Christian Leader Of Anti-Gay Rights Movement Exposed As Convicted Serial Rapist

I have noted before that it never seems to fail that the "godly Christian" zealots who are most hysterically anti-gay and homophobic and who act all pious and sanctimonious often have their own sexual hang ups and dirty linen that they hide from the public not to mention the morons who mindlessly follow their anti-gay exhortations.  A case in point?  Acra Lee Turner, the pastor of Penn Memorial Baptist Church in Eureka Springs who is leading an effort to repeal that city's non-discrimination ordinance,   It turns out that Turner served prison time for serial rapes.  Once again, it would seem that any sexual predator can find a way to the pulpit.  The Arkansas Times has details.  Here are highlights:

The Arkansas Times has confirmed that a Baptist preacher in Eureka Springs who features prominently in a new video urging repeal of the city's Ordinance 2223, which protects LGBT people from discrimination, pleaded guilty to a series of violent rapes in Oklahoma in 1977. 

Acra Lee Turner, 60, currently serves as a pastor of Penn Memorial Baptist Church in Eureka Springs. In an interview with the Times, he confirmed that he is the same Acra Lee Turner who, as a 22-year-old man, was convicted of three counts of rape in Stephens County near Lawton, Okla. In April 1977, he was sent to prison for three concurrent sentences of 30 to 60 years for those crimes, including — according to this story from an Oklahoma newspaper — the rape of an 80-year old woman who was beaten so badly that she was almost unrecognizable. 

Turner was released in August 2000. According to reports in The Oklahoman and Tulsa World newspapers, the victims and their relatives repeatedly petitioned the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to keep him in prison.

According to The Oklahoman, Turner’s first victim delivered 4,861 signatures to the Pardon and Parole Board in 1991. It was the sixth such petition she’d delivered.

"It's been difficult, but this is the only way I can stay ahead of him," the victim told The Oklahoman in 1992. "I believe if he gets out, he will commit the crime again, and this time he won't leave a witness. "

The son of the 80-year-old woman beaten nearly beyond recognition by Turner assisted on the petition drives. He told The Oklahoman he blamed Turner for the death of his mother, whose health declined after she was raped.

Turner's crimes predate the establishment of the Oklahoma State Sex Offender Registry, and parole and probation officials in Oklahoma could find no record that he is currently being supervised by that state as a parolee. After being released, Turner said that he worked as a basketball coach at a Pentecostal college in Joplin, Mo. He previously served as the pastor at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Eureka, and started as the pastor at Penn Memorial Baptist Church on April 15.

In a phone interview, Turner said he has turned his life around. . . . . . Turner likened the questions about his past to news stories that try to take the focus off important stories, in this case, Ordinance 2223. Turner refused to say whether those involved in the Repeal 2223 effort knew about his convictions prior to his involvement in the video, which is titled "Vote Against 2223 to Defend Jobs, Faith, Freedom & Bathroom Privacy."

Violent serial rapist to Baptist preacher.   In one instance, it's physical rape and abuse and in the other it is intellectual and psychological abuse.  Meanwhile, the hypocrisy is beyond belief.

Sally Kern Continues to Demonstrate Her Ignorance and Hate-filled Mentality

In her anti-gay rant, the new Queen of Hate, Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern cited the threat of gays infiltrating city councils and cited the cities of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Eureka Springs, Arkansas as examples of such cities. As I previously posted, Pittsburgh was quick to slam Ms. Kern and demand an apology. Now, Eureka Springs has also taken her to task as reported in the Carroll County News (http://www.eurekaspringstimesecho.com/articles/2008/03/21/news/we2.txt):

EUREKA SPRINGS - Statements made by Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern (R), secretly recorded and released on YouTube.com on March 7 brought a rebuke from Mayor Dani Joy at the conclusion of Monday's's city council meeting. Kern used Eureka Springs as an example of a town “taken over by the militant homosexual agenda,” and can be seen on the Web at http://www/youtube.com/watch v=1T7s3x4JoQ.\

The mayor's statement, released earlier on Geekfest, an electronic community bulletin board, describes Eureka Springs as “welcoming to all visitors and residents without regard to their race, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability or national origin.

