It seems not all churches believe in simply praying away the gay.
QNotes reports that five members of the Word of Faith Fellowship have been indicted on several felony charges following the alleged kidnapping and assault of a young gay man.
Matthew Fenner, a 21-year-old student, says his fellow churchgoers attempted to free him of his “homosexual demons” during a two-day assault that involved slapping, strangling, verbal assault, and threats of confinement. He also claims his story was not initially taken seriously by law enforcement and that it took several attempts to get a formal complaint filed over the incident, which he says occurred in January of 2013.
On Tuesday, a grand jury charged parishioners Justin Brock Covington, Brooke McFadden Covington, Robert Louis Walker Jr., and Adam Christopher Bartley with second degree kidnapping and simple assault charges, along with Sarah Covington Anderson, who was also charged with assault by strangulation.
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Fenner says that during the attack he was surrounded by 15-20 college-aged men, who demanded he confess his homosexual sins and that “deliverance soon ensued” — at which time he was pushed, shaken, kicked, punched, beaten, screamed at, and told to repeat various phrases in an attempt to free him of his demons.
But Patrick Covington, a brother of one of the accused and a self-identified gay man, says Fenner’s story is a lie, as does the church’s attorney.
Located in Spindale, N.C., the Word of Faith Fellowship is no stranger to allegations of cult-like abuse. In 1995, its “blasting” technique — a method in which a detainee is encircled by church members and subjected to “high-pitched shrilling sounds, screams, and prayers” was the subject of an Inside Edition report.
While Fenner has since left the church, his mother and brother remain members and even testified against their kin in the grand jury deliberations.
Trippy
Well, as a North Carolinian, I must first say that I am HORRIFIED that this happened. It’s not typical for the state, but it is very typical for this particular church (which has a weird & loony history that’s well-documented in local media).
Second, this young man, Mr Fenner, has come a very long way over the past couple of years, and he should be commended for standing up to torture (which is what it is) and for reporting these vile ignorant people to the authorities. To show you just how far he’s come in accepting who he is, I would direct you to this YouTube video of his “testimonial” from just two years ago. It’s heartbreaking because you can on his face and hear in voice just how painful his life was at that time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85NnfotlvLM
I am SOOOO PROUD of him for coming out and coming forward. He’s my new hero.
Trippy
@Trippy: Typo acknowledgement: It’s heartbreaking because you can SEE on his face and hear in HIS voice just how painful his life was at that time.
Stache99
No different then any other cult. Brainwashed people.
Dakotahgeo
This is typical behavior of off-the-charts faux Christian cultic groups, i.e., Westburro Baptist Church. Only time spent in prison will keep people safe from these lunatics. Kidnapping is NOT a crime one wants to do time for… it results in years of incarceration. Good luck with that, Word of Faux Faith Fellowship!
Kathukid
Wow, sounds just like the assaults on gays by those assholes in Russia. I hope they all go to jail for a long time.
Bryguyf69
@Trippy: Thanks for the link. That video was painful to watch — not only because of the stated tribulations, but because we now know that he was gay, yet unable to vocalize it. He only spoke of being “delivered” from the “sensual” and “unclean” but never described what was unclean about his life. In contrast, he explicitly described his cancer, car accident, smoking and alcohol addiction — and then added, “I gave myself to much unclean.” It’s obvious now that he was referring, at least partially, to his homosexuality. And despite his testimonial, the deliverance clearly didn’t work. Hallelujah!
Of note, the video is titled, “My true son” and presumably uploaded by his mother (who he credits for the deliverance). Very telling is the fact that she turned off Comments. But viewers can still Vote, so let’s embarrass the church by bombarding it with Thumbs Down.
http://youtu.be/85NnfotlvLM
Ladbrook
@Trippy:
Agreed, and thanks for the vid link. As another posted, he seemed to reference his sexual orientation with the phrase “unclean.” The whole thing seems almost forced and cult-like. I wonder if even back then he feared for his life within his own church, family, and community. The man is nothing if not very very brave. My heart goes out to him. I wish him only the best. As Savage would say, “It gets better!”
Bryguyf69
You can see a news interview with Matthew Fenner below. They do some weird artsy (?) thing where Fenner is shown on a tablet, rather than streaming the video directly to the screen. He seems like an articulate intelligent young man.
Perhaps more interesting is the interview with Patrick Covington, the gay brother of one of the accused. First of all, I was surprised that he is [at least partially] Black. He accuses Fenner of lying, based not on facts, but simply on the belief that his sister is incapable of such crimes. Worse, he says gays should just mind their own business and move on.
The saddest thing is Fenner’s fear of retribution. He says that he constantly has to look over his shoulders. Yet he’s glad he persisted in his complaint, even if the outcome may not turn out in his favor. I hope he chooses to go to college, where he can find the protection and support he needs to feel safe and nurtured.
See the video interviews here:
http://www.wlos.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/victim-alleged-word-faith-abuse-grateful-indictments-18829.shtml#.VInqH3tUUYB
Leonard Woodrow
This church and those who sympathise with it are a terrible danger to young people, and should be ostracised by all decent people. Such appalling ignorance in this enlightened age is unforgivable.
