Mar 20, 2022·edited Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Farrier
Reading this makes we want to throw things 🤬 the misogyny and hypocrisy in this is fucking overt, yet people swallow it hook, line and sinker as if it makes sense. “Women, be ultra desirable in every facet of your physical being including your mouth but also remember that if a man looks at you funny or touches you inappropriately that that will be your fault for being too desirable” 🤬🤬
And Men, while being more powerful and logical, should be obeyed by their wives. They’re also weak and cannot control themselves so you mustn’t tempt them. These ideas do such a massive disservice to both sexes! The level of cognitive dissonance in all of this is a joke.
Anti anxiety and sleeping pills usually just make me not anxious and super tired not arrogant and horny but ok Brian 😔✌🏻 in all seriousness the link between religion and sex is so damaging, the effects on mental health are terrifying never mind the physical assaults, have you heard of the case of the Kerry Babies? A horrible insight into how religion influences sex which influences how we view morality and it only happened in 1984
Thank you lovely David - once again. Like many others here, I grew up in evangelical churches (and purity-fucking-culture) and have been trying to untangle all the wacky shit I was taught to believe for nearly 30 years now. I’m so grateful you write about it so often as it really helps me feel seen. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn’t know the fear we were taught feels almost impossible especially when these churches positions themselves as a “moral good” in society. As I read today’s column, the thing that got me is the lying and blame-shifting. They do so much lying - even in their “transparency”. Bobby’s words are especially offensive. I remember as a pre-teen being told I needed to manage how men saw me so that my body didn’t cause them to feel lust. I was made responsible for their thoughts at 12 years old. Makes me absolutely fucking furious. Again thanks for all you do x
I'm not sure about sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds but as counselor said to me once about alcohol, it doesn't make you a different person, it just lowers your inhibitions. BTW this wasn't in relation to my behaviour but a boss who sexually harassed me and many others and then tried to blame alcohol
Just a moment of weakness and a relapse. Just those two times in 10 years, nothing more, no pattern here. Could happen to anyone (who's white, male, and rich). The good news is, Brian has prayed on it, apologised to god (but literally no one else) for his fuckery. And GOOD NEWS, god said it was all OK! In the end that's enough for Brian. He just asks that you all give generously to help dear humble leader through this time of heathen persecution.
In my circle of women friends we'd make short work of Brian - we've had a life time of this type of misogynistic and entitled behaviour; he might still need his anti-anxiety medicine though. Just saying...
Mental illness and medication can provide context, but should never be used as an excuse. Its offensive to every wonderful person living their life while experiencing anxiety or taking prescription medication, and NOT sexually harassing people, to have awful behaviour "excused" for these reasons.
I really appreciate you pursuing this david even though they are rich and awful
Creeps and hypocrites like these (Brian AND Bobbie) are why I stay as far away from religion as possible. Blaming alcohol and meds on criminal behavior is a cheap cop-out. I’ve taken anti-anxiety and antidepressants for decades, and it’s saved my life. There’s no self-awareness or accountability in this “church,” and it’s truly frightening.
Just stomach-churning stuff. It's amazing that such unsaintly people attract any followers given what Christianity's basic values are supposed to be. Honest to, well, God.
This whole thing is horrid. I'm conflicted about Hillsong and I don't want to write off the whole thing.
The cover-up, the abuse, the hypocrisy, the greed are all un-Christian. The cover-up and the abuse should be particularly abhorrent to anybody. Like, I hope they are punished as much as possible for it... What an awful explanation.
Mega-churches are mega-problematic and they seem to have always been so. Some might say that the main issues with Christianity began when it became an organized religion under Constantine or whomever that Roman Emperor was.
Where I'm conflicted is that worship music holds a special place in my heart. Hillsong Worship songs are comforting to me, and the words I sing and say in some of those songs are really important to me. And millions of others obviously. I don't want Hillsong worship to be tainted by the actions of their church leaders. They are never represented on screen in any of the videos I watch. But how can it not be tainted?
Worship is a massive part of Christian life. There have been studies done on the reasons for this. The sort of communal peace and connectiveness you get when singing together in big groups, the warm fuzzies you get from being in a crowd all doing the same thing, the ability and skills of musicians to tweak and affect emotions in people just by playing certain chord progressions or notes, the aspirational, hopeful, huge ideas that get sung about... There is a reason that music is such a big thing to so many people, so worship music is a big part of that too.
