Woman Claims Evangelical Seminary Leader Shamed Her When She Reported Campus Rape

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

06/21/2019 09:31 pm ET

Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson accused her of lying, asked her humiliating personal questions and threatened her mom, a lawsuit contends.

By Carol Kuruvilla

The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas in March but was unsealed on Thursday, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Patterson was once a towering figure in the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination. A former convention president, he’s credited with steering the denomination toward greater conservatism.



JOYCE MARSHALL/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/TNS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Paige Patterson speaks at a meeting on Dec. 1, 2011. A woman who said Patterson threatened and humiliated her after she reported multiple rapes to him has filed a lawsuit against the former Southern Baptist Convention president.


Patterson’s fall from grace began last year, when disturbing statements he made about abuse elicited criticism from hundreds of evangelical women. In May, he was fired from his job as president of the SWBTS for mishandling a sexual abuse allegation he received in 2003, while he was president of another Southern Baptist seminary.

The lawsuit unsealed in court this week centers around another abuse allegation that Patterson allegedly mishandled, which arose in 2015 at SWBTS.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paige-patterson-jane-roe-lawsuit_n_5d0d45ade4b0aa375f4c7e60

[trev]

1. Oh my, say it isn't so.

This is becoming so commonplace, it's hard to keep track of them all.

[dalton99a]

2. Woman was told her rape was a 'good thing'

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article231828678.html

Woman who was told her rape was a ‘good thing’ by Southern Baptist leader files lawsuit
By Nichole Manna
June 21, 2019 01:00 PM

That woman is referred to in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Jane Roe.

Patterson threatened Roe’s family and asked if her attacker had ejaculated during the reported rapes, the lawsuit says. He also told her that it was a “good thing” the rape happened because the right man won’t care if she’s a virgin or not. The suit claims Patterson seemed to get joy out of asking Roe uncomfortable questions.

An attorney for the woman told the Star-Telegram in 2018 that Patterson sent around an email calling the woman’s mother “nuts.”

[dchill]

3. Jesus.

[MineralMan]

10. Yes. That's his excuse.

All lies.

[NCjack]

8. If only the situation could be reversed.

In that case, Jane Roe threatened Leader Patterson's family and asked if his attacker had ejaculated during the reported rapes, the lawsuit says. She also told him that it was a "good thing" the rape happened because the right man won't care if he's an anal virgin or not. The suit claims Jane Roe seemed to get joy out of asking Leader Patterson uncomfortable questions.

I don't know what the uncomfortable questions were. But, the usual ones are.

Probably, Jane Roe asked Leader Patterson:
1. Did you encourage that man?
2. Did you enjoy the sex? Did you have orgasms?
3. Did he wear a condom? Of course, pregnancy is not an issue, but there is the possibility that you could have transmitted a disease to him. If that happened, Leader Patterson, you could be legally responsible.
4. Do you have evidence, such as witnesses, confidents, or physical evidence?
5. Why did you report the first and each subsequent event to me? At least, you did one thing right -- you didn't go to the cops. Please tell me that you didn't.

Jane Roe finally concluded by telling Leader Patterson that he is just a filthy whore and needs to beg Jesus for forgiveness.

[riversedge]

13. There are pure evil people in this world and Pastor Patterson is one of them.

[mwb970]

4. I am starting to really, REALLY dislike evangelical "Christians".

[Progressive Jones]

14. Welcome to the club! nt

[Sherman A1]

17. +1000

They certainly seem to be nothing more than Charlatans. It’s all about power and money with these clowns.

[Progressive Jones]

18. A weird combo of power and money.

They certainly idolize money, and I think they truly believe the bullshit about doing "the Lords' work"...

[Sherman A1]

19. I think they believe the bulls**t

just long enough to fill out the bank deposit slip.

These folks are just grifters and nothing more than that.

[LanternWaste]

20. I get it. I am starting to really, REALLY dislike "men."

[FiveGoodMen]

22. Then you're on the right track!

[safeinOhio]

5. Just another Southern Baptist leader

they forgot to hold under water long enough.

[JI7]

6. "Evangelical Seminary Leader" just brings to mind perverted scumbags

[japple]

7. That and "christian youth minister." eom

[lpbk2713]

9. And they would consider it a sin to terminate her pregnancy.

The irony is deafening.

[Vegas Roller]

11. Hope the lawsuit becomes class-action

and bankrupts these mofos.

[Grins]

12. Oh, please....

From the link:

"After months of trying to handle the situation alone, Roe eventually told her mother about the assaults. Roe’s family alerted Patterson...."

Patterson? Why not the police???? This was aggravated felonious assault!

Texas Penal Code - PENAL § 22.02. Aggravated Assault:

(a) A person commits an offense if the person:

(1) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to another,
(2) uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during the commission of the assault.
....the offense is a felony of the first degree.. An offense designated a felony in this code without specification as to category is a state jail felony.

He had a gun. So the penalty:

Sec. 12.32. FIRST DEGREE FELONY PUNISHMENT. (a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 5 years.

Instead, she and her parents went to the second person who had a vested interest in NOT LETTING THIS BECOME PUBLIC!

Why do they do stupid like this?

[Progressive Jones]

15. They truly see their religious leaders as more important than actual law enforcement.

It's part of the fantasy world that they live in. Even the "innocents" among them
fall very short when it comes to good citizenship.

[susanr516]

16. I call myself a recovering Southern Baptist

I was born into a family who was almost exclusively Southern Baptist. I finally walked away a little more than 20 years ago. It has become a cult. We all learned from a very young age that nothing is more important than protecting the reputation of your church/denomination. Nothing. Of course, her mother would have avoided doing anything that would have endangered the denomination's reputation. Of course, she would have notified seminary leadership first. Their mistake was thinking that any woman would be considered of worth in the denomination's eyes. They weren't stupid as much as brainwashed.

When I walked, it cost me most of my friends and a close relationship with virtually all of my family. It's extremely difficult to restructure the way you think, to depend upon logic instead of any number of random memorized Bible verses that pop into your head when dealing with stress and difficult situations. I have a lot of empathy for this woman and her family.

[Ilsa]

21. Who is the rapist they are protecting?

The son of a board member or professor?