Pastor knew he had AIDS, had affairs; refuses to leave church

[Morphine Prince 109,683]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  After listening to his sermons for 24 years, parishioners of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church probably thought they knew the Rev. Juan D. McFarland.

But from the very pulpit where he preached about God's love and service to the community, he delivered some stunning revelations: He had had affairs with women in the parish  and neglected to tell them he had AIDS.

Perhaps because McFarland was so well-regarded, the church's deacons initially had sympathy.

"It was surprise, shock, but I think the leadership team did not react wanting to get him out. We wanted to get him help," said James Long, vice chairman of the board of trustees.

McFarland refused  and in a later sermon dropped another bombshell: He had been abusing d--gs.

That was enough. The deacons voted 80-1 to fire him on Oct. 5, but McFarland refused to leave, going so far as to change the building's locks and the numbers of the church's bank account before returning to the pulpit on Oct. 12, Long said.

On Tuesday, the first business day following his last appearance, the deacons announced that they had filed a lawsuit to force McFarland out.

The church's website portrays the pastor as a man of passion, prayer and purpose "whose life is centered in Jesus Christ."

The suit describes McFarland as a man practicing "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, s-xual misconduct, dishonesty, thievery and rejection of the Ten Commandments."

McFarland, 47, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Knowingly spreading a s-xually transmitted disease is a misdemeanor in Alabama punishable by up to a year in jail.

The lawsuit asks a judge to block him from serving as minister and give them control of the church complex, its bank accounts and a Mercedes Benz furnished for the pastor's use.

"We are just trying to minister to the flock and get the church back in order," Long said.

McFarland remained unfazed by the news.

"I will command the pulpit from this day forward," he said in a brief telephone interview Tuesday. He declined further comment, saying he and his attorney needed more time to review the suit. He would not disclose his attorney's name.

In a related development, Wells Fargo Bank filed court papers Tuesday saying that because McFarland sought to change control of the church's bank account, it can't determine who has the rightful claim to $56,211 in the account. It sent the court a check for the full amount and asked to be relieved of responsibility.

Nathan Williams, chairman of the board of deacons, said the church normally has about 170 members show up each Sunday.

Only about 50 heard McFarland's most recent sermon. Williams and other church leaders said they went elsewhere to avoid any confrontation.

In the sermon, McFarland recounted stories from the books of Matthew and Luke about Jesus healing people.

"Sometimes the worst times in our lives is when we have a midnight situation  and we are in a midnight situation," he said. "When you pray, you've got to forgive. You can't go down on your knees hating somebody, or wishing something bad will happen to somebody."

An attorney for the church leaders said the sermons need to end. "He needs to get the message that he needs to be gone," attorney Julian McPhillips said.

Court records show McFarland had two marriages end in divorce after wives filed suit to end the unions. Neither complaint mentioned allegations of adultery or other wrongdoing.

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1919. McFarland became pastor in 1990, and the church built a new complex near Alabama State University in 1993.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-pastor-knew-had-aids-had-affairs-181403459.html

 

This man is a mess.

 

How interesting that they only fired him when he said he used d--gs, but had sympathy for him when he revealed he had AIDS and had affairs with women from the church.... d--g abuse can also be "helped." 

[LaMaisonGaga 23,884]

bastard :ghostney:

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

A man of God?........Disgrace and hypocritical

[Nazgul 186]

poor women 

[Economy 52,861]

[Vernier 3,786]

Should be a crime he could get prosecuted for

[LoyalMonster 53]

What a hypocrite.If there is a God,he wouldn't approve of or condone that behaviour.

[Rollercoaster 2]

Pray him out. 

[HANZ 4,380]

And yet homos-xuals are the evil ones..............

[RAMROD 117,146]

Tisk tisk tisk

 

Very bad pastor at failing to tell he have AIDS.

 

Need spankings. 

[Melech 9,900]

And yet homos-xuals are the evil ones..............

Is there any evidence that this church is homophobic?

Anyway I don't agree that he should leave the church. We need to forgive him

[HANZ 4,380]

Is there any evidence that this church is homophobic?

Anyway I don't agree that he should leave the church. We need to forgive him

What I try to say is that if a pastor has this controversy around him the world doesn't care and think it's just him

 

but if this happens to ONE homos-xual person, the world, especially religious people assume that ALL homos-xuals are like that

[Melech 9,900]

What I try to say is that if a pastor has this controversy around him the world doesn't care and think it's just him

 

but if this happens to ONE homos-xual person, the world, especially religious people assume that ALL homos-xuals are like that

 

It could be also other way around. A lot people especially atheists think that Religous people are like Westboro Church or even like ISIS. 

[lego 44,165]

Is there any evidence that this church is homophobic?

Anyway I don't agree that he should leave the church. We need to forgive him

To forgive him? Knowingly spreading STDs? He should be in jail.

[garnite 8]

It could be also other way around. A lot people especially atheists think that Religous people are like Westboro Church or even like ISIS.

religious people ARE like WBC and IS because... they are religious people. they are like them in that they are also religious people. that's a fact religious people need to accept.

now, if you're trying to say that people actually think every single religious person is as bad as IS you're just being dishonest. you're generalising atheists over generalisations you claim they make and that's really ironic.