This reminds me of the end of Elmer Gantry, the movie, not the book. Elmer is caught with Lulu Bains (played by Shirley Jones), who actually framed him. The pictures were sent to Jim Lefferts, Gantry's bible college roommate in the book, who is a journalist in the movie.
Lefferts passes on the pictures.
When asked, why, he responded, "This pornography proves only one thing: Gantry is as human as the rest of you."
Yeah, Braemer threw similar stones at the author of Tales from The Temple, so maybe it is a case of karma in action. Still, compared to some of the sick cases of child abuse we've been following and reading about, I don't think it's really something I'll be following. However, Marty will make his case on Sunday, so I'll definitely post whatever he might say in fairness.
Here is what the Modern Pharisee wrote:
Modern Pharisee.
Gotta admit, that's an appropriate name! Modern Pharisee is a Presbyterian whose apparently an advocate of polygamy, so, I guess, if it's true, he's just upset that Marty's lying about it?
Guess if Marty just brings her into the house and the three of 'em life together, Modern Pharisee will be happy?
Would honest swingers even care?
The Lavender Liberal is also covering this:
Pastor Marty Braemer resigns?
The Lavender Liberal includes this quote where Braemer accused James Spurgeon, who wrote Tales from The Temple of adultery:
Turns out in his quest to expose his former pastor, church, and college that, through the FFF, he re-met a former girl friend - grad of the same place. They began to PM each other and meet. Soon he was having an affair.
Finally he resigned his church, left his family, and took off with his ex-college flame.
That means while he was still blogging, documenting, posting on the FFF, having his stories published, and teaching deep Calvinism (since he rejected the doctrines of his former school) he was, in fact, committing adultery. …
The lesson: Be careful about prideful judgment and the exposing of another gospel preaching ministry and their faults. Yours may be the next to be exposed.
NOTE: The Lavender Liberal is mistaken. The writer claims the above post was written four days before Marty resigned. It was actually posted on July 23, 2007.
I'm sure it will eventually be corrected.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: The Lavender Liberal corrected the error (see comment below). The Lavender Liberal is the best collection of accounts concerning the hypocrisy of so-called moral conservatives that I have seen to date. Worth a visit!
18 comments:
I believe I got the dates right, Dwayne:
Braemer's "A Tale from the FFF Temple" (07-23-2007, 04:37 PM)
link
Diogenes' "Pastor Marty Braemer Resigned?" (07-27-2009, 09:11 PM)
link
If there was anything before Diogenes' post, I haven't seen it.
At least I know what date Braemer's announcement, whatever it is, will be. :)
PolyGYNY is only "swinging" if A.) it is wrong, B.) someone does it.
You can confine me to the category of not doing it.
Adultery is the taking of another man's wife. For that, David got called out in front of all Israel.
Well, here's what you wrote:
We were going to refrain from jumping the gun on what could turn out to be a total non-story, but for one thing: a semi-cryptic post by Braemer himself on July 23rd (four days before the alleged news broke that Braemer had resigned).
So, according to your article, the news of his resignation broke this week in the year 2009.
The post by Marty, accusing Spurgeon of leaving his wife, is from 2007. I remember reading his post back in 2007 because I had just finished reading Spurgeon's book around the same time.
Pharisee, to tell you truth, I'm kinda lost in the rationalizations. If someone 'does it'? 'if it is wrong'? Not sure I comprehend.
As a rule, I tend to get a little nervous when people use scriptures to justify what is ultimately a simple want, fetish, lust, desire, what have you.
I remember one of my first productions, that I'm either going to remake or just send the original to filmbaby.com, called RAPTURE DREAMS. My male character was using scripture to convince his ex that they needed to be married.
"Alice, we have had sex. In the scripture, that's the act of becoming one flesh. We're already married! We have to make it legal."
My wife never enjoyed that part of the movie, even though it was an accurate representation of my wonderful 'come hither' approach of the early 80's. She thought it was just me taking a perverted twist from the bible.
But, hey! I went to Trinity, and now, thanks to the WWW and the rise in self publishing, and a new openness to discuss fundamentalist abuses, it's coming out that many men from fundamentalist churches were using scriptures to justify their lusts and desires.
