“If I want to continue being around this love and this power, I’ll do whatever my dad wants me to,” says Jamal Parris, one of four men accusing Pastor Eddie Long of being a total jesus creep. Interviewed in Colorado after Long’s Sunday sermon, where the pastor promised to fight the allegations (which he won’t deny are true), Jamal is speaking out against the man he alleges sexually abused him.
Why didn’t Jamal just tell Long to stop what he was doing? Because, Jamal says, “you’re afraid to lose your father. You’re afraid that if you tell him ‘No,’ the support that he gives to yourself … the fact that you finally have a father that you always wanted for and always dreamed of, will just walk away from you if you don’t give him what you want. So you end up turning into something you never thought you’d be.”
And: “You have to understand, this man manipulated us from childhood. This was our father and we loved him. This man turned his back on us when he had no more need for us. That’s not a father. That’s a predator. … [Long] is not a man, [he is] a monster.”
Jamal says that while Long can mislead his entire congregation about the allegations, he’ll never be able to tell these four men the charges aren’t true.
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In 2008 Paris reportedly attempted to commit suicide following the affair with Long. It was unsuccessful, but afterward Paris posted this letter to Facebook aimed directly at Long:
Do you remember the time that you used to be able to look at yourself, know and like the person you saw looking back. I cant say that i do. I can honestly say that life has been hard, i have wanted to quit many many times and tried to quit by terminating my membership here on earth.
But i am still here. Through the trials i am here. you have hurt me. I am not DEAD. i am still standing, tears in my eyes, years of hurt in my heart, feet on the ground. i am here. all i ever did was love you and want you to love me. you lied and deceived me. Why. does it matter do you even know.
I lost a life because of you. the sad part is it is the life you gave. i gave up so much, of myself and what i valued most. for you.
Whether someone tells you about this note or not, God knows it and sees my heart. I will no longer allow you and your actions to stop me from living.
I will not allow you to take anymore from what you have taken. and if you dont know let me tell you: my joy and peace, my innocence, you murdered that genuine person that was inside of me, the person that god made me. you took away hope, and you almost caused me to take my own soul. what kind of person are you.
You are not a human, you are a monster, you have made me one to those who care and cared about me and now i see the world like I see you, evil, corrupted and full of lies. i dont need you to hurt or love me anymore i can do that by myself for free, no price and no string attached.”
[Note: We’ve seen Jamal’s name reported as Jamal Paris, Jamal Parris, and Jamal Parrish.]
Carl
He looks like Vin Diesel’s cousin.
paul
he’s hot – if he needs a daddy, tell him to hit me up.
Fitz
@paul: That is inappropriate. Your talking about someone who is coming forward to talk about sexual victimization at GREAT cost to himself. What he doesn’t need is another predator in his life. And what we don’t need is to be seen as constantly walking around with our dicks in our hands.
greenluv1322
That dude is fucked up. Damn!
Taylor Siluwé
His pain is palpable. I admire his courage and strength to come forward like this.
Eddie Long, with all his power, influence, and fawning sheeple supporters likes to equate himself with “David” against Goliath forces (conjured by Satan, no doubt).
But this young man is more like David, and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and its 25,000 members who keep their ‘Bishop’ driving 25mil dollar cars are the true Goliath he’s up against.
kenny
He is very cute I admit but I understand Fitz’s point.This poor guy has gone through so much and I admire his courage so much.I can’t even begin to understand the pain the fear the confusion and the scarring that he experienced from all of this.Kudos to you Jamal for standing up and speaking out you did the right thing.I hope eventually this sick Pastor is brought to justice people need to wake up in that congregation and see him for what he really is: a monster a sexual predator not a decent human being period.
Fitz
@kenny: I really didn’t mean to snap at Paul so hard– but my protective “big brother” side got very active.
Black Pegasus
I feel so much sympathy for this young man. (and not just because he’s a cutie :)]
But because of the courage it takes to come forward. He is facing a very powerful monster who will stop at nothing to preserve his current way of life.. Jamal, keep your head up lil buddy. And don’t leave us. You have so much more work to do in this life.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
So that disgusting son of a bitch was targeting fatherless teens and coercing them into sex acts? What a sack of garbage.
SomethingElse
I believe him.
Taylor Siluwé
My hope is that Atlanta’s enormous gay population takes this golden opportunity to cast a shaft into the eye of the Cyclops of homo-hatred from the pulpit.
I see a silent demonstration outside of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church – with signs showing all the little gay boys who off themselves, with little 3-yr-old Ronnie Paris who’s father thought he was gay and beat him to death.
HOMO HATRED is KILLING our CHILDREN
The media is paying attention. Now is the time. C’mon Atlanta!
scott ny'er
I’m wondering. Don’t gangs do something similar to their recruits? They provide that sense of family, money or whatever that is missing from the recruits life and then suck them into the gangbang life?
tjr101
I really admire his courage and we as a community need to rally around him and the other accusers. Pastor Long is a predator with a tremendous following that’s already infiltrating the media with their holier than thou propaganda.
Keep up the good fight Jamal!
edgyguy1426
They should get this man out and in front of the cameras as much as possible. Until I heard from him directly, I had doubts. not anymore.
SomethingElse
I suppose some will say it serves these guys right for following such a public homophobe, but I think they’re too young to be judged that way.
0 Simpatico
In this age of Technology and pretty limitless outreach
I find it hard to sympathize with KEPT teens
Violation of any sort is unnacceptable
But I wonder how fast an average Monster with no Toys and Cash
Would have been thrown in jail after these boys swiftly rushed to authorities
Claiming they had been violated
I hear the legal age is 16 in this part of Georgia
I wonder what legal ground these impressionable, materialistic young adults will have?
Joy
Wow!!! YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THE VICTIM IS AS YOU TAKE A GUESS AND DON’T KNOW EITHER OF THESE MEN. You’ve assumed they are telling the truth because he/they risked humiliation/embarrassment “coming out”??? He was out way before he ever heard of New Birth/Eddie Long. He was victimized way before he accused this bishop.
Lynn
I don’t understand why people think this is a joke. Satan is here to steal, kill, and destroy! And if Jamal Parris is telling the truth only time will tell, but God knows all, and sees all. What is done in the dark will come out in the light! So if the Bishop is claiming that Jamal and the other victim’s accusations are false God already knows whether he is telling the truth or not.
Taylor Siluwé
@Joy: We don’t know, but YOU know all, right?
@Lynn: We don’t really care what God knows. God won’t testify in court. Unlike church hierarchy who knew but did nothing, God can’t be sued.
Let’s leave God out of any discussions of Eddie Long and these legal proceedings.
TruthTeller
This Lyn person is right, though. Somebody is lying and somebody is not. If there is a God, God knows who it is.
wannabegay2
i do believe this boy. its horrible. but on the other hand i do have some doubt about a person going shopping, gets stopped by cameras and has a flawless speech about everything. he is too good, i do think his lawyers told him what to say. he is so clear, concise, better than obama. lol
TruthTeller
Wannabe : It will probably turn out where nobody is an angel in this case. But (IF the charges are true) it’s Long who is the greater villain, since he’s the one always espousing homophobia in public.
Enron
What a cutie! Pastor Long has good taste but still doesn’t make it right. Imagine the psychological damage these young men are going through?