Man claims churchgoers held him down and punched him to ‘pray the gay away’
Sean Cormie visited the church in Oklahoma with his partner after his family asked him
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man has filed a police report after claiming a church congregation held him down and punched him to ‘pray the gay away’.
Sean Cormie, 23, lives in Oklahoma and was forced to take his partner to church for the first time after his family kept asking to bring him along.
However, towards the end of the service, the pastor began preaching anti-homosexuality and then a group of 12-15 churchgoers surrounded him and pushed his partner out of the door.
While speaking to KFOR, Cormie detailed the assault and said: “They held me down, pinned me down, and I’m crying and the Holy Spirit just comes through me, and they keep speaking in tongues, praying over me.
“I was just crying, ‘mercy, mercy’.”
The First Assembly Church pastors Bill and Tami McKissick released a statement regarding the incident and said it was a ‘family matter that escalated’.
They said: “On behalf of First Assembly we have been asked by the media to respond to the allegations that have been made.
“This began as a family matter that escalated. Our church would never condone restraint of any person unless they were engaged in violent activity.
“There is much more to this incident, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement to hopefully bring all of the facts to light as a rush to judgment is not in anyone’s best interest.”