Is Bill Gothard Really Pure?

[SpeakNow]

Gothard preaches complete purity until marriage. Do you think he is actually "pure"? (as in never even kissed someone). After all, he's not married.

[uber frau]

Gothard preaches complete purity until marriage. Do you think he is actually "pure"? (as in never even kissed someone). After all, he's not married.

My money is on some fairly squicky, emotionally incestuous stuff with his mother. He's all for living like the 'good old days' (the 50s or the Old Testement-depending on the context) but the notion of a wealthy, middle-aged bachelor living with his widowed, elderly mother just screams emotional dysfunction to me.

Either that or he's as so deep in the closet that he'll be finding Narnia soon.

[pixydust]

Either that or he's as so deep in the closet that he'll be finding Narnia soon.

That is what I'm leaning towards!

[Clementine]

I'm in Camp Narnia. He reminds me of Liberace.

[Renting with Raggles]

I respectfully disagree with the Camp Narnians. Gothard is old; he would have been caught in a Haggard-esque situation by now. I believe it was his brother who was found diddling the female interns at the ATI, right?

Team Incest - waaay easier to keep secret. Especially if the mother-fucker was mother-fucking with her consent.

[formergothardite]

There have been stories of young, naive teen girls who lived at the training centers being called into his office and he would talk to them and do things like hold their hand. I do wonder if he ever went any farther than that, but if he has, nobody has come out about it.

[AudreyE]

There are some great mental images to start the day. I need to go scrub my brain.

[Renting with Raggles]

There have been stories of young, naive teen girls who lived at the training centers being called into his office and he would talk to them and do things like hold their hand. I do wonder if he ever went any farther than that, but if he has, nobody has come out about it.

Hey, the girl discussed on the other thread had an incestuous correspondence with her father and talked about her baby brother in terms that were...disturbing, to say the least. Gothard might just tell them he is treating them as a daughter, and they're already so entangled in a sexually dysfunctional culture that they accept his word.

[JuJuBee]

It's interesting that some of the extreme fundamentalists are so avoidant of women, not even bothering to get a wife they can dominate. The comments about Gothard here reminded me of Sayyid Qutb, one of the main voices behind the renewal of Islamic Fundamentalism. He seemed terrifed of women and therefore didn't want any of them to act sexually near him. I think he was very fond of his own mother, though.

I wonder if these men are homosexual or just really, really terrified of sex. I could see it going either way.

[nokidsmom]

It's interesting that some of the extreme fundamentalists are so avoidant of women, not even bothering to get a wife they can dominate. The comments about Gothard here reminded me of Sayyid Qutb, one of the main voices behind the renewal of Islamic Fundamentalism. He seemed terrifed of women and therefore didn't want any of them to act sexually near him. I think he was very fond of his own mother, though.

I wonder if these men are homosexual or just really, really terrified of sex. I could see it going either way.

First post here. I wondered this very same thing about him, compounded by mommy issues?

[formergothardite]

At one point he was courting/thinking of courting a widow but he called it off because of his mother or something like that. I think probably does have a mountain of mommy issues.

[mirele]

At one point he was courting/thinking of courting a widow but he called it off because of his mother or something like that. I think probably does have a mountain of mommy issues.

No, no, he has a mountain of issues, period.

And the people that follow him who believe this never-married man who has never raised a family can give them advice on marriage and family, they also have issues.

I never married and I have no children; I wouldn't presume to tell someone how to be a good husband/wife/mother/father.

[MrsYoungie]

He has shades of St. Paul about him. A bachelor with a lot of un-Jesusy rules for how everyone else should live their lives.

I was never a fan of St. Paul.

[AuntCloud]

the notion of a wealthy, middle-aged bachelor living with his widowed, elderly mother just screams emotional dysfunction to me.

SEYMOUR!!!!

[Angri-la]

If Liberace and St. Paul had a baby, it would be Gothard.

Whatever he is into, it isn't what he is shilling.

[hoipolloi]

I'm in Camp Narnia. He reminds me of Liberace.

This. All he needs is are sequined blazers and a candelabra!

[Austin]

If Liberace and St. Paul had a baby, it would be Gothard.

Whatever he is into, it isn't what he is shilling.

Where is the "Like" button? :D

[camdendayton]

SEYMOUR!!!!

But you have to right click on the pic you want to share and copy its address or URL, depending on yr operating system/browser.

Also, sex drives do vary. It is possible he's "pure." But emotionally, def something wrong.

[SpeakNow]

This. All he needs is are sequined blazers and a candelabra!

Haha!

[Visionoyahweh]

He's certainly in a position to have all the women he wants and get away with it, but I don't think there's enough public evidence to know either way.

[BayLee_10]

Certainly I am not an expert on Bill Gothard except for the fact that I disagree with everything that has been attributed to him. It is just possible that he is asexual, hard for the rest of us to understand, but asexual people do exist. His 'work' may be an outlet for his energy.

[Pclee]

I've read this book that outlines the scandal of Bill and Steve Gothard with women at ATI headquarters. Bill wasn't so much involved in the fornication as much as engaging in inappropriate contact with the women. He also covered up big time for Steve according to this book. Very helpful read if you are interested.

Btw, the book covers more than the scandal. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Basic-Principles-Gothard-Christian/dp/0974252808

[thetabmeister]

I have it on good authority that he has made more than one ATI girl feel violated ~~ there have been muliple one-on-one incidents at the various training centers between him and a young girl, my mother claims he has at least one love-child, and his brother was also known to have had multiple scandals that good ol' BG covered up.

I KNOW this is all hearsay, but I've heard too much of it to let it ALL go...and that is the mildest version of what I've heard. JMO

I have been very intimately involved with ATI/IBLP families for year but thankfully my parents had enough sense not to drag our family into that.