Suicide is the ultimate form of self-hate. When I heard the story about Fantasia trying to kill herself, I was somewhat surprised, but not totally surprised because of how she behaves on her show and her background. Anyone that has watched her show knows Fantasia and her family grew up extremely religious, traveling and singing in church as a group.
Watching and listening to her discuss her church roots makes one think how could an individual so “full of the spirit” try to kill herself? But this is the fake image that many in the church put on, wrapping themselves in religion or the bible, thriving on the “show” aspect of church: the hootin’ and hollerin’ and the superiority complexes that inspire them to criticize anyone who doesn’t regularly attend church – and all this, even though they behave in the most absurd, hypocritical ways. In fact, most Black people become aware of the charade being played out at most churches as they mature and attend occasionally or stop going altogether, having been run out by the drama queens and kings.
In the case of Long’s parishioners, who excuse his alleged molesting of young Black boys, they are cut from the same delusional cloth that Fantasia is, using the power of God’s name and religion to live in an excuse-filled world while carrying on like heathens, refusing to take control of their lives, living comfortably with repent dis-ease.
“I feel like David against Goliath, but I got five rocks and I haven’t thrown one yet.” And with those parting words from Pastor Eddie Long, his New Birth audience rose and went into a frenetic roar, cheering, praising, and showing their undying love for their “daddy.”
Blasphemous!!!
Yes, Black people have lost their minds. I already knew that a large portion of avid churchgoers were delusional when it came to their pastors, but……
It’s funny how what goes around comes around. Karma. Years ago, Pulpit Pimps Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, and Eddie Long all spurned Farrakhan’s Million Man March because they were afraid of negative attention from the White mainstream media. Now, yet another one of them has to face the ridicule Farrakhan always faces, but he’s a strong Black respectable voice, a real man’s voice among a crowd of cowardly Black men who compromise the well-being of Black people for a pat on the head from mainstream America’s White-run media and politicians.
Pastor Eddie Long, the leader of the 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta has now been targeted in five lawsuits filed, and counting, four of which involve his allegedly committing sexual coercion against teenaged boys (at the time the acts where committed), and a fifth that accuses him of defaulting on a business loan.
Sitting on 250 acres, the New Birth Mega Church is the equivalent of a small town and has a $50 million cathedral. Pastor Eddie Looooong money even has a private jet and floats a Bently. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Long received a salary of $3 million a year between 1997 and 2000.
Questionable camera phone photos of Long posing in tight athletic gear have also been released by one of the accusers, Spencer LeGrande (14 when he met Long; the sexual relationship started when he was 17). Eddie LeGrande, Spencer’s absentee father, said Long disrupted his relationship with his son by giving his son gifts, and that Spencer LeGrande gave up a college basketball career to work with Long.
I say, excuses, excuses, excuses! If Eddie LeGrande had manned up when he was supposed to, this situation regarding his son would probably have not come about.
During videotaped speeches regarding the allegations, Eddie Long sounds like he’s giving typical mind-control sermons, quoting the bible, mentioning his family, referring to prayer and Jesus teachings about loving your enemy. Defiant and exercising his power over his flock, Long knows his parishioners will support anything he says; thus, he has been exploiting the Black victims and his supporters through the Black community’s most organized and oldest institution – the Black Church.
Long said: “I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man, but I am not the man being portrayed on the television . . . that’s not me.”
Seeing all those Black people standing and cheering him challenged my desire to write and inspire Black people. It has challenged my faith in our people because I realized that we are much sicker than I believed. How we could support someone who, at the very least, sent young Black boys pictures of himself posing in muscle shirts is twisted, and every last one of those Negroes in his church should be locked up. And why is Long still preaching in tight form-fitting shirts? How holy is that?
If these allegations against Long are true, what a pervert Long is. And not only is he married, but he could have any beautiful Black woman he wants and he’s chasing young boys around. He needs to be put in jail.
Two of Long’s accusers, Anthony Flagg, 20, and Maurice Robinson, 21, said they are not gay. I’m not sure about the other two accusers, Jammal Parris and Spencer LeGrande? All say they were influenced by gifts, jewelry, trips, cars, and bible quotes from Long, as well as introductions to celebrities like the rapper TI and actor Chris Tucker by Long.
Black CNN host Don Lemon revealed during an interview with three New Birth teenagers that he had been abused by a pedophile. He also lightly challenged the youth about their unwavering denial regarding Long’s guilt by telling them that a couple of the accusers do not know each other, yet they’re saying similar things, things that Lemon said he experienced as common behavior of pedophiles. Nonetheless, the young people just weren’t getting it.
This is why so few Black people, and especially Black men, attend church. The brainwashing that goes on with not only young people and those who are a lot older is ridiculous. It also occurred to me that the parents of the New Birth kid’s that spoke to Lemon probably signed off on their speaking out on behalf of Long. They’re statements about how much Long and New Birth has done for them has nothing to do with whether or not he is guilty, but they didn’t want to even consider that.
The lawsuit brought by Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson alleges that Long violated his pastoral duties. The age of consent in Georgia is 16 years old, the age at which the two men allegedly started having sex with Long, but he may have violated the consent law in other states and New Zealand, where it’s alleged Long had sex with the boys up to the time they were 20 years old.
I am ashamed of Black people.
