North Carolina woman admits leading 30 parishioners in beating of gay church member to expel his ‘demons’

[EC]

A North Carolina woman admitted in court in Friday that she led approximately 30 parishioners from her church to attack and beat a gay member of the church in an effort to “expel his demons,” Pink News is reporting.

Sarah Anderson is one of five members of the Word of Faith church in North Carolina who has been charged with assault on Matthew Fenner in 2013.

Speaking in court, Anderson said she believed Fenner was “unclean and sinful,” after the minister of the church, Brooke Covington, launched into a reported 2-hour long verbal assault on the man. The minister told Fenner that “God said there is something wrong in your life.”

In a testimony, Fenner said that Covington, who faces charges of kidnapping and assault, pointed out his sexual orientation during the attack which was intended to “expel his homosexual demons.” Fenner states that the church members blocked him from leaving the church, instead holding him against his will as he was berated, slapped and choked by fellow parishioners.

More: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/north-carolina-woman-admits-leading-30-parishioners-in-beating-of-gay-church-member-to-expel-his-demons/

  Yeah, there's demons at work there, for sure.

[Oceander]

Let's hope each and every one of them gets to spend some time in the stony lonesome.

[truth_seeker]

I suppose these folks would qualify as "Christian fundamentalists"

[Smokin Joe]

I suppose these folks would qualify as "Christian fundamentalists"

Nope. Christ gave his disciples the ability to cast out demons, but that didn't involve beating anyone so afflicted. Sorry, but there is nothing 'fundamentalist' involved. Just some crackpot sh*t.
As for the gay man, they can reprove him, rebuke him, kick him out of their congregation, but beating the guy isn't part of anything I saw in the New Testament.

[roamer_1]

Nope. Christ gave his disciples the ability to cast out demons, but that didn't involve beating anyone so afflicted. Sorry, but there is nothing 'fundamentalist' involved. Just some crackpot sh*t.
As for the gay man, they can reprove him, rebuke him, kick him out of their congregation, but beating the guy isn't part of anything I saw in the New Testament.

As a fundamentalist, and a witness to more than one exorcism, I will concur.

[Sighlass]

Based on exclusive interviews with 43 former members, documents and secretly made recordings, the AP reported in February that Word of Faith Fellowship congregants were regularly punched, smacked, choked, slammed to the floor or thrown through walls in a violent form of deliverance meant to “purify” sinners by beating out devils. 

My question, since this sort of thing went on pretty regularly, did this guy not know what they did? Perhaps he even enjoyed doing it to others. Was this the first time he visited the church?

It is sorta hard to envision someone that knew what they did, suddenly getting upset about it when it came his turn. Perhaps it was just more than he expected and they were more violent, but anyone that sits in this church and knew what they did to me couldn't have been 100% innocent at not knowing it was coming his way someday.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article153272009.html

[Smokin Joe]

My question, since this sort of thing went on pretty regularly, did this guy not know what they did? Perhaps he even enjoyed doing it to others. Was this the first time he visited the church?

It is sorta hard to envision someone that knew what they did, suddenly getting upset about it when it came his turn. Perhaps it was just more than he expected and they were more violent, but anyone that sits in this church and knew what they did to me couldn't have been 100% innocent at not knowing it was coming his way someday.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article153272009.html

The first rule of Fight Club...

The problem with any group which uses brutality on its own members, is that all members are subject to that violence, with the possible exception of those who lead it. Even Robespierre was not immune. When it is wrapped in religion, though, the word 'cult' comes to mind.

[Gefn]

I know a very lovely man whose parents and his psychiatrist made him go through ten rounds of ECT hoping it would take the gay out of his brain.

That was in 2003.


The same thing happened to the musician Lou Reed when he was 13 or 14 - by his folks- and he was never gay to begin with. Just a late bloomer.

People can be so stupid sometimes