So... I don't even know what the point of this is. I want to hold onto these songs that mean so much to me. Am I doing that thing where I blindly hold onto something bad just because I like it. Should it be a righteous stand where I ditch Hillsong on principal? There is other worship music. Bethel... lol
There are multiple movements in the colossal Christian movement like "I'm not that kind of Christian" and "That's not my God" where Christians call out that sort of behavior, that sort of messaging from the audiobooks, the greed of mega-churches, covering up crime etc etc etc. That is not what Christ-like Christians are called to be like.
Thanks for sharing this article, David! Once again, I’ve been out of the Webworm loop for a while now but I got back in at just the right time. I had a feeling something like this would unfold given Houston’s shady character and Hillsong as a whole. I’ll definitely be sharing this article with my sister since we’ve both been keeping our eyes on Houston, especially as we’ve been deconstructing our evangelical Christian upbringing.
It is excellent that these people get exposed and named. He wouldnt be the first who is exploiting his position.
I know from a relative a similiar story. And yes how blind the church people can be. Authoritive subservient . Really sad. But then it is their choosing to some degree at least. Or they get lied to in a big way.
I hope that people start thinking for themselves instead of believing what someone else is telling them. And mostly that they trust their own good judgement.
I have long thought that the Christian industry at least has always existed for deviant men getting their jollies with children and oppressed women. They are evidently very good at cover ups and spin too! It seems that the provision of imaginary friends to attract the patronage and money of vulnerable people has been a really good business strategy.
Thank you for staying on this important issue, David, where the real sexual deviants prey. Their 'explanations' are a bloated load of hand-wringing lies.
I went through a phase in college of being part of the Christian Union group (I've, umm, moved on), and we were always singing Hillsong music. In a lot of the churches around the country, Hillsong music is bread and butter for worship.
I am personally a long way from being Christian these days but still have plenty of close friends from those days, and they are good people (just don't bring up the G-word in conversation!). People across a surprisingly wide range of demographics use religion as 'gutter rails' to help them make good choices, and to find personal meaning.
While I don't personally believe the fairytales now, my previous experience makes me genuinely sad to hear stories of evil like this. Increasingly these pricks are tarring all Christians with a pariah brush, and it just drives good people further from the good aspects of religion and into the welcoming arms of these ridiculous capitalism-worshipping-mega-churches where they will always be accepted.
Probably a mix up at the factory where they make sleeping tablets and creeping tablets.
Reading this makes we want to throw things 🤬 the misogyny and hypocrisy in this is fucking overt, yet people swallow it hook, line and sinker as if it makes sense. “Women, be ultra desirable in every facet of your physical being including your mouth but also remember that if a man looks at you funny or touches you inappropriately that that will be your fault for being too desirable” 🤬🤬
And Men, while being more powerful and logical, should be obeyed by their wives. They’re also weak and cannot control themselves so you mustn’t tempt them. These ideas do such a massive disservice to both sexes! The level of cognitive dissonance in all of this is a joke.
Anti anxiety and sleeping pills usually just make me not anxious and super tired not arrogant and horny but ok Brian 😔✌🏻 in all seriousness the link between religion and sex is so damaging, the effects on mental health are terrifying never mind the physical assaults, have you heard of the case of the Kerry Babies? A horrible insight into how religion influences sex which influences how we view morality and it only happened in 1984
Thank you lovely David - once again. Like many others here, I grew up in evangelical churches (and purity-fucking-culture) and have been trying to untangle all the wacky shit I was taught to believe for nearly 30 years now. I’m so grateful you write about it so often as it really helps me feel seen. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn’t know the fear we were taught feels almost impossible especially when these churches positions themselves as a “moral good” in society. As I read today’s column, the thing that got me is the lying and blame-shifting. They do so much lying - even in their “transparency”. Bobby’s words are especially offensive. I remember as a pre-teen being told I needed to manage how men saw me so that my body didn’t cause them to feel lust. I was made responsible for their thoughts at 12 years old. Makes me absolutely fucking furious. Again thanks for all you do x
I'm not sure about sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds but as counselor said to me once about alcohol, it doesn't make you a different person, it just lowers your inhibitions. BTW this wasn't in relation to my behaviour but a boss who sexually harassed me and many others and then tried to blame alcohol
Just a moment of weakness and a relapse. Just those two times in 10 years, nothing more, no pattern here. Could happen to anyone (who's white, male, and rich). The good news is, Brian has prayed on it, apologised to god (but literally no one else) for his fuckery. And GOOD NEWS, god said it was all OK! In the end that's enough for Brian. He just asks that you all give generously to help dear humble leader through this time of heathen persecution.