It is our hope that all people would aspire to this ideal.”She also added that in her opinion it was appalling that Kern used Eureka Springs and its citizens to further a private agenda. Elected officials, she said, are put into office for other reasons, and added that she feels that Kern owes the city an apology.

Meanwhile, the sadly deranged and hate-filled Ms. Kern doesn't seem to know when to shut her mouth and is managing to continue to dig her hole deeper and show her incrdible level of ignorance. Contrary to her allegations, the Christianist organizations outspend the LGBT organizations by a margin of almost 10 to 1 and no legitimate science/medical knowledge supports her position that sexual orientation is a choice. The woman is a moron. Here are highlights from this past weekend when she was on television in a debate with a gay pastor (http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/kern_032508.html):

Oklahoma House Rep. Sally Kern made an Easter Sunday appearance on KFOR-TV's "Flash Point" to face off with an openly gay pastor, elaborating on her recent leaked speech and defending her views. A spirited theological and political debate ensued between Rep. Kern, host Kevin Ogle, panelists Burns Hargis and Mike Turpen, and Dr. Scott Jones of Oklahoma City's Cathedral of Hope.

I was talking about the homosexual agenda, and how they are out there putting forth--funding very heavily--homosexual and pro-homosexual candidates to run against, and defeat, conservatives across the nation. "I did talk about what I believe...scientific evidence, health evidence...proves that the homosexual lifestyle is a dangerous lifestyle. And, yes, I did compare it to being more dangerous than terrorism. And my point in doing that, gentlemen, was this: Everybody knows terrorism destroys and tears down, and that was the only analogy I was making is that the homosexual agenda, this lifestyle which is so destructive to individuals, is at the heart trying to tear down what is the bedrock foundation of our society, which is the family and traditional marriage."

If a person is born black, they can't change that," Kern explains. "You see, that's the heart of this issue is the homosexuals believe they're born that way. No medical research--" "--Even Al Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has agreed that all science is leading toward the idea that we are born that way." "I disagree with that wholeheartedly," Kern says. "We're all born with a sinful nature. I'm just as sinful as anybody else in this world."

"The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association all disagree with you, ma'am," Jones responds, "and they're the people I would respect as having a mainstream view, and yours is in an extreme view." "Mine is not an extreme view," counters Kern. "Mine is the view of the average American citizen, and I disagree with you."

AFA - "They're Coming To Your Town"

There are times that I truly wonder what drugs the fundie wingnuts are on. Whatever they are, they are most assuredly very powerful and mind altering to a point where lunacy takes over. This latest insanity is from the American Family Association, one of the most aggressively anti-gay of the Christian Right organizations that routinely disseminates outright lies and untruths abouts gays and the LGBT community. Seriously, I could not make some of their BS up if I tried. Here are is the sales pitch being disseminated to market a new AFA anti-gay DVD (https://store.afa.net/pc-10000122-5-theyre-coming-to-your-town-dvd.aspx):

Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment--had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.

The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”

One of the first actions of the homosexual controlled City Council was to offer a “registry” where homosexuals could register their unofficial “marriage.” City Council member Joyce Zeller said the city will now be promoted, not as a Christian resort, but a city “selling peace, relaxation, history and sex.”

AFA’s “They’re Coming ToYour Town” documents the story of how and why this happened. And how homosexual activists plan to do the same in other towns.

Order a copy of “They’re Coming To Your Town.” Watch it. Then take the 28-minute DVD and share it with your Sunday School class and local church. This is a story the liberal media will never tell, but one you need to know.

Special Offer! Save over 33%! Order a 5 pack and put this vital information in the hands of your local officials, pastors and other community leaders.