SteveDenver
He’s a doll.
I hope he gets far away from all that bullshi† and his family who “testified against their kin.” What a weird religious freak show.
NoCagada
Gee…if it was Iran, they would have sodomized him to teach him a lesson…”I’ts OK if MY dick gets hard while I buttfuck you…I’m teaching you a lesson”
LadyL
@NoCagada: I’m sure certain of those “church members” fantasized doing just that to him. As vicious and ugly as bigoted straights can be, there is nothing more terrifying than a closet case projecting his self-hatred onto a defenseless “sinner.”
Garrett
That poor child! and so handsome. Thanks for the video. He was troubled back then, you can tell. I’m so glad he’s moving on. He’ll be a great man in the future. I do hope his tormentors get what they deserve once they get to prison. (I think you know what I mean by that).
mgkbus
“…and so handsome…” And the like. Really? Does it make a difference if he is handsome or not? Are we truly that shallow?
Stache99
@mgkbus: You’re actually asking that on Queerty? Of coarse looks matter. If he wasn’t it would be one story you never hear at least on this site.
transiteer
What can you expect from a bunch of nuts who are up to their nose hairs in a fake religion that appeals to the stupidest of people. Don’t go to church – you’re among the enemy. Get away from these jesus freaks.
mgkbus
@Stache99: You’re right, I totally forgot where I was. Silly me.
Harley
@NoCagada: And the afterwards get chucked off the highest building and then Stoned to death.
Mikah
Religion is institutionalized insanity.
WBrianG
Lets remember thing, JESUS would NOT act this way. These people, unfortunately like a lot of right-wing “Christians”, have little knowledge of how Jesus actually acted or the type of people he commonly associated with. NOR, do they remember His words from the Bible ….. like “whoever is without sin cast the first stone” ? They end up using the Old Testament quotes to condemn Gays. Even present day Jews distance themselves from a lot of weird shit in the OT. I’ve spoken to Jewish religious leaders who have No problem whatsoever welcoming LGBT people into their congregations.
So, from a religious standpoint — these people, and a whole lot others like them, are just FREAKS. God made me what I am, a gay man. I was a gay child. I didn’t assume this sexuality, GOD MADE ME THIS WAY. And as the saying goes, God doesn’t make crap. We are in His image and likeness. We are every color of the rainbow. Enough preaching.
My advise for this young man is get as far away from these people and your family as possible. There’s a lot of weird shit that goes on in the South. Deliverance country.
onthemark
So what happened to the demons? If they were “freed” where did they go, are they just floating around waiting to attack some other unsuspecting straight Christian boy?
And why do demons only live in the South? Do demons need heat & humidity? Could Southerners put demons in a box and mail them up north, or would they freeze up here?
Garrett
@onthemark: LOL. They go POOF! All gone. I’m sure it’s in the Bible somewhere.
onthemark
@Garrett: That’s too bad, I was hoping I might be able to keep gay-inducing demons around the house. Use as needed, ya know?
jockboy1986
21 y/o MAN ARRESTED FOR MASTURBATING
December 9, 2014 by wgreenlee
Anthony Smith said his mom won’t let him watch porn in the house.
“Instead, he goes outside nude and walks around hoping that someone will see him,” an arrest affidavit states.
That’s what Smith, 21, told Martin County Sheriff’s deputies Nov. 14 when they went to the 1900 block of Southeast Monroe Street in Stuart for a report of a nude dude.
Two people shortly after 1 p.m. said they saw Smith standing in his yard. He had no clothes on and was masturbating.
When a sheriff’s lieutenant pulled up, he noticed Smith “bending down naked in the driveway.”
“The suspect then stood up and ran back to his home next door,” the affidavit states.
He went inside and got dressed.
He told deputies his mother won’t let him watch pornography in the house. He said he walks around naked outside and hopes someone sees him, saying it’s a “high.”
It may not have been a “high” for Smith to be taken to jail.
Smith, of the 1900 block of Southeast Monroe Street in Stuart, was arrested on an exposure of sexual organs charge.
Sluggo2007
So, tell me, jockboy1986, where is the link to that article (you know, the one you just made up) and how long have you been a member of the Word of Faith Fellowship?
Bryguyf69
@Sluggo2007: I’m not sure why you’re accusing @jockboy1986 of making the article up, or belonging to the church. If you had doubt just do a little work. When I think a student has plagiarized, the first thing I do is a websearch of the passage in question. If you Google the first sentence in that article, you’d see that it’s real. Took me less than 5 seconds. Seriously — I just highlighted the first sentence, “Anthony Smith said his mom won’t let him watch porn in the house.” Right-clicked in Firefox, and clicked on “Search Google for…” (or whatever your preferred Search engine is) In 0.44 seconds, thousands of results verified that this is a real article.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Anthony+Smith+said+his+mom+won%E2%80%99t+let+him+watch+porn+in+the+house.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8