Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« 12 Ave Arts Finally Breaks Ground | SL Letter of the Day: Salad Tossers »

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Religion There Is No Morality Without Religion

Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 4:45 PM

A pastor at Everett’s First Baptist Church was charged today in King County Superior Court with commercial sexual abuse of a minor for allegedly arranging to meet a teenage girl he expected to pay for sex, according to court documents. John K. Lawlor, 54, was arrested Tuesday evening after Seattle police said he made arrangements to meet a person he believed was a 16-year-old girl and then drove to Seattle with $200, condoms and his cellphone.... Lawlor, who told police that he’d moved to Washington from Idaho last year. He is married and has grown children, according to his church’s website.

This story broke an hour ago and Lawlor has already been scrubbed from First Baptist Church's website. But his name is all over their church bulletins. Lawlor was Community Life Pastor at First Baptist.

FacebookShare

Comments (22) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

The Jeebus is strong in this one.

Posted by Karlheinz Arschbomber

on February 21, 2013 at 5:04 PM

"No, no, guys, it's cool. God told me to do it."

Posted by Knat on February 21, 2013 at 5:05 PM

If only he was a Catholic priest he could have that 16 yr old delivered and could expect complete protection courtesy of the home office.

Posted by kwodell on February 21, 2013 at 5:07 PM

Considering the average age at which girls become prostitutes is 13 in the United States, this isn't too surprising. What this guy was planning is abhorrent and hypocritical. But any guy who uses a young-looking prostitute without being absolutely sure she is over 18 is not much better. I'm as anti-theist as they come, but I've also done my fair share of volunteering with commercially sexually exploited teens. There are plenty of men willing to look the other way and buy sex from teen girls, and I doubt they're all pastors.

Posted by wxPDX on February 21, 2013 at 5:08 PM

#4 You do see Mr Savage's point with postings like this don't you? Your comment suggests you missed it. But I respect that I might not have read you correctly.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on February 21, 2013 at 5:20 PM

@5 I'm a regular reader and understood Dan's point. I was shamelessly using the thread to make a vaguely related point that yes, we should point out this asshole's hypocrisy, but we should be aware of a much larger scale problem. I appreciate your charity in letting me explain. Thank you.

Posted by wxPDX on February 21, 2013 at 5:26 PM

Damn internet. Back in the day, a pastor could just plan activities that would happen to leave the most desirable parishioner's daughter alone with him in the church after sunset, and then, well, that little seductress would make him sleep with her.

Posted by seatackled on February 21, 2013 at 5:35 PM

The story broke not an hour ago, but 22 hours ago on SeattlePI.com Get your attributions and facts straight, arrogant BigFoot.

Posted by joel connelly on February 21, 2013 at 6:12 PM

Considering the charges weren't even filed until this afternoon, seattlepi.com could not have broke the story 22 hours ago.

Posted by If the shoe fits on February 21, 2013 at 6:34 PM

Also, it should be pointed out that this crime was the result of a To Catch A Predator Style police sting- there was no actual 16-year-old girl.

Posted by If the shoe fits on February 21, 2013 at 6:39 PM

I'm impressed that the church has the tech savvy to erase this creep from their web page. Sure, they didn't take him out of their bulletins, but they could probably have those edited as well by tomorrow.

Posted by Charlie Mas on February 21, 2013 at 6:59 PM

The scrubbed the guy from the website as soon as the arrest happened earlier this week.

One thing about Christians...they will throw you overboard in a heart beat if you're gonna cost the coffers money. SHOUT GLORY!!!

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on February 21, 2013 at 7:09 PM

It's those Coders for Christ. They use their gift for Him.

Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay

on February 21, 2013 at 7:56 PM

How many of the publications that carry Danny's shit pay for his services with revenue from child prostitution ads?

Posted by There is no Morality without Liberal Humanist Hypocrisy on February 21, 2013 at 8:10 PM

I'm pretty sure that's cool with the Bible.

Posted by sirkowski

on February 21, 2013 at 9:03 PM

"I'll be right out, I have to take these clothes out of the dryer. I baked you some cookies & made sweet tea, it's there on the counter, help yourself."

Posted by TampaDink on February 21, 2013 at 10:08 PM

These people make me want to puke! I am a gay out and proud atheist. I don't need alleged biblical morality to know that have sex with CHILDREN is a bad thing.

I am sure y'all think that your version of religion is just peachy. I think it clouds peoples' judgment. All you have to do is say you love Jeebus or Moohammed or whatever and you gain respect. From me you get suspicion.

Google "no true Scotsman" fallacy to understand what I am saying.

Posted by JJinAus on February 21, 2013 at 11:54 PM

#10 Yes thank you for making that point clear. There was no actual child involved but there was an actual heterosexual Christianist predator involved, that being the important point. I suspect this guy was a known quantity and the police were waiting for the right time to set a trap. He was not just some guy they targeted.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on February 22, 2013 at 12:43 AM

Good thing he had condoms: if he had gotten her pregnant and she didn't want to marry him, he would have had to stone her to death.

btw - the trolls on this one are fucking hilarious. If you keep attacking the clergy like this Dan, you might have to read even more of those terrifyingly pathetic attempts to give you the sads. Watch out.

Posted by smajor82 on February 22, 2013 at 7:38 AM

Praise Jeebus!

Posted by tomsj on February 22, 2013 at 7:46 AM

Jeebus luvs me
this I no
cuz his preechers
fuck me so
hard and they won't
let me go.

yes Jeebus luvs me.
yes Jeebus luvs me.
yes Jeebus luvs me
cuz the bible
tellz me so.

Posted by kwodell on February 22, 2013 at 10:56 AM

"Looking to earn extra cash online?
When you take a break , go and click some advertises and make some tasks, i use clixsens for 1 hour a day, and I earn about 100 dolars in first week.After you create an acount , invite some friends to join this.you will earn comission from their earnings.
The address is :
http://www.clixsense.com/?5244493
We will talk more on the site.You can ask me for help there.
Payments Via Check, Payza, PayPal and Liberty Reserve
PS: IT IS NOT A VIRUS"

Posted by Christian87 on March 28, 2013 at 5:45 AM