Family of Woman Affected By "Exorcism" Determined to Take the Case to Supreme Court

It seems religiously-motivated idiocy is not that hard to come by in Texas. An article in the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth, TX tells the story of a woman who was physically abused at the age of 17 by members of her church under the auspices of an exorcism. Laura Schubert Pearson, then Laura Schubert, was repeatedly pinned to the floor of her church by people she called friends in a two-day long incident in June of 1996. From the article:

"Repeatedly, over two days, the youth pastor, his wife and others held the girl down on the floor of the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God Church in Colleyville, even as Pearson screamed, fought and begged to be released."

The physical restrained imposed upon Pearson, now 29, left her with bruises and carpet burns. But it was the emotional trauma that would prove to be the most damaging to Pearson.

"After the exorcism, she dropped out of high school her senior year, began to cut herself as many as 100 times over several years, and refused to leave the house. Pearson slit her wrists with a box cutter."

The case was dismissed June 27 by the Texas Supreme court in a majority decision claiming the courts could not get involved in a debate over religious doctrine. Understandably, Pearson's parents, Judy and Tom Schubert, see things a little differently.

"As the parents see it, Pleasant Glade members abused their daughter in the same way a husband or a boyfriend abuses a wife or a girlfriend — and all under the guise of serving the Lord. They are willing to go to the U.S. Supreme Court in their fight against a church they once loved"

Representatives for the church seemed to have little more than ad hominem attacks to offer in response to Pearson's allegations.

"David Pruessner, the church’s attorney, has repeatedly described Pearson as an out-of-control, attention-seeking teenager who he once said 'breathes in attention the same way we breathe in air.'"

Pruessner claims Pearson already suffered from psychological problems caused by witnessing acts of brutality during her family's 1992 missionary trip in Africa. The attorney cites a preexisting condition as if that makes what Pearson's fellow church members did to her acceptable. If her psychological condition was known beforehand, why was the "exorcism" even attempted?

The talk of demons in Pearson's church started when on June 7, a teenager helping set up for a church youth group yard sale claimed to see a demon in the darkened church building around midnight.

Pearson had been there helping the church group and working at her part-time job when Ron Linzay, the youth pastor, urged everyone to exorcism the alleged demon with holy water sprinkled around the sanctuary. The "cleansing" continued until early in the morning. After Pearson went home, she was unable to sleep. When she had returned to the church on Sunday evening, she had been up for 72 hours.

"It was then that people believed demons had possessed her and the first exorcism was performed. Pearson said she collapsed on the floor out of exhaustion. During the trial, doctors suggested she was hypoglycemic. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, made guttural sounds, cried and yelled."

"'I was moving my head back and forth, and I hear people saying things are wrong with me and the youth pastor’s wife saying it was the demons,' Pearson said. They held her down, but after the thrashing stopped, Pearson was allowed to get up after saying the name Jesus."

Pearson returned to the church on Wednesday of that week. After hearing a sermon about "putting on the whole armor of God to fight off the devil," she retired to a corner of the church, curled up in a fetal position and prayed.

"When another youth asked to pray for her, Pearson refused. Eventually, she was held spread-eagle on the floor. She fought those holding her and asked to be let go. They said 'it was the devil talking,' Pearson said.

"The Rev. Lloyd McCutchen, leader of Pearson's church, then entered the room. He tried to calm Pearson and told her to 'just say the word Jesus' Eventually, he called Pearson’s parents, who came and took their 'dazed' daughter home. Later they saw the bruises and carpet burns. Soon she began having nightmares about hands and faces coming out of her bedroom walls to grab her."

Pearson's senior year of high school proved to be even more difficult. After a severe anxiety attack that allowed her to attend school for only one day, she attempted to take her own life through cutting her wrists and later overdosing on her medications.

Pearson, now married with two children, (her first marriage ended in divorce), works in her new home near Atlanta, GA with children from broken homes who have been in abusive relationships. She has an associate degree in criminal justice and is working toward a degree in social work.

"'I wanted to understand why good people do bad things or why bad things happen to good people,' Pearson said. 'I had a lot of questions I needed legitimate, honest answers to.'"

I hope the case of Pearson and her parents makes it to the Supreme Court. The issue here is not simply a state supreme court being constitutionally unable to deal with matters of religious doctrine. When that doctrine endangers the lives of anyone, especially young people, those affected need to be able to rely on their government. Religious zealots abusing a 17-year-old girl under the guise of exorcising imaginary demons should not go unpunished. Perhaps no one summed up the situation better than Pearson herself:

"You can’t use your religious beliefs to get away with harming a child."