I find it hard to explain how it feels to work hard all day but not be creative. I'm in the middle of an audit right now and feeling the exact opposite of creative. So, to help my mindset, I'm publishing a photo just because I can.
Plus... I want to figure out how to use Blogsy on my iPad. I had forgotten.
Youth pastor Jonathan David Masteller, formerly of Gap Community Church, was arrested for the repeated sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy. Masteller was a youth pastor, classroom assistant and basketball coach.
On Nov. 29, a church employee discovered images on a computer that the former employee used, allegedly showing Masteller and the teen engaging in sex acts, and reported them to the police.
In a Gap Community Church statement released to Fox43, the church staff said they were "shocked and saddened to learn of the charges filed against Jonathan Masteller," and reiterated that he no longer works at the church.
Source:Sexually Explicit Photos of Former Youth Pastor and 13-Year-Old Found, Leader Arrested for Alleged Sexual Assault by Morgan Lee.
Apparently this dumbass took photos of his sex acts. I hope he likes prison.
East Anchorage pastor Ronald Paul Rathburn Sr., was arrested for the possession and distribution of child pornography. Rathburn is a pastor at Eternal Love Ministry.
The Alaska State Troopers' High Tech Crimes Unit, which is a part of the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children task force, tracked images of child pornography to Anchorage and then turned the case over to local police, Estes said.
After investigating, Anchorage police allegedly found the illegal images coming from Rathbun's home on Island Drive, Estes said. A search warrant was issued and Rathbun was taken into custody and charged.
Source: Anchorage minister faces child pornography charges by Benjamin S. Brasch
Rathburn has traveled extensively, which included missionary trips to the Philippines and other poor countries. I’m learning that trips to the Philippines for pedophiles is like a visit to Candy Land for a diabetic and should be a red flag for churches. Why do Christians send missionaries to a country that is 82.9% Catholic and 99% religious? I’m betting it’s to poach converts.
Human trafficking in the Philippines is so bad that is it is considered a crime against humanity. Pastor Ron has visited the Philippines nine times. He’s feeding children. When you do the math, the “ministry” sounds more like an opportunity.
Christians send missionaries to the Philippines because it is a safe place to operate and the food-for-faith deal they offer is attractive to the poor and starving. Let’s see Eternal Love Ministry operate in Timor-Leste, Malawi, Somolia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It’s easy to jump on a jet and land in one to the fastest growing economies in Asia. It’s easy to operate in a country that is friendly. One where Americans are welcome. Yet we send pastors to sow evil. It is cowardice and not our finest hour.
My favorite blogger, Jack Vance of Atheist Revolution, is putting together a list of the big questions that divide the atheist movement. I thought I would attempt to answer them one at a time.
Should atheists work toward the total eradication of religious belief, or is it sufficient to stop those who would impose their religiously-based morality on the rest of us? Some anti-theistic atheists argue that we should stop at nothing short of ending religion and that it is a mistake to seek religious allies who may share our goal of secularism; other atheists believe that secularism should be our primary goal and are perfectly content to work alongside religious secularists when it may be beneficial to do so.
Part one: Should atheist work toward the total eradication of religious belief. To put it simply, my answer is no. The goal is unattainable, which makes it a fool’s quest, and I am no fool. Plus, what people believe is not the issue. How they act on those beliefs is the issue. I know plenty of good people who happen to be Christians and I know plenty of people who use religion as justification for horrible actions. We must fight those who act against us and whose ideas are in conflict with our rights. We must offer an alternative to religious morality that can compete for the hearts and minds of the public and we must offer ideas that can win. We must offer a viable alternative to religion and not crush religious belief. By offering an alternative, we dilute religion’s influence and we win. Life is about choices. Let’s offer good alternatives.
Part two: Is it sufficient to stop those who would impose their religiously-based morality on the rest of us? Yes. We must fight every instance of injustice. We must fight any attempt to legislate morality. We must carry to fight to the public via blogs, demonstrations, books, podcasts, lectures and any vector that works… even through simple conversations at the company water cooler. Our mission should be intelligent opposition to Iron Age ideas.
Part three: Do we work alongside religious secularists or exclude them? Yes! We should work with those who share our values and those who could share our value, but more importantly, liberal Christians are a huge untapped resource. If we work with those Christians who oppose the oppressive morality of the conservative movement, we win. A few years ago I worked with a local pastor on his position towards marriage equity. He eventually abandoned his opposition to the issue and started preaching a message of support to his large flock. This is a win. It took a few beers and a lot my time, but the pastor and his church are now aligned behind a secular moral position. They continue to win others over to the cause. People who I would never be able to reach because I do not speak the language of the believer. If I had focused on the irrationality of his belief in God, our conversation would have lasted five minutes. I focus on moral issues and not on what diety people believein. It is more productive.
