accomplices to abuse and affairs were held to higher standards, and indiscretions began to be less and less tolerated. The people who lead the religions can also be wonderful individuals, serving as mentors, teachers, confidants, and friends.īut, what happens when the ones people look up to, to guide them away from sin, become sinners themselves? In recent history, pastors behaving badly have become something of a commonplace occurrence.Ĭoming to light in the late 1980s, but beginning far before that, churches worldwide started to crack down on scandals within their congregations. It can bring people together and get them through hard times.
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