An Ohio church has issued an apology after a video surfaced online of a youth pastor encouraging middle and high school students to spit on him, slap him and cut him with a steak knife for an Easter lesson, meant to illustrate what Jesus Christ willingly endured during his crucifixion.
"My intention was to show them how much Jesus loved them and I loved them as a student leader for almost four years now," Dempsey said.
Kathleen commented :
I think he should be charged with corruption of a minor or emotional abuse, because that's exactly what that was. I don't know if he's insane or just has an S&M fetish, but in church with kids, or with kids anywhere, is not the way to do that. He need either serious psychological help or to find willing ADULTS to participate in his fantasies. That was absolutely not okay. And if I had a kid who actually participated in that, they WOULD face consequences, including grounding and a serious discussion about why hurting others while following orders is not right.
Beth commented :
When I was a child, a youth pastor took a group of us on a hiking trip in the woods and staged an event where he faked that he was shot, and then the shooters turned on the children. People were planted in the woods shooting blanks at us, while we, thinking we were being shot, ran away, toward camp, screaming and crying. We were a terrified and traumatized group of young people. Many children couldn't stop crying. It was one of the most horrifying things I've experienced. That Pastor's lesson was..."if you were to die today, would you be right with God?" Unbelievably, that guy did not lose his job. Yeah, youth pastors can be pretty crazy, and have messed up ideas as to what will make a "good moral demonstration." Unfortunately, they are given full charge of so many young people.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/church-ap...to-slap-spit-on-and-cut-pastor-195020438.html
"My intention was to show them how much Jesus loved them and I loved them as a student leader for almost four years now," Dempsey said.
Kathleen commented :
I think he should be charged with corruption of a minor or emotional abuse, because that's exactly what that was. I don't know if he's insane or just has an S&M fetish, but in church with kids, or with kids anywhere, is not the way to do that. He need either serious psychological help or to find willing ADULTS to participate in his fantasies. That was absolutely not okay. And if I had a kid who actually participated in that, they WOULD face consequences, including grounding and a serious discussion about why hurting others while following orders is not right.
Beth commented :
When I was a child, a youth pastor took a group of us on a hiking trip in the woods and staged an event where he faked that he was shot, and then the shooters turned on the children. People were planted in the woods shooting blanks at us, while we, thinking we were being shot, ran away, toward camp, screaming and crying. We were a terrified and traumatized group of young people. Many children couldn't stop crying. It was one of the most horrifying things I've experienced. That Pastor's lesson was..."if you were to die today, would you be right with God?" Unbelievably, that guy did not lose his job. Yeah, youth pastors can be pretty crazy, and have messed up ideas as to what will make a "good moral demonstration." Unfortunately, they are given full charge of so many young people.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/church-ap...to-slap-spit-on-and-cut-pastor-195020438.html
