Reader: Scott Spies, Bible School Teacher Accused of Having Sex With 16-Year-Old Student, Is a "Great Man"

• Scott Spies was the best man at my wedding, having known my husband since they were kids. Scott is a remarkable man who made a mistake--a mistake he regrets and for which he is remorseful. We support and love him, as do many, many other friends and family. The girl, with whom he had a relationship, didn't want him to do ANY jail time, not even work release. What he did was wrong, but God forgives those who ask for it. Who are any of you to place any judgement on someone you don't even know? You don't know any facts in this case, my husband and I do, and we fully support Scott as he tries to rebuild his life and relationship with God. Will most of you who make rude and hateful comments do anything to make this world a better place? Do you fight for the rights of defenseless or abused children? My guess is no. You've done nothing to move your argument forward. Do something with your anger and make a difference instead of writing hateful drive-bys.

• I knew both Mr. Spies and the girl he was accused of having sex with and all I can say is that the man took advantage of a girl who had no real hold in this community. He was always the most popular teacher in the school we went to; everyone loved the guy. That he had to make this kind of terrible decision will effectively ruin not only his life but also the life of my friend. The fact remains that he was teaching the "word of god" while screwing a fifteen year old... unbelievable hypocrisy.

• I agree with Jeff.

• Wow, Jeff Krein, what part of a minor not being able to truly consent to sex with an adult do you not understand? The reason a 15-year-old cannot legally consent to sex with a 50-year-old is because because adults and chldren are not even remotely on the the same playing field, mentally or emotionally. Teenagers are notorious for being confused and troubled and can betaken advantage of, which is what Scott did. A child doesn't have to scream "No!" for it to be abuse. Do you really think it should be legal for adults to have sex with children? Or is it just okay with if it's an older child? If you really don't get that there's a victim here, I really don't know what else to say, other than I'm glad the law isn't as ignorant on this issue as you obviously are.

• Sorry for this delayed response to your comments, I've been out of town for a few weeks. Now, I'd like to start with Mr. Locke. Never once did I try to defend what Scott did. What he did was horrible, cut and dry. I'll say this one more time, I'm simply defending the kind of person he is. Who cares if he went to Thailand and it's a major destination for sex tourism? I find it hard to believe he went there to rape little girls. Thousands of people go to Thailand every year, for many other reasons. The point you tried to make holds absolutely no weight. And I have a question for you. In what way have I embarrassed myself? Now in response to Heather's comment. You're right, what Scott did was not a "mistake", I shouldn't have classified it as such. He did know what he was doing and he made the conscious decision to go through with it. I, as well as many other people that know him have forgiven him for what he has done. And yes, I would have felt the same way if it had happened to someone close to me. Why? Because I know the kind of person he really is. I know that his intention was not to hurt this girl, her family or anyone else in any way. I do feel sorry for the girl, but to a certain extent. She absolutely knew what she was doing as well, and had ample opportunity to stop it. I know she's under-age but she consciously allowed it to happen. Put yourself in her position. What if this had happened to you when you were 15? Would you want people to feel sorry for you if you had made a conscious decision to have sex with a man much older? Would you want people to say horrible things about him and call him a rapist? I don't think so. It's all about how you look at it. There is no victim in this situation. Now finally I respond to you, Mr. Miner. I do feel, very strongly in fact, that this is the first time he has done this. If there were others, don't you think they would have used this opportunity to come forward? I have talked to literally hundreds of his former students. Not a single one has said anything negative about Scott or has admitted to anything of this nature happening. And really, how many times do I have to reiterate that I am not defending what he did? I'm not saying it was right in any way, shape or form. So before anyone else says I'm defending his action, please for the love of God re-read my original post because you obviously misread it the first time. And one more thing, Greg. Portraying God as "A fictional character that is supposed to make it all better", is your opinion. You obviously haven't studied the Bible in any way, and that's fine. But keep your opinion to yourself.

• It's simple. Scott Spies had sex with a child who was put under his care, a trusted position of power. Instead of being an advocate for her, he raped her, repeatedly. Do you really think that Scott waited this long to start raping young school girls? Or is it more likely that he has been doing this the whole time he has been in the SDA school system, abusing his position of power over young, defenceless school children. You people who defend rape as a "mistake" are deluded. I feel that that is an equal crime, excusing rape and/or covering it up. And please don't bring God into this! A fictional character that is supposed to make it all better. Please.