In my circle of women friends we'd make short work of Brian - we've had a life time of this type of misogynistic and entitled behaviour; he might still need his anti-anxiety medicine though. Just saying...
Mental illness and medication can provide context, but should never be used as an excuse. Its offensive to every wonderful person living their life while experiencing anxiety or taking prescription medication, and NOT sexually harassing people, to have awful behaviour "excused" for these reasons.
I really appreciate you pursuing this david even though they are rich and awful
Creeps and hypocrites like these (Brian AND Bobbie) are why I stay as far away from religion as possible. Blaming alcohol and meds on criminal behavior is a cheap cop-out. I’ve taken anti-anxiety and antidepressants for decades, and it’s saved my life. There’s no self-awareness or accountability in this “church,” and it’s truly frightening.
Just stomach-churning stuff. It's amazing that such unsaintly people attract any followers given what Christianity's basic values are supposed to be. Honest to, well, God.
This whole thing is horrid. I'm conflicted about Hillsong and I don't want to write off the whole thing.
The cover-up, the abuse, the hypocrisy, the greed are all un-Christian. The cover-up and the abuse should be particularly abhorrent to anybody. Like, I hope they are punished as much as possible for it... What an awful explanation.
Mega-churches are mega-problematic and they seem to have always been so. Some might say that the main issues with Christianity began when it became an organized religion under Constantine or whomever that Roman Emperor was.
Where I'm conflicted is that worship music holds a special place in my heart. Hillsong Worship songs are comforting to me, and the words I sing and say in some of those songs are really important to me. And millions of others obviously. I don't want Hillsong worship to be tainted by the actions of their church leaders. They are never represented on screen in any of the videos I watch. But how can it not be tainted?
Worship is a massive part of Christian life. There have been studies done on the reasons for this. The sort of communal peace and connectiveness you get when singing together in big groups, the warm fuzzies you get from being in a crowd all doing the same thing, the ability and skills of musicians to tweak and affect emotions in people just by playing certain chord progressions or notes, the aspirational, hopeful, huge ideas that get sung about... There is a reason that music is such a big thing to so many people, so worship music is a big part of that too.
So... I don't even know what the point of this is. I want to hold onto these songs that mean so much to me. Am I doing that thing where I blindly hold onto something bad just because I like it. Should it be a righteous stand where I ditch Hillsong on principal? There is other worship music. Bethel... lol
There are multiple movements in the colossal Christian movement like "I'm not that kind of Christian" and "That's not my God" where Christians call out that sort of behavior, that sort of messaging from the audiobooks, the greed of mega-churches, covering up crime etc etc etc. That is not what Christ-like Christians are called to be like.
Thanks for sharing this article, David! Once again, I’ve been out of the Webworm loop for a while now but I got back in at just the right time. I had a feeling something like this would unfold given Houston’s shady character and Hillsong as a whole. I’ll definitely be sharing this article with my sister since we’ve both been keeping our eyes on Houston, especially as we’ve been deconstructing our evangelical Christian upbringing.
It is excellent that these people get exposed and named. He wouldnt be the first who is exploiting his position.
I know from a relative a similiar story. And yes how blind the church people can be. Authoritive subservient . Really sad. But then it is their choosing to some degree at least. Or they get lied to in a big way.
I hope that people start thinking for themselves instead of believing what someone else is telling them. And mostly that they trust their own good judgement.
Such a topic. Could go on and on.
I have long thought that the Christian industry at least has always existed for deviant men getting their jollies with children and oppressed women. They are evidently very good at cover ups and spin too! It seems that the provision of imaginary friends to attract the patronage and money of vulnerable people has been a really good business strategy.
Thank you for staying on this important issue, David, where the real sexual deviants prey. Their 'explanations' are a bloated load of hand-wringing lies.
I went through a phase in college of being part of the Christian Union group (I've, umm, moved on), and we were always singing Hillsong music. In a lot of the churches around the country, Hillsong music is bread and butter for worship.
I am personally a long way from being Christian these days but still have plenty of close friends from those days, and they are good people (just don't bring up the G-word in conversation!). People across a surprisingly wide range of demographics use religion as 'gutter rails' to help them make good choices, and to find personal meaning.
While I don't personally believe the fairytales now, my previous experience makes me genuinely sad to hear stories of evil like this. Increasingly these pricks are tarring all Christians with a pariah brush, and it just drives good people further from the good aspects of religion and into the welcoming arms of these ridiculous capitalism-worshipping-mega-churches where they will always be accepted.