She's a..?! Word?!: Prostitution in Dominican Republic

I've never heard of Jamel Shariff or his web documentaries but in his newest piece he takes a look at the growing problem of prostitution in the Dominican Republic with young women. Not sure how much work goes into pre-production or post, but maybe with a few more docs in his resume we will be seeing more work from him. Many of these women have sex for money and can't even afford their next meal after. In contrast there are women that prostitute and hustle so hard they are able to take care of their WHOLE family. For the record...... it is wrong.... you know what I'm talking about

World Wide Leader of SEX: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's latest sex scandal

"Karima El Mahroug, the woman at the center of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's latest sex scandal, says that when she was nine years old, she was raped by two men, then told by her mother to keep quiet because she feared how her father would react if he discovered she wasn't a virgin. When she was 12, her father spilled a pan of boiling oil on her after she told him she had converted from Islam to Catholicism.

In a late-night interview on the largest of Berlusconi's three television channels on Wednesday, El Mahroug, now 18, parted her hair to show the scars from the oil burns and explained how she had developed a "parallel life" after leaving her house shortly afterwards — one in which she told friends she was older than she really was and had come to Italy to study. "In front of other people, I've always maintained the image of a Wonder Woman, capable of conquering the world, without showing these tears that I'm finally able to show," she told Alfonso Signorini, host of the Italian talk show Kalispéra!" -- Via The TIMES

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043352,00.html#ixzz1BbLIBN8x

GAY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT JUMPS OFF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE

THIS IS A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT. THIS YOUNG MAN ENDED HIS LIFE BECAUSE HIS ROOMMATE RECORDED HIM ON A WEBCAM HAVING SEX WITH ANOTHER GUY. THE FACT THAT HIS ROOMMATE WANTED TO SEE THAT MAKES HIM GAY TOO.... CORRECT?....

CNN'S ROLAND S. MARTIN "EDDIE LONG MUST STEP DOWN"

(CNN) -- The power of any pastor over his or her parishioners is derived from their "calling" to minister the Gospel from God, or as some call it, the anointing by the Holy Spirit. But the role of a pastor -- the Bible speaks to being a shepherd of a flock -- also comes from the belief that it is their moral standing as the earthly representative of God to lead their congregations spiritually.

If you read the writings of Paul in 1 Timothy 3 (New International Version), he offers the following instructions: "Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church)...He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap."

As we witness the salacious and troubling sex allegations leveled this week against Atlanta megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie L. Long, it is clear that many are confused to hear four young men come forward and allege that the man of the cloth, the husband and father, sexually coerced them and used the power of his prophetic position to engage in sex with them.

It is even more shocking considering Long has preached with conviction against homosexuality and gay marriage.

The details outlined in three lawsuits -- a fourth man stepped forward on Friday -- have rocked the Christian community. Bishop Long isn't just a preacher with a storefront church. He oversees a massive 240-acre complex in Lithonia, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, a congregation of 25,000 members, schools, and an international ministry that is seen on TBN, Daystar, The Word Network and online. He is widely respected as a strong man of God who ministers annually to fellow pastors, men, youth and a mega women's conference.

Video: New allegations surface

Video: Fourth lawsuit filed against pastor

RELATED TOPICS

• Christianity
• Eddie Long
• New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Inc.
• Religion
• Georgia

His influence is tremendous and far reaching, even in the areas of education and politics in Georgia.

With all that said, and I fully understand that he has vigorously denied the allegations, there is no doubt in my mind that for the sake of the church, Long and his family, he needs to remove himself from the pulpit as the leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in order for the issue to be resolved to its conclusion.

In an interview with me on Thursday on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Long's attorney, Craig Gillen, said his client would speak for the first time on Sunday at 11 a.m. and address the issue before his congregation.

While I disagree with waiting five days since the allegations were revealed -- if someone accused me of doing this and I know in my heart I didn't do it, I would be screaming from the top of Georgia's Stone Mountain -- Long first and foremost owes an explanation to his personal family, and then his church family.

If he does indeed stand before the New Birth family, Long should be honest and forthright, not mince words or engage in double talk. And after whatever he says, he should take it upon himself to "sit himself down."

In the Christian church, when a pastor is accused of wrongdoing, going through a divorce or violating the biblical call to be above "reproach," the senior pastor orders them to be "sat down." That means they don't carry out their ministerial duties. The point is to protect the integrity of the Word of God, as well as to allow that pastor to get his or her affairs in order.

As the leader of New Birth, there is no human authority above Long. But he has a heavenly father that he has to answer to, and he must not allow his personal travails to interfere with the good and expansive works of the church. Souls still need to be saved, people still need to be healed, the sick still must be cared for, and the naked clothed.

Yet I also hope that when Long speaks, he does one of two things: If in his mind and heart he has done no wrong, he will launch a vigorous defense of his name and integrity and vow with every fiber in his body to fight the charges, even if that means spending every dime he has and not settle the lawsuits.

But if he is guilty of what is alleged, I pray that Long doesn't stand before his church as its spiritual father and continue the charade of saying "I didn't do it" and tear into his accusers. God, Long and those young men know what took place, and as someone who has listened to many of his sermons and read his books, Long has often talked about the need for Christians, especially men, to be accountable for their actions and confess their sins.

If guilty, and if he truly cares about his enormous flock, he will stand before them and admit to the error of his ways, and not put them through more pain and heartache. He is a charismatic pastor who has always been known to preach an uncompromising Word, unwilling to say what folks want to hear, but instead, what they need to hear.

Bishop Long, your congregation and the world don't want to hear excuses. They don't want ambiguity.

Your motto at New Birth for years has been "Taking Authority." This is the time for you to live that credo out before your flock, no matter what the outcome will be.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

BISHOP EDDIE LONG... SEX SCANDAL OR EXTORTION?

ATLANTA | The pastor of a prominent megachurch accused by three young men of coercing them into sex took trips with other male proteges in his youth ministry as part of a mentoring effort, a lawyer for the religious leader said Thursday.

Bishop Eddie Long, who has denied the sex allegations, plans his first public response Sunday during services at his 25,000-member church, lawyer Craig Gillen said on the Tom Joyner Morning Show after Long canceled an interview with the nationally syndicated radio program.

In lawsuits filed this week, three men who were members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church claimed Long pushed them into sexual relations when they were 17 or 18 years old with gifts including cars, cash and travel. Long, who opposes same-sex marriage, built up the sprawling church in suburban Lithonia that counts politicians, celebrities and the county sheriff among its members and hosted four U.S. presidents during the 2006 funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King.

One of the claims in the lawsuits is that Long had sexual contact with the young men, who were enrolled in New Birth's ministry for teen boys, during trips he took them on in the U.S. and abroad. Gillen said the travel was part of a mentoring program that other young men also participated in.

"The mentoring process involving travel is not exclusive to the three plaintiffs making these allegations," Gillen said.

Gillen also read a statement from Long in which the pastor, a married father of four, said he's anxious to respond to the allegations but that his lawyer has advised him not to yet.

"Let me be clear. The charges against me and New Birth are false," Long's statement said.

Gillen also said the three making the allegations were motivated by money, adding that one of them is accused of breaking into Long's office.