• Jeff Krein, I do not need to know Scott Spies personally to claim he's not a great man. Maybe he was at one point, but he lost that title when he committed statutory rape. A minor under 18 in the state of Washington cannot legally consent to sex with an adult,IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, and for good reason. If Scott was truly a great man, he would have done the right thing, despite the temptation. He would have either put the thoughts out of his head, gotten help if he couldn't do it on his onw. He CHOSE to do neither. I've seen it over and over again, especially within churches. People rush to the defense of the abuser who has ADMITTED to sex with a minor, and they try to explain away the sick actions. This is disrespectful to the victims and hurts them even more than they already have been. I noticed you said Scott made a "mistake." A mistake is an action you take without realizing what you're doing. The way you are painting Scott, it's as if he was a teenager himself, instead of a Bible teacher and a man in his 50's who knew EXACTLY what he was doing. I don't care what the girl did, HE was the adult in the situation and knew better. The girl is the one who truly deserves your defense, not Scott. What if this story had happened to your own mother when she was young, a daughter, a wife, a sister, or close friend? Would you feel the same way? What if the girl had been a boy? I'm very sad for you that your mentor has fallen, but I think we all need to face the reality of Scott's actions. If you don't, you're just behaving like countless others who don't take a real stand against abuse in God's church. God will judge us on how we treat his lambs.

• Can someone tell me what happened with the Dean of Men, Gary Bale? I was a student when he was there and am curious to know if he was fired for inappropriate behavior. I am vaguely familiar with Mr. Withrow's situation and can say that it was not at all like Mr. Onsanger's, as far as I know.

• Jeff Krein and Blake Featherly: Are you familiar with Mr. Spies's trip to Thailand? Are you aware that Thailand is a major destination for sex tourism? Do you know what sex tourism is? Look it up. Even some of Spies's good friends were disturbed by the fact that Spies posted pictures on Facebook from his trip to Thailand in which he posed with various young girls. These are his personal friends, people who know him well, not students who only know him as a teacher. I know you're young, but please try to stop a moment, take a step back, and try to look at this realistically. I know what it's like to have one teacher at an Adventist school whom you really like. I went to Adventist schools myself and in all those years, I had only one teacher who treated me like a human being. But the fact that Spies is a fine teacher and gets along well with his students does not mean he didn't do this, nor does it mean that he's not a rapist. According to the law, he IS a rapist simply because the girl was underage. I hope you don't embarrass yourselves further. You may not feel embarrassed now, but give it time. Wait for all the facts to come out. I suspect you'll feel differently later.

• I am a classmate of Jeff's and have also known Mr. Spies for the same duration, if not longer. I fully agree with what he has said and, like him, will defend Scott as a PERSON but not defend his MISTAKE. Scott, in my opinion, was one of the reasons why my experience with PSAA was enjoyable. I have my personal thoughts on the SDA Religion but that does not affect my view of him. He is one of the best teachers I have ever had and one of the nicest people I know. The cowards can bash him all they like but that will not change my memories. Like "former student" states, this is a very acceptable thing in other cultures, which should be considered in light of his character. Does this make what he did right? NO. Extremely poor judgement on his part on how should have been handled and, like Jeff stated, he will pay dearly for it. Sad situation for a very good man.

• First of all, Mr. "biteme", did you actually read what I had to say or did you just feel the need to post a random message saying what everyone else does? If you actually had read what I wrote, you should have posted your name and WHY you think the way you do instead of looking like just another anonymous idiot. Again, why can't ANYONE back up what they say? All these anonymous messages bashing Scott and the SDA community have absolutely no bearing. Has anyone ever heard the saying "Don't write checks that your ass can't cash"? And to you, Mr. "TDLightman", I am very open to everyone's opinion on the situation. However, it literally hurts my brain to read posts from people bashing Scott and the Academy when they don't even have the balls to back up what they say. I truly feel for you if you have been through "devistating" (by the way you misspelled devistating) situations within the SDA community. Unfortunately, in these times it's not only the SDA community that may be hiding things, it's in ALL religious communities. I will always say Scott is a great man, because anyone that actually knew him, knows that he didn't do this because he's a "pervert" or a "monster". It truly hurt me to see this happen because I know he's not the kind of person that would EVER hurt anyone intentionally. This man not only was a great influence on many kids' lives, he was a great influence within the church community. He was always more than happy to help out anyone, in any way he could. I can't stand reading all these articles and posts calling Scott a "rapist". That is absolutely not true. Webster's dictionary describes rape as: The crime of having sexual intercourse, usually forcibly, with a person who has not consented. This girl has never denied the fact that it was completely consentual. Scott by no means, raped this girl. Like I said before, I'm not trying to defend what he did in any way, I'm simply defending Scott's character. What he did was wrong either way you look at it. However, it doesn't make him a bad person.

