This past Sunday, U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore spoke in front of the predominantly black congregation of the Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, Alabama, amidst numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. 

The highly contested race between Moore and his opponent Doug Jones, who has gained national prominence for prosecuting the remaining two Ku Klux Klan perpetrators of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four girls, have dominated national headlines. Both men are vying for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' old Senate seat and as Dec. 12 approaches Alabama will decide who goes to Washington, D.C. 

Moore decided to appeal to black voters by heading to the Birmingham church. Bishop Jim Lowe, who claims the church has invited candidates of both parties before, allowed Moore to speak briefly but stated that he would not talk about politics; instead, he read a Christmas-themed poem and asked for the congregation's support. 

But that did not stop the bishop from selling the parishioners on Moore. 

"The law said he should remove them. He said, 'no, this is the word of God.' He wouldn't support same-sex marriage. The law says support it. He said, 'but the law of God is supreme.' He's on a cross. He's being crucified now," Lowe said.

Many of the churchgoers were outraged that Moore would be at the service. Parishioner Charlene Cannon told Al.com that many of the women, in particular, turned their heads away from Moore. And she was irate that he would pander to them.

Moore's appearance at the church doesn't reflect his beliefs about black people. Up to last December, Moore believed President Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen. He has also gone on record stating that  U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison should not be in Congress because he is Muslim. And last month, he said the "new right" created in 1965 was the source of our "problems" today. That was the same year of the Voting Rights Act. 

"He has no respect for women," Cannon said. "And dealing with these young ladies, he hasn't explained that. If there were just one or two, it's their word against his. But as many as have come out, my momma used to tell me where there's smoke there's fire, and this has been smoldering for a while.

Moore has been accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. Since the initial story was broken by "The Washington Post," several more women have come out claiming Moore pursued relationships with them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18.

President Donald Trump endorsed the embattled Republican candidate despite the damning allegations in a Dec. 4 tweet and later that Monday afternoon in a press conference. 

“The President had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the President endorsed Judge Moore’s campaign,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah.

After a slew of critical comments from a now-deleted Facebook post from Cannon and a post from parishioner Cara McClure,  Bishop Lowe released a statement on the backlash claiming that Moore just wanted to come and worship. 

"We have a standing invitation to all people, and that includes politicians. If they're a sitting politician, I will give them an opportunity to speak. If they're a candidate I'll give them a few seconds to let people know who they are and what they're running for, " he said. "Roy Moore asked to come worship with us, but not campaign, so I gave him a few moments to speak."

Photo: Giphy

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