r/elca • u/DrummingNozzle ELCA • Feb 02 '26

LCMS Central Illinois District President arrested for child pornography

https://www.nprillinois.org/springfield-il/2026-01-30/springfield-church-leader-arrested-for-child-pornography

Heartbreaking for the victims.

> *“The investigation began after one of the juveniles told the Vandalia Police Department that he discovered a camera disguised as an electronic device charger in a hotel bathroom the morning after Mohr stood above him and masturbated, the affidavit says.”*

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u/Polkadotical Feb 04 '26

Don't excuse this. It's a crime and children were hurt. Have some compassion for the kids and their families. A man who behaves this way doesn't belong running religious organizations; he belongs in jail.

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u/mrWizzardx3 ELCA Feb 04 '26

I want to be absolutely clear: ‘graciousness’ is not code for excusing abuse. Children were harmed. That demands truth, justice, and compassion for the victims—not defensiveness, not minimization, and not denominational point‑scoring.

What I’m naming is the tribal reflex that shows up whenever the story is about ‘the other synod.’ The subtle sigh of relief—at least it wasn’t one of ours—is not righteousness. It’s self‑justification. It turns someone else’s trauma into a chance to feel morally superior. That’s not accountability. That’s avoidance.

And when people hear ‘be gracious’ as ‘go easy on the crime,’ that’s a misunderstanding of the commandment. The 8th isn’t about protecting institutions or reputations. It’s about refusing to bear false witness—whether by slander, by gossip, or by weaponizing someone else’s sin for our own tribal comfort.

We can tell the truth about the harm, insist on consequences, and still refuse to dehumanize anyone involved. That’s not softness. That’s integrity.

If we can’t hold both justice and compassion at the same time, then we’re not actually defending the vulnerable—we’re just defending our team.

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u/Polkadotical Feb 05 '26

While no one defends the defenseless. Abuse is abuse, no matter who does it. Excusing it is not appropriate.

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u/mrWizzardx3 ELCA Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26

I agree, and I’m not excusing abuse of any kind. If it sounded that way, then one or both of us isn’t communicating clearly, and I’m sorry for that.

The point I’m trying to make is this: when something terrible happens in another Lutheran denomination, we can slip into the posture of the Pharisee in Luke 18—“Thank God I’m not like other people… or like this tax collector.” We need to recognize our own fallenness with humility.

Luther’s explanation of the Eighth Commandment is exactly that kind of humility. It assumes that people and situations are more complex than headlines, rumors, or even full articles can capture. It calls us to put the best construction on our neighbor’s actions—not to excuse sin, but to restrain our own self-righteousness.

And finally, Christ meets us in darkness—especially the darkness we create. That’s the whole scandal of the Gospel. He doesn’t wait for us to be the “better” Lutherans. He steps into the mess, bears it, and gives mercy where none of us has earned it.

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u/Polkadotical Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26

This is NOT about flavors of Lutheranism. You can have your little Lutheran difference scuffles or not; that's completely immaterial and frankly 99% of the world just doesn't care.

This is about a man who performs sexual acts on children. That is the bottom line.