Ohio televangelist ‘forced members to have vasectomies and abortions..., by Steve Hopkins, Daily Mail (UK) (October 14, 2014)

Ohio televangelist ‘forced members to have vasectomies and abortions, told women to treat pregnancies as tumors and allowed children to be sexually abused’

Televangelist Ernest Angley has been accused of running an Ohio church where men are forced to get vasectomies and women abortions, and where children were sexually abused.

Self-proclaimed prophet Angley has been described by some of 21 former members as a closeted-homosexual Jim Jones who's turned a blind eye to sexual abuse.

But the 93-year-old has defended the allegations, saying he is simply an instrument of God.

He told the Akron Beacon Journal: 'I'm not a homosexual. God wouldn't use a homosexual like he uses me. He calls me his prophet, and indeed I am,'

Angley it is said to have played an active role in encouraging male followers to undergo vasectomies, and also monitored the results.

He said of his role: 'I would look at them, their privates — I, so I could tell how they were swelling.'

Women were also heavily influenced. Former member Angelia Oborne says a friend of hers underwent four abortions under Angley's direction.

Another pregnant woman was told to think of her fetus as a tumor to make the process easier, Ms Oborne claimed.

While Angley was said to encourage vasectomies and abortions to save his member's offspring from the perils to today's society, former member Greg Mulkey said in reality the pastor was motivated by selfishness.

He said: 'He doesn't want people to have kids because it would take their time and money away from (the church).

'He really forced people into abortions through scare tactics, as if he were a medical doctor. It turns my stomach.'

Former church member Shane McCabe claimed he was molested as a teenager by a close associate of Angley, who did nothing to address the matter.

Mr McCabe said Angley told him to keep his claims secret.

Mr McCabe later learnt his wife, Kim McCabe, had also been sexually abused while at the church as a teenager. Again, when the matter was raised with Angley, it is claimed he responded by saying it should be kept secret.

The couple say they later approached Angley about what happened to them. They said Angley was only interested in what had occurred with Mr McCabe and asked him to recall the abuse he suffered at least four times.

Ms McCabe said her husband was told, 'I'm sure it felt good'.

When asked about the sexual abuse claims Angley said if a sexual predator makes a habit of abusing children, 'we get them out'.

He said it wasn't his place to report the abuse to police.