LOS ANGELES, CA — Something that conservative religious figures with high profile television shows seem to have forgotten is that lying isn’t only wrong, it will bite you on the ass if the press gets wind of it. Los Angeles televangelist Melissa Scott is the kind of beauty who immediately attracts eyes – and questions about what on earth she’s doing as pastor of the gritty University Cathedral.

Among other claims to fame, her website lists the stunning widow of infamous “shock jock of evangelism” Dr. Gene “Doc” Scott as a “natural linguist with command of twenty languages.”

It may well be that Scott’s tongue can wrap itself comfortably around 20 languages – but before she became the wise and wholesome messenger of God that she is today, that same tongue wrapped itself comfortably around a body part that all 20 languages have an assortment of spicy words for.

The buzz about Pastor Scott’s ex-career path began in 2005, shortly after Dr. Scott, an exceptionally wealthy man nearly 40-years her senior, died from complications associated with prostate cancer. In order to ensure that her husband’s ministry remained vital, Mrs. Scott selflessly ascended to the pulpit.

Considering the fact that she had initially sat in the front pew as one of his professional “pony girls,” it was quite a step up.

During 1995, Dr. Scott’s scantily clad pony girls occupied the front pew of his church as one of his many publicity gaining stunts. The professional models included women who had posed for Penthouse as well as Playboy and were paid to be beautiful inspirations. A mandatory standing ovation greeted them when they entered the church.

It was stunts such as this that helped Dr. Scott earn a cool $1 million per month in donations, as well as a 35,000-square-foot mansion, a private airplane, a fleet of luxury cars and two horse ranches.

Another of his stunts involved his lovely wife, who was shown during television broadcasts riding a stallion while wearing only a thong bikini.

Given this history, it’s no shock that the woman who now promises to present the Bible “in context with history and the sciences” has a professional context of a highly corporeal nature.

It was approaching Easter when an anonymous sender mailed holiday cards to members of the comely widow’s congregation. Unlike traditional Easter cards, these included remarkably explicit snapshots of porn star Barbie Bridges, who just happens to bear a startling resemblance to Pastor Scott.

Although each photo had its various money making elements modestly covered by religious postage stamps or “See you Sunday!” stickers, it didn’t take a professional porn reviewer to notice the similarities between the sacred and the profane. Soon the Scott Wikipedia entry was vandalized into non-existence and newsgroups sprung up to take advantage of the deepening scandal.

And through it all, Pastor Scott did the only thing a religious role model in her position could be expected to do: she lied through her teeth.

Repeatedly asked to come clean about her pornographic past, Scott instead denied everything, sighing during a recent Marie Claire interview and insisting ala Bill Clinton that, “I was never an actress in a pornographic movie.”

Alas for Scott, a fair number of people who knew or worked with Barbie Bridges say otherwise. In fact, they list such accomplishments as the Miss Nude CanAm Exotic 1994 title, an Earl Miller shoot and photo session with Suze Randall as belonging on her resume, along with unforgettable cinematic moments to be found in Cum Guzzlin’ Carrie, Back Yard Booty, and Carpet Munchin’.

They also remember a certain exotic dance agency employee named Paul Pastore as her then-husband. It was Pastore who launched Barbie Bridges Enterprises, for which the aforementioned titles were made.

Although Marie Claire quotes Pastore as graciously saying, “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then I’d rather not talk about it.”

And, indeed, Pastor Scott would rather not talk about it. Accompanied by a phalanx of security guards, the pretty pastor chooses instead to scribble Hebrew and Aramaic words on a dry erase board and create a modern ministry very much unlike that of her husband – and unlike the past she denies ever living.