Local Woman Says Christian Temple Was A Cult

Local Woman Says Christian Temple Was A Cult
CBS 13 Sacramento/May 15, 2008
By Laura Cole

She spent years living in fear, and now she's one of four women suing a Christian temple claiming she was sexually assaulted by a pastor.

She says it was a cult, a cult that took advantage of her mind and her body.

Lynette Fay says it started 21 years ago, that Rev. Paul Mears did some of the most horrible crimes for eight years until she was 12.

"Basically he raped me on a daily basis," says Fay.

She's one of four women filing a civil lawsuit against the Christian Gospel Temple Church. Mears was never charged criminally, but Fay believes church leaders knew he was assaulting her.

Fay, who is now 26-years-old, told her mother when she was 14 about what happened. That's when her mother confronted church leaders.

"The way they teach is if you do something wrong, God is going to condemn your soul basically," explains Fay.

She says the abuse happened when the church was in Chino, California, but has since moved to Tennessee.

The lawsuit claims, Head pastor Cornelius Mears, who is Paul's brother, knew the abuse was taking place and did nothing to stop it. It also claims that the church is a cult.

CBS13 left a message with the church today, but it did not return our calls, however, the current pastor did speak to our sister station in Nashville and released this statement.

"We believe the allegations against The Christian Gospel Temple are not correct or true. It saddens me that the church would be associated with these accusations."

Fay admits that she doesn't remember all the specific details of what she says happened.

"A lot of the church aspect of things is not fresh in my memory because of the abuse I was enduring. I blocked it out," concludes Fay.