• He's pleading not guilty because there are other facts and circumstances he wants to bring into the case. If he pled guilty, he would have no trial, and sent straight to jail. This way he has at least a chance to explain himself, if he wants to. Also, I don't know about the first 2 dean of men mentioned, I don't remember them, but I worked for Gordon Onsager for 2 years. I think it's worth mentioning that he was only a sophomore (or a junior-i'm not completely sure) when he started dating his now wife. She was also almost 19. It's not like they were doing anything wrong. They were only a couple years apart in age. The school also has a very strict social policy, with no kissing, hugging, or even holding hands allowed. As an assisstant dean, he lived in the boys dorm, and there are no girls allowed in there, except on special occassions. After she graduated, he joined the army, and although I can't remeber if they got married before or after he got out, there was never any indecentness in their relationship. Then, yes, they both went back to work there, her as the office receptionist, and him as the fundraising/alumni organizer and basketball coach. She actually left last year to go back to school. But I just wanted to let you know that this is nothing like what happened to Mr. Spies. And I'm pretty sure that Dean Withrow and Garold Bale both have stories more like Mr. Onsager's than Mr. Spies. I also want to point out that the girl involved with Mr. Spies was very young and from another country and culture, where it's not such a bad thing to have relationships with older men. Don't quote me on this, but they were actually planning on getting married in the future, sometime after she graduated. Yes, it was wrong of Mr. Spies to take advantage of her like that, but they really did love each other.

• This has happened before at AAA, several times. Dean Withrow (dean of men), Garold Bale (dean of men), Gordon Onsager (dean of men), and probably more that aren't known. Onsager actually married the girl who he started dating when she was a senior, and they're both employed there. Mind blowing, isn't it?

• everyone pleads not guilty so that the DA will lessen the counts. This is part of our legal system. Doesnt mean he will even go to trial. THE SDA church has covered stuff like this up for years.

• I wonder where he bought those disgusting looking teeth. Pretty sure that isn't something a teenager would want to hit. What's the matter with you boys, can't get it up for women?

• This is what we former Seventh-day Adventists call "not surprising at all." I was raised in the cult and educated entirely in its school system. During my years in that school system, I was aware of three teachers who got into trouble for this sort of thing. Two of them were simply moved to other schools (the third fled to Alaska). At the Adventist academy I attended in Redding, California (then a junior academy that went only to the tenth grade), we had a principal who, it turned out, used to be a teacher at another Adventist school, but when he was caught fondling little girls, he was moved to our school and promoted to principal. At Rio Lindo Academy, an Adventist boarding academy in Healdsburg, California, we had a boys' dean who spent his nights roaming the halls with the specific intent of catching boys masturbating. When caught, they were dragged to his office, a bright light was put in their faces, and they were interrogated about their masturbation. The dean LIVED for this. The Seventh-day Adventist community is a tight one, very enclosed, and news travels fast. I don't know Spies, but this whole thing looks very, very familiar, and from what I've been able to learn from people close to this situation, I'll bet good money that this has been a problem for a while and the school system has been aware of it and has covered it up. I hope some ambitious reporter looks into this for a change and finally begins to expose the truth about this school system and what it's been up to for so long. Adventists proudly say that you seldom hear of Adventist teachers at Adventist schools being caught at this sort of thing. True -- you seldom hear of them being caught by LAW ENFORCEMENT. That's because it's usually neatly covered up by the school system and everyone involved is convinced that it would be best to keep it quiet and put the whole thing behind them. It's been reported that, according to school officials, Spies was "very remorseful." And yet he's pleading not guilty. Where did he teach before? How long was he at the other school(s) where he taught? What happened there? Why did he transfer? Somebody PLEASE ask these questions!

• biteme: you are just another cowardly, despicable poster who doesn't have the guts to sign their real name. if you did, what you have to say might have some validity. since you choose to hide behind the shield of anonymity why should we care what a bitter jerk like you has to say on anything????

• globe223: what they did? You're a spineless f88k as well.

• "No one knows what really happened between the two of them" Yes, we do. They both said sex happened between them. He's nearly 50, she was 15 when it started. That is underage. That means she is considered too young to consent, and he, being an adult, and a teacher, is presumed to know better. Yes, we have the right to judge. We have the obligation to judge. That's why we have a judicial system. He will stand before a judge and answer for his actions. I know him. I wish he would have pleaded guilty, to save the girl and her family further embarrassment, and to take full responsibility for his actions.

• I agree with you Jeff. No one has the right to judge him. No one knows what really happened between the two of them so why can't people just shut their yabs and stop talking about something they do not know about. Now what they did was definitely wrong, but hey, God forgives them for sure no doubt about that.

• Just because Scott knows the bible and has had a positive impact on the lives of young people should not be the basis of your declaration of Scott being a "great man." "There is no one good but God." Luke 18:19 Jesus who is the Christ stated that. I am no longer an adventist. Things have happened to me and others I am close to in the church that have been devasting. I have repeatedly communicated issues both verbally and in writing from my once home church, area sda school, and the conference...to no avail. Issues within the adventist church are systematic in nature. As a man, you should not be so defensive as an adventist but open and if you are truly committed to your faith and love the Lord. Be open to listening to others and willing to make a difference within your faith and your community. As a child of God, you should not run so quickly to defend any of us who sin, but rather boast in the Lord and defend Him at all costs.

• Jeff Krein, that spineless f**k, should be charged with conspiracy to commit child rape. His ignorant and irresponsible posts and attitude contribute to this despicable behavior.

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