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ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. -- The pastor of a Rockdale County megachurch has publicly announced he is gay.

Jim Swilley, bishop of Conyers’ Church in the Now, said he hopes his coming out will change attitudes toward homosexuality.

“I know a lot of straight people think it is a choice. It is not,” Swilley told Channel 2’s Diana Davis.

Swilley, 52, founded the church 25 years ago. He seemed the stereotypical picture of a pastor, with four kids and a wife who doubled as his associate pastor. But Swilley said he's known he was gay since he was little boy. He said his wife, Debye, also knew his secret from the start.

“I think some women marry gay men because they really think they can change them,” Swilley said.

The now-divorced couple kept their secret for 21 years, but earlier this year, Swilley said Debye told him it was time to stop living a lie.

She said he should practice what he preaches and follow the church’s motto, “Real people experiencing a real God in the real world.”

So, Swilley came out to his kids and his congregation. He said he knew he might risk everything, but the recent rash of gay teen suicides pushed him over the edge.

“As a father, thinking about your 16, 17 year old killing themselves. I thought somebody needed to say something,” Swilley said through tears.

He says he's received support from many in his congregation, but at least one conservative Christian blog has called him sick, twisted, unclean and an instrument of the devil.

“I know all the hateful stuff that’s being written about me online, whatever,” Swilley said. “To think about saving a teenager yeah, I'll risk my reputation for that.”

BecauseHeLives wrote:He is sick, twisted, unclean and an instrument of the devil.

BecauseHeLives wrote:He is sick, twisted, unclean and an instrument of the devil.

Sanjuro wrote:

BecauseHeLives wrote:He is sick, twisted, unclean and an instrument of the devil.

Seriously, at what point can we simply ban the troll?

Bobby Boucher wrote: Everything is the devil to you, Mama! Well, I like school, and I like football! And I'm gonna keep doin' them both because they make me feel good! [runs out, slamming the door, then comes back in] And by the way, Mama. Alligators are ornery 'cause of their "medulla oblongata"! [runs back out, then back in again] And I like Vicki, and she like me back! And she showed me her boobies and I like them too! [slams the door on Mama]

Sanjuro wrote:Seriously, at what point can we simply ban the troll?

Liv wrote:

Sanjuro wrote:Seriously, at what point can we simply ban the troll?

This is why Sanjuro isn't a pre-school teacher.... Parents come to pick kids up in the afternoon and he tells them "We sent them back to their kind... they've been banned from our playground of reason and logic because they believe in Santa, and the Easter Bunny."

Liv wrote:

Sanjuro wrote:Seriously, at what point can we simply ban the troll?

This is why Sanjuro isn't a pre-school teacher.... Parents come to pick kids up in the afternoon and he tells them "We sent them back to their kind... they've been banned from our playground of reason and logic because they believe in Santa, and the Easter Bunny."

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:

Liv wrote:
This is why Sanjuro isn't a pre-school teacher.... Parents come to pick kids up in the afternoon and he tells them "We sent them back to their kind... they've been banned from our playground of reason and logic because they believe in Santa, and the Easter Bunny."

Sounds like you think there's some hope that BHL will learn some things about reason while spending time in this forum. I believe you can forget it. BHL would never consider the mere possibility of loosening his grip on his security blankie, even for a couple of seconds.

Perhaps that blankie has some positives for him, but it also creates so many negatives, it sometimes is amazing that he can continue to function. The sad part, of course, is that the blankie makes those negatives SEEM like positives, and so BHL has come to love the negatives as much as his blankie. He won't ever grow out of them.

Liv wrote:I think, despite our differences, BHL represents a definite minority of the majority (or some degree of something else), and therefore presents a perfect opportunity to bounce concepts and conversation off of him. Admit it or not, many, many people believe how BHL believes. We may not be able to change the way BHL believes but someone with his beliefs who may be lurking may be swayed in our often heated arguments. Some may be swayed the other way too (which is why I expect he's here) but my honest opinion, and something I must respect BHL for, is that he's for better or worse strong in his convictions.