JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's a sensitive situation over at
Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. Some members are standing by their pastor regardless of the allegations brought forth. Others want to know the facts and say they want all the answers before making a decision.
Broadcast live on television and the internet, Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church
Pastor Darrell Gilyard has a large following. After recent allegations of sexual assault against a minor, church members want light shed on whatever the truth may be.
"I was shocked. I was shocked because he is someone that I really respect," says a church member.
This member did not want their identity shown but says the news is startling.
"He is this person people really respect in the church and we just really want to know what's going on, the truth. Everybody is really supporting him," says the church member.
Allegations surfaced in a police report after the mother of a minor came forward saying her daughter received explicit text messages that were sexual in nature from Gilyard.
Gilyard's attorney released a statement Monday afternoon.
"The issues and situation that have been presented to us are ones that we take very seriously and as such we are conducting a thorough and complete review of the facts. Once those are known we will proceed accordingly," says Brian Coughlin, legal counsel for Gilyard.
The church says Gilyard has decided to take an indefinite paid administrative leave of absence. As the investigation moves forward, members wait to see what will be revealed.
"They just want to know the real story and he pretty much has our full support," says the church member.
Police are still in the process of investigating this case and the congregation is waiting for answers.
Pastor Darrell Gilyard has not been officially charged with any crime regarding this case.
Fred Franklin, an attorney for Shiloh, also sent us their statement:
"The leaders of Shiloh Baptist Church take these matters seriously and are committed to a full and through review of all pertinent facts. Pastor Gilyard has decided and proposed that he voluntarily take an indefinite, paid, administration leave of absence pending such review. The church has agreed to his proposal. Once a review of all the facts is completed, the church will proceed accordingly."
Gilyard has dealt with charges of sexual misconduct in the past.
Dallas news media reported in 1991 Gilyard resigned from his church there after allegations of sexual misconduct.
He started as pastor at Shiloh two years later.
Gilyard had also just been appointed to Mayor Peyton's new anti-crime task force.
But Sunday he told the mayor's office he was resigning.
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He will bounce to another church, Where he will do the same thing.
And fundies will always protect him,
Even when its their kids he is raping.
This is just another case where the monster of religion and in particular christianity shows its true face.
I am thankful that I finally woke up and stopped attending church because this means that I no longer expose my kids to that sickness.
"Jesus says turn the other cheek"
"Forgive your enemies over and over again"
That is exactly why pastors like that continue to abuse the system.
Most christians are wimps, and don't have the guts to do anything about bringing justice to these Sons of bitches.
I've seen christians who have protected known criminals before.
They should go to jail for aiding and abetting as well.
Back in the early 90's, my church's pastor turned his church over to a pastor named Larry Lea becasue he thought Larry Lea deserved a "second chance". The reason he needed a second chance is because he had swindled money from his former church, claiming that him and his family were destitute after their home burned down. What he didn't mention was that the family owned a SECOND MANSION fully furnished. When he landed in our church, he immediately turned up the giving heat- and he was asking for money 2-3x per service: 4 services a week not including special services. After we left, we heard through friend he had sent all the members tithe payment booklets, demanding their full tithe on the 1st of the month, even though most people get paid 2x per month. He also decided he was a "David" who had concubines and started screwing the church secretary. He also preached the name-it-claim-it divine healing message and yet takes regular medicine for his diabetes which god never got around to healing, I suppose.
I despise all these charlatans.
One of the poster above said the church goers were stupid and deserved what they got. In a way I agree, but in this case it is children getting raped and it isn't their fault their parents are putting them in this position.
Ummm. No. Christians are religious people.
"Christians actually live by the bible."
They pick and choose what parts of the bible they "live by". They use mental gymnastics to be able to ignore the parts they don't want to "live by".
"Religious people only pretend."
And since christians are religious people, they must be pretending too. Right?
"The biggest problem is that the church has bought into the "victim" mentality. We don't want to confront anybody, make them uncomfortable, or make them accountable for their actions anymore."
Bullshit! Have you ever seen christians picketing a gay pride parade or an abortion clinic? It isn't that they have a problem with making people uncomfortable, it's that they don't want to make themselves uncomfortable.
"The Bible clearly states that leaders who do these type of detestable things should not be a pastor, and should not even be a part of our Christian fellowship."
It also states that disobedient children should be stoned to death. Do you, a TRUE CHRISTIAN™, "live by" that part of the bible?
"The church needs to go back to the original purposes set out in the bible so that we once again can be a light instead of a reproach."
It seems you have missed some of what the bible has to say in it's other books about how the faithful are to behave. If you care to read the rest of it, perhaps you will see that it isn't the lovey-dovey religion you want it to be.
But then perhaps I am wrong and you already know those parts and simply choose to ignore them.
That's just as bad. There is no difference between christians and religious people.
So all of you christians can just drop your, "We're different and better than other religions" attitude.
My sincere wish is that Christians would stop taking out the trash and dumping it on atheist/agnostic/non-religious soil. In other words, whenever one of your members acts up, the claim is that they are "not a real christian". Thus, the only alternative is they must be an unbeliever. Which only strengthens your own prejudices against unbelievers- as you attribute all bad things to us, including the misbehaviors of your own members. This is known as stacking the deck.
I'm sorry, but the reason the christian church stinks with the stench of misbehaving miscreants is because the spirit that supposedly indwells believers does not affect any change in their lives. There is supposed to be a noticeable change and a marked difference between believers and "the world". There is not. A "christian" is someone who believes Jesus is the son of biblegod. THAT IS IT. If they believe this, I don't care what their behavior is, they are on your team- period!
So stop making excuses and stop dumping your crap at our feet. I am damn tired of it and I am damn tired of the prejudice against atheists/unbelievers that we get in part because christians attribute all bad things to us and all bad behaving members they force onto our team. Frankly, my life as an atheist and many of the unbelieving atheist/agnostic/secular humanists I know puts many of your highest level believers to shame.