NBC News uncovered a 50-year pattern of sex abuse, silence and cover-up in the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination.
A children’s pastor was caught filming girls in a church bathroom in Arkansas. Elders suspended him for a few weeks.
In Illinois, a preacher was accused of sexually abusing children. Church leaders sent him to therapy rather than call police.
In California, a worship minister went to prison for molesting boys. His congregation threw him a party when he returned.
All of these men remained in ministry in the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination. All went on to abuse more children.
Is there any established church that’s not chock full of pedos?
Honestly no. The very idea of religion is control based.
And based on pedophilia, if you’ve read the Bible.
I don’t know first hand, but the Unitarian Universalist churches that embrace LGBT and everyone seem reasonable. Still, I think any leaders in a place that draws spiritually or socially needy people are in a position to abuse their congregation.
I grew up UU. We considered it an ideology not a religion.
The thing about UU is that it is kinda both because it was made from the merger of Unitarians, who were a Christian sect and Univesalists who were not specifically religious.
It’s weird and lovely. I know a lot of clergy from other faiths who attend UU churches in retirement because they want the fellowship, but don’t want to be the defacto “backup preacher.”
Unitarian churches are the only ones that I’ve been welcomed, loved, and asked if there was anything I needed as soon as I walked in. They’re all awesome people actually making differences in their communities. People give freely in the churches I’ve been in and multiple times, unhoused folks would walk in and there was a stash of clothes, food, and hygiene products to give to them during the service. Like, as the pastor was preaching. And nobody made them stay. A few did, but most grabbed and left. Everybody would smile at them and offer seats next to them. I’ve never seen that in other Protestant churches before.
Does the Satanic Temple count?
Yes many of the mainstream Protestant churches that permit clergy to have sex lives and marry do not share this problem to the same degree.
Uhm. AG is fundamentalist evangelical. Their pastors are encouraged to marry. (And the spouse is basically free labor.)
Nice try, though.
Edit to add; if that were true then you’d see a disproportionate number of sex pests outside the church being single- yet most are in fact married (because most people marry.)
The Assembly of God are by no means a mainstream Protestant denomination. None of the Pentecostals fall into what is typically viewed as the mainstream.
You should pay closer attention before replying “Nice try, though” to others because you could be making a glaring mistake.
The baptists don’t have a problem? or Methodists? or Lutheran?
Your claim that allowing clergy to marry is a bald faced lie designed to make you complacent. Of course it’s the catholics who have the problem- and of course it’s beause their priests aren’t allowed to marry and vent their perversion.
I know rational thinking is hard when it goes against everything your taught, so allow me to repeat my edit: if that claim were true, then when you step outside the church, you would see a disproportionate number of sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct in the workplace among single men and disproportionately less among married men. The reality is, when it comes to sexual abuse; being married has almost no statistical effect on who is a sexual abuser.
the reality is that sexual abuse and misconduct among clergy and lay leaders is a problem in every religion, and every sect of every religion. If your particular flavor of religion doesn’t have a problem… it’s because your flavor doesn’t see it as a problem. But it is going on. Quite probably in your own church.
I know. that’s hard to hear. You’re told that your pastors are to be trusted with everything, and that leaders are good and righteous… And that’s exactly why sex pests seek those positions.
Neither denomination has the problem on the scale of the Roman Catholic Church. I don’t believe any clergy of any faith rapes at a rate outside of the “normal” amount for other professions.
Statements like “I know rational thinking is hard when it goes against everything your taught” suggest a real lack of maturity and thought because you don’t know me. If you did you would know Im not religious.
This is yet another example of you not thinking about what you are saying and looking ignorant as a result. Nice try, though.
Yet, you’re the one who has yet to drop sources, or actually address anything I’ve said. I find it extremely difficult to believe you have honestly evaluated just how prevalent a problem it really is. Because the overwhelming evidence is that, yes, it’s in fact a huge problem.
Sorry to be so fucking candid, but we’re talking about kids (and others) being sexually abused. your bullshit is just enabling that abuse.
And lets not forget this entire conversation started off with a bald faced lie, that you’ve probably been told so many times you don’t question it:
Which I had already addressed with. Sources. which you still cling to as a lifeline.
You’re also wrong about the AG not being mainstream. You would be correct if you limited that claim to the US, but globally, the World Assemblies of God Fellowship is the second or third largest protestant denomination; behind the Anglican church at #1 and jockeying WCRC for second- that comes down to whose numbers you use.
And yet also, dropped sources up there showing that what you presumably would consider mainstream… you conveniently ignore those. I stand by calling you irrational. I don’t need to know you, to know that your beliefs on this matter do not comport with reality. Because the evidence is literally overwhelming.
More sources for you, because you can’t be bothered to find your own:
https://www.notinourchurch.com/statistics.html
https://www.qualitativecriminology.com/pub/osa148h6
https://www.manlystewart.com/articles/how-common-is-clergy-sexual-abuse
https://www.levinsimes.com/blog/sexual-abuse-in-churches-statistics
https://baptiststandard.com/equip/child-sexual-abuse-church-widespread-problem/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/06/23/evangelical-leaders-sexual-abuse-gateway-church-sbc/74127494007/
https://www.christiantoday.com.au/news/nearly-one-in-10-protestant-americans-left-church-over-sexual-abuse-concerns-study.html
https://www.wuft.org/special-reports/2025-08-14/q-a-with-sexual-violence-expert-how-churches-and-schools-get-away-with-grooming-and-how-to-stop-abuse
You aren’t being candid. You are being rude.
Nothing you say wlll have any value given your attitude here.
At least I’m not actively part of the fucking problem.
your original statement:
Because when I pointed out that your comment was irrelevant- the AG allows it’s pastors to marry- you decide they’re not “mainstream” enough.
Then you insist that the baptists, methodists, and lutherans aren’t abusers at the same rates the catholics are… which is also false.
Then you insist that I’m being ‘ignorant’ and ‘rude’.
even if my comments have no value here… at least my comments aren’t harming people. being a bystander harms everyone except the abusers.
Yes, many.
Stop thinking the media, heavily incentivized to be sensational and provocative, shows you the entirety of reality.
At a denominational level, every group has a sex pest problem.
At an individual church, if it doesn’t, then it’s probably not been around long for a long time.
Sex pest pastors/priests/rabbi/imams/whatever-cleric are in fact super common.