Robert Morris, a megachurch pastor in Dallas, Texas, reportedly admits having "inappropriate sexual behavior" with a "young lady" who was in fact a 12-year-old girl.
The woman, Cindy Clemishire, told WFAA the abuse started on Christmas Day in 1982 and continued until 1987, when she told her parents. The Wartburg Watch, a church watchdog blog, first reported her account Friday. …"When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years," the pastor said in his statement.
Morris thinks it's all good because "it was confessed and repented of," because he has "walked in purity and accountability in this area" since, and because "I asked their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me."
Keeping it secret from his congregation and the authorities, though, that was another matter—one brought to an end by The Wartburg Watch: "I Was 12 Years Old and Wearing My Pink Pajamas When Robert Morris, Now of Gateway Church, Began to Molest Me. The Alleged Abuse Lasted for 4 1/2 Years"
She thought nothing of visiting a family friend in their bedroom. He told her to lie down on her back and touched her stomach. He told her to close her eyes. Then he touched her breasts and felt under her panties. He warned her:
"Never tell anyone about this because it will ruin everything."
She returned to her bedroom and didn't tell her sister what happened.
Robert Morris repeated this behavior until March 1987. This would happen in Texas and Oklahoma, and the family would stay at the Morris home in Texas. Her father donated money to Robert's ministry, not realizing what was happening to his daughter.
Why did it come out now? The victim sought to recover the costs of therapy and it turned out that accountability wasn't going to involve any accounting.
Robert Morris's attorney responded by implying that they believed it was her fault because she was "flirtatious." She asked for $50,000 (which was not much in my estimation.) They responded that they would give her $25,000 if she signed an NDA. She refused, so she can now tell her side of the story.
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