At least, with Atheists, freethinkers, and various people in the 'real world', there is no justification. A long talk about ethics, possibly, but nobody using a text to co-erce someone into a lifestyle they are uncomfortable living.
Let's see. . .
Jeri Massi in SECRET RADIO writes of a preacher who gives the impression the sole reason for marriage is so we can have sex.
Christa Brown in THIS LITTLE LIGHT has her abuser constantly hounding her with talk of 'God's will' to indicate their 'relationship' is somehow sanctioned, even though she doesn't want it.
Mike Palmer, the subject of REFORM AT VICTORY by Michele Ulriksen, was accused of rape by one of the girls in his girl's home. Guess what he used to seduce her? Scripture and talk of God's will! That's not in Ulriksen's book, btw. The book is solely Michelle's experience. His rationalizations can be read in various articles concerning Rebecca Ramirez.
Here's a quote:
from, Secrets in the Schoolhouse:
"He used Bible verses about love and twisted them. He said if I did not love him back, I would be sinning and going against what God had planned for me."
In short, I do accuse most of the fundamentalist world of dishonestly practicing 'situational ethics' by finding convenient scriptures to justify their whims.
True, Humanists and Atheist practice situational ethics, but they're honest about it. I think it's more honest to do things because you WANT to do it, and carefully weighing the consequences of your actions, than to somehow squeeze, or imagine, a scriptural mandate for every little thing you want to do.
I'm not a practicing polygynist, I advocate that it is not immoral. Thus I can't be said to be accusing Marty on the one hand, while swinging on the other, so to speak.
Even in a polygynists lexicon, Adultery is wrong, we would simply say it does not occur when a man has several wives, it occurs when another mans wife is having relations with a man other than her husband. I don't want this to be a distraction to our current issue, we both believe that if in fact Marty Braemer did diddle Jennifer May, then it was adultery. You would see that as wrong, so would I.
As for the name of my blog, "Modern Pharisee," it would be appropriate to read the first entry on that blog, as it explains why I use the phrase for a blog name. People forget a few facts about the Pharisees, who were oft and aptly criticized, not the least of which was that Paul continued to count himself among them, long after his conversion to Christ.
I am curious, though. You would not allow for a woman to have two or more husbands? Just a man to have two or more wives?
I am not egalitarian, nor do I think scripture is either. We are all equal in Christ after this life, in judgment, but we are not equal in roles here on earth or children could rule parents, and women could pastor churches.
Romans 7 clearly reiterates that a woman with multiple concurrent sex partners, is an adulteress, or even multiple living husbands/ex-husbands. I didn't make the rules, I just read them. I'm not trying to make myself popular with women, oddly enough.
Again, this is a distraction for the issue which I believe we both agree on, which is, that if Marty and Jennifer May had sexual relations, it was adultery, and she an adulteress, he an adulterer.
*palmsmack*. I see it now (finally)! On my way to correcting it. Thanks, Dwayne!
Not a problem! Glad to be of service. I've made a few mistakes here in the last few years, which explains some mysteriously vanished posts!
If you don't practice polygamy, why do you make it part of your banner on your blog? Do you secretly want to have multiple wives?
Actually, the problem I have with scripture sanctioned polygamy is that, in scripture, you'll find most of the marriages are arranged. And the girls involved in the arranged marriages are, in fact, young girls.
This practice goes on today in Middle Eastern countries. Some as young as the victims in the Bob Gray case are bought and paid for by older men. Their virginity prized above all. The younger they are bought, the greater the chances the old lechers will be their first.
If consenting adults want to get together and have a love colony, or something, at least they are adults who are well aware of the consequences of their actions.
I don't think there's any way to skirt the fact that scripture sanctioned polygamy is child abuse.
I'm finding your comments, believe it or not, more disturbing than whatever the situation is with Marty. Marty, if this is true, is involved with an adult woman. They freely made their choices and will live with the consequences of their actions.
Your use of the bible, though, can be used as justification for a number of abuses, like selling children into sexual slavery.
I guess it's possible to legalize polygamy and outlaw the 'arranged marriage' part of it, but that wouldn't exactly jive with scripture, would it?
