Robert Morris, who founded and led Gateway Church for nearly 25 years in the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, resigned after the scandal came to light in June. His exit sent thousands of evangelicals into a season of struggle that has lasted months.

Last week, a pastor who oversaw all of Gateway’s campuses departed amid an undisclosed “moral issue,” becoming the latest in a series of changes for the church: The cancellation of its annual conference. The departure of Morris’ successor. The renaming of its Houston campus and an exodus of worshippers.

At each weekend service, worshippers continue to face reminders of the scandal, with interim or guest pastors kicking off their sermons saying “I’m sorry,” talking about grief or finding hope in difficult times. They’ve noticed people who have sat and prayed around them for years are once again not showing up for service.

The church has seen a decrease of 17% to 19% in weekend services attendance, a church spokesperson told CNN.

  • mozz
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    443 months ago

    Not covered in this story: The church leadership says hey he told us about it but we thought it was with a “young lady” and whatevs it was all cool, we’re as shocked as you are it is horrible

    The victim says what the fuck I have been telling them about it FOR YEARS NOW

    • @InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      43 months ago

      Church: “Curses! And I would have gotten away with it to, if it weren’t for you meddling reporters and the fact that the victim wasn’t a girl!”

      • mozz
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        33 months ago

        ?

        I think you may be thinking of a different scandal; this one’s victim was a girl named Cindy.

    • @irotsoma@lemmy.world
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      93 months ago

      It’s a power thing. Many people choose jobs that give them power over unfortunate people for the express purpose of abusing those people’s vulnerability, not because they like to help people.

  • Ellia Plissken
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    263 months ago

    being paid millions to act like a good person it can’t be that hard

    • Davel23
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      53 months ago

      being paid millions act like a good person

      Choose one.

        • @mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          He was consistently sexually assaulting the 12-17yr old victim before the millions rolled in.

          He has 100% been acting like a good person when he made millions by pretending that his repeated pedophilia was just an “moral failing” that had been “restored.” He even lied about getting her father’s blessing to resume being a pastor.

          The man has been lying to himself and everyone around him for nearly four decades.

  • @arin@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    They need to update the title, it’s satutory rape of a child umder 18.

    Morris molested her in 1982 when she was 12 years old. It started on Christmas Day and it continued until she told her parents in 1987, she said.

    Shortly after the allegations surfaced, Morris admitted to having “inappropriate sex

    • @leauxhigh@lemmy.world
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      123 months ago

      we need to call it rape, or raping children, it’s not sex! I hate when anyone calls it an inappropriate sexual relationship!

  • @dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net
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    203 months ago

    The case that came to light started in 1982. I feel like there’s approximately 0% chance she’s his only victim.

  • @some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    183 months ago

    Gateway Church draws an estimated 100,000 people to its weekend services and has more than 560 employees at nine locations in Texas, and two others in Missouri and Wyoming, according to the church.

    Imagine how much money they’re raking in.

    Religion should be private. Better yet, wake up from that long-con and give it up altogether.

    • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)
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      53 months ago

      With numbers like that it sounds more like a cult with tax exemptions. And why do they have so employees, shouldn’t people be happy to do “the work of God” for free as volunteers?

      • @Snowclone@lemmy.world
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        63 months ago

        If you do a single thing of value for a MEGAchurch, fucking bill them out the nose. That’s not a religion it’s GOOP with a significantly more exploitative and evil business model.

        • @captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          33 months ago

          Yeah, a megachurch provides only one real source of societal value: a great setting for urban fantasy demons and vampires. Everything else they provide society is a pitiful product at a premium price

    • @PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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      23 months ago

      They bring new people in and show them a really fun time and then pressure them to sign a payroll deduction form so that their tithe can come directly out of their paychecks.

  • @DogPeePoo@lemm.ee
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    153 months ago

    Jesus Christ— did someone drop water on Trump and feed him after midnight? He’s multiplying

  • @xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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    153 months ago

    Honestly, I’m always in favor of people leaving religious institutions… I’m cool with people having faith but supporting these large organizations is fucking awful.

  • @Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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    93 months ago

    I used to work at a place where several partners were members of this church. The open disdain directed toward me for not being a churchgoer and the ostracization the occurred were a significant factor of my decision to leave.

    After I left, one of the partners harassed me for several years via phone calls, text messages, and hand written letters mailed to my home trying to get me to turn my heathen ways around.

    One of those letters said something asking the lines that while I had chosen eternal damnation for myself, I owed an opportunity of salvation to my daughter, so I needed to bring her to this church.

    I don’t remember how many years this continued, but it finally stopped.

    The hell is the matter with these people?

  • @BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    73 months ago

    This is just the WOKE MIND VIRUS Waging a WAR on RELIGION! WHO CARES if a Priest touches a couple hundred kids in their penises and vaginas when DRAG QUEENS EXIST!

  • @Wrench@lemmy.world
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    53 months ago

    And I doubt many of those who left are reevaluating the ethos imparted by the leaders they now are distancing themselves from.