Pastor Under Fire For Claiming Women In Shorts Deserve To Be Assaulted
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A pastor in North Carolina has apologized for remarks he made during a sermon where he said women’s clothing choices are responsible for sexual assault.
During a sermon recorded last August that recently went viral, the Rev. Bobby Leonard of Bible Baptist Tabernacle in Monroe, N.C., said that if he were serving on the jury for a rape trial, he would acquit a male rapist if his female victim were wearing shorts during the assault.
“If you dress like that and you get raped, and I’m on the jury, he’s going to go free,” Leonard said, adding later, “I’m right, you know, because a man’s a man.”
On Wednesday, former church member Ben Rudy protested Leonard’s comments in front of the church.
“It broke my heart that he would say something like that,” Rudy told WSOC TV.
Jason King, a Sunday school teacher in the area, also spoke out against Leonard, saying that even if a woman were walking around nude, “it’s still not right [to attack her], and it’s still a man’s choice whether he does wrong or right.”
Additional protests are scheduled for Sunday, according to a post on the blog The Roys Report, whose founder Julie Roys initially posted the clip of Leonard.
On Thursday, Leonard’s church acknowledged the pain his comments might have caused.
A sign in front of the church now reads, “I am sorry for any hurt. I was wrong ― Pastor Leonard.”
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He’s sorry all right.
What a godly thing to say.
They are emboldened now. I'm sure he's not the first to think this way. He just said it out loud.
His apology is most likely only because he would lose his job. Once that type of bigotry falls out of your mouth you can bet it isn't anything new or anything that will disappear.
If he DID lose his job, I'm sure he could find a job as an Imam, since he thinks women are required to be dressed like this....
yeah, what he said was only meant for the ears of the true believers...
Hmmm. I have some cousins in Monroe. All very outspoken feminists. Maybe they should pay his church a visit. Could be fun to watch.
Ew. I just checked out the church website. About the preacher:
John 15:7 says
"Claiming" to have the support of God to "purpose in your heart" that somebody should be your wife sounds a little creepy to me.