An investigation has been launched into comments made by a preacher at a Moray church.
Pastor Donald Clough allegedly told his congregation that society would be “much better” if women submitted to their husbands.
Mr Clough, who is pastor at Moray Coast Baptist Church, has been accused of creating “a masterclass in misogyny” following the sermon on October 17.
Speaking to the congregation in Garmouth near Fochabers, Mr Clough suggested society would be “much better” if they submitted to their husbands and stuck to their “role” at home.
The sermon online titled, The Conduct of Christian Women, said women should see their role in life “to be married, to have children, and to tend to household affairs – the cooking, the cleaning, the washing up, the preparing of meals”.
The church is registered as a charity – and the National Secular Society (NSS) has complained the sermon breached guidelines.
Sermon a ‘masterclass in misogyny’
In the online recording heard by The Press and Journal, Mr Clough said Christian women should dress modestly and not “sensually”.
Clarifying for those listening, he said this meant clothing should not be too tight, short or low cut adding that the showing of the chest or thighs is seen as “nakedness”.
Preaching from 1 Timothy 2:9-15, Mr Clough said this conscious dressing helps men “control their thoughts”.
He did say this was not meant as a placing of blame on women for how men think however, and that although men and women have different roles, both are equal.
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) says charities should be there to provide a public benefit.
However, Megan Manson, NSS head of campaigns, claimed they find many charities registered under the umbrella of “the advancement of religion” who are furthering harmful messages.
Finding the sermon in their monthly checks of newly registered charities, she called it a “masterclass in misogyny”.
“It’s about subjugation,” Ms Mason said. “It’s about men controlling women, and saying that men have authority over women, just because they’re the male, and she’s the female.
“That kind of mindset is what I think contributes to wider issues of domestic abuse and coercive control.
“I think we can see that it is harmful. It’s certainly not for the public benefit to promote the idea that we need to be submissive.
“It reinforces gender inequality, it justifies treating women as unequal saying that their places are in the home and not in the workplace.
“I do think this advancement of religion as a charitable status is enabling a lot of harmful ideology to be promoted that a charity wouldn’t be able to get away promoting if it wasn’t under advancement of religion.”
Concern is being investigated
In his sermon, Mr Clough also said many women were “controlled by their emotions”, more concerned by outward appearances and more easily deceived spiritually than men.
He cited these reasons and the fact many women are “easy targets for false teachers” in the case that women should not be leading in churches.
The pastor, originally from Minnesota, helps lead the church which says its object is to “proclaim and propagate the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Baptist faith through the ministry and through a program of Christian education”.
It holds a Sunday School, run by Mr Clough’s wife Tabitha, for children from the ages of four to 10.
OSCR confirmed it is investigating a complaint about the church and when approached by the Daily Record, Mr Clough denied claims of misogyny.
The pastor said: “We believe that men and women occupy different roles, both within their homes (Ephesians 5:22-33) and within the churches (1 Timothy 2: 9-15), but this in no way means that women are inferior to men.”
He did not respond to The P&J’s request for comment.
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