Well, if you think scripture sanctioned polyGYNY was child abuse, in and of itself, because of the young age of the persons getting married (See Josiah) then we don't have much to discuss in reality.
'in reality'. . .that's probably the truest thing I've read all day! lol.
I would say "reality" is most of history and most of the world. Not just the west.
Yes, the rest of the world is certainly a scary place thanks to literal belief in ancient scriptures.
When I started this blog, I tried to steer clear of religious controversy.
Today, I think I was too soft. I see how it has turned people who should be your friends into enemies and paralyzed the whole movement to hold abusive preachers accountable.
Sure, some victims of clergy abuse need their particular beliefs to get over the loneliness of being ostracized.
I can't help but see that it's a necessary crutch for victims of clergy sexual abuse in the same manner that methadone is necessary for a recovering heroin addict.
It's something to help them recover from the hard stuff, but then they need something to help 'em come down from the methadone,
Since I am a scriptural Christian, namely I believe the 66 books of the Bible to be his word, and not in error, I don't think we're coming from the same place Dwayne.
I see no point in being on "Marty's side" in this business. He's driven a beer truck through throngs of the tender hearted. He's getting off easy. I am more concerned with the damage he has done in the process of his selfish affair. I am greatly concerned that the reaction of the elders was more or less to hush it up as much as possible.
I'm not taking Marty's side, it's just not a really big issue for me. How does the affair of two adults impact an entire city?
What was at stake in the Bob Gray scandal was the fact that any child in that elementary school, during his time there, was a potential victim. The silence of deacons, members, etc, just enabled him to prey on more.
What is at stake in the Marty Braemer story? Two consenting adults who must bear the wrath, assuming there is a wrath, of their church and family. The overall health of the outlying community really isn't at stake.
It's not like Trinity where there are city council members, also members of the church, who help the smoke and mirrors.
There 'might' have been (and I believe there are) people in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, or media, who might have tipped Gray off before he allegedly attempted to flee the US before he was arrested in front of his house.
You had a national preacher, Jerry Falwell, spending his time promoting the Clinton Chronicles, attacking the President over minor charges while his good friend was in Germany avoiding charges of serial child molestation. Far more serious!
And now, we just have a typical story of adultery, a hurt family, and a church waiting to hear what he has to say tomorrow. It's a tense drama, but no where near the danger and scandal of what happened in Jacksonville, Florida a few years ago.
Marty's main accuser, at least on the internet, is someone advocating scriptural polygamy. We've already discussed the fact that this includes arranged marriages of young girls about the ages of Gray's victims when they were summoned to his office, and I'm supposed to take your righteous indignation seriously?
Of course we're not coming from the same place! I just think you accusing Marty of adultery is like an active volcano calling a bic lighter a 'danger to the public at large'.
If the woman in question was a young girl at his Christian school at Victory Christian Academy, that is a serious matter. His church does have some decisions to make, so his statements tomorrow should be interesting.
The woman he had an affair with is an adult. It does matter what they believed, and what they asked the CHILD WITNESSES that were dragged into this mess to witness. It does matter that he was later said to have threatened one of those child witnesses and demonstrably impacted their lives to their material detriment. One person is said to have quit the job they were being threatened with losing, because Marty was trying to cover this up.
The people of VCA, child, teacher and parents alike, Marty Braemer and Jennifer May, all believed what they did to be wrong, and adultery. Having hypocrisy at that level visibly on display and then denied, and then the truthful witnesses punished is serious business and serious abuse.
I think if that turns out to be true we would both agree that this is so. Marty's paramour is Jennifer May, married to a deacon of Fords Bush Bible Church. She is a teacher and Librarian at VCA. The witnesses were legal minors in that student body. That's nasty business. It's wrong.
Their only defense is that what is alleged with multiple corroborating witnesses is simply not true.
Marty seems to be at least on the periphery of a new controversy involving embezzlement from the Fort Plain Little League.
According to reports, the Fort Plain Little League dismissed an embezzler from their organization last year, about the same time Marty left, and Marty was the Fort Plain Little League President.
Does this mean Marty is the embezzler? No, it doesn't, but it puts him in a position to know something about it, and unfortunately, makes him a suspect.
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