A message to Jack Vance - I’ll think about the list of questions. I’m hope to be able to contribute soon.
More to follow…
A fifth grade school teacher has been suspended by Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Her crime? She was the victim of a crime. Her iPhone was stolen. It contained nude or seminude photos. These photos were published to a revenge porn website and... well she's been suspended.
"To confirm, we do have an employee who appears in some photos that have been compromised and made digitally available. This employee has been put on Administrative Leave while the matter is being investigated. While this investigation happens, it is our goal to have minimal disruption here at the school. Parents, Faculty and Staff have all been notified. Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation, and out of respect for this person's family, no additional details are available at this time."
My instincts are to protect the victims of a crime. It's the right thing to do. When you punish a victim instead of offering support, often in the name of some subjective moral standard, you punish the innocent. Is that right? I don’t think so. Parents be damned. Let’s what is right for the victim.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy can be contacted at (513) 247-0900 or by email at dawn.parker@chca-oh.org.
Egyptian Poet Ahmed Fouad Negm “el-Fagommi” has died (Obit) in Egypt at age 84. Negm was the “poet of the people” in Egypt. I found his work through an Egyptian friend just a few short years ago. I have a PDF copy of a few of his translated works. I’ve copied out an example below. He is amazing translated into English, but I wish I could read his works in Arabic.
(Uyun il-kalam)
A Poem, a Manifesto
If the sun were to drown
In the sea of sad clouds
If the earth were engulfed
by a wave of dark shrouds
And sight died away
From all eyes and all minds
And the pathway went missing
Amidst circles and lines
You might get around
(You think you’re so wise!)
Yet you haven’t a guide
But the words’ very eyes
Reggie artist Junior Murvin died in Jamaica at the age of 67. I loved "Police and Thieves," and played it often during Reggae Friday at work. R.I.P. Junior Murvin and thanks for the tunes.
They lied as bad as any thug or ex-con I've ever come across - Det. Gary Lyon
Rodger Mahony, the former Cardinal of the archdiocese of Los Angeles, now lives in the rectory of a parish in North Hollywood. He should be in prison. Mahony systematically designed victims of clergy sex abuse justice by deliberately hindering police investigations. He also protected priests that he knew were continuing to abuse children. Why? Because he was meant for bigger things. Because he was meant for an important biography. Because he was destined for greatness.
That a priest could molest a child would no longer have surprised Mahony. Less than a month after he started work in L.A., the first letter regarding an abuser priest landed on his desk. Two days later, he was dealing with the case of a second molester priest.
Baker was the ninth.
For decades, such allegations had made their way to the archdiocese's headquarters. But for the most part, the men who wore the miter before Mahony did little in response. Letters from irate parents gathered dust in file cabinets. Priests were quietly transferred.
Mahony knew the larger church was just starting to confront clergy abuse. In 1985, after a molester priest caused a scandal in Louisiana, U.S. bishops held a closed-door session on abuse at their annual conference.
Read more: For Rodger Mahony, clergy abuse cases were a threat to agenda by Harriet Ryan, Ashley Power and Victoria Kim
The Los Angeles archdiocese is the largest in America. Mahony focused his energy on hiding abuses and defusing potential scandals. History will remember his as an enabler who protected pedophiles.
Via Flickr:
I am always on the lookout for unusual folk art. This caught my eye while shopping at the my local Farmers Market in Cerritos. I met the artist a few minutes later.
Pastor James Ray Guerrero was convicted of sexually assaulting two young boys in his Westminster home-based church. He would molest the boys at his in-home bible studies.
A jury in Westminster today found self appointed pastor James Ray Guerrero guilty of sexually assaulting two young boy relatives at "church" meetings and Bible studies in his home.
That sets 54-year-old James Ray Guerrero of Westminster up for a possible maximum sentence of 123 years to life in state prison, according to prosecutors.
Source: "Pastor" James Ray Guerrero Guilty of Sex Acts with Boys at His In-Home Bible Studies by Matt Coker
Guerrero was a self-appointed pastor. As many as 40 adults attended his church. How does one follow an uneducated and unaccomplished pastor?
Youth pastor Jonathan David Hall pleaded guilty to 45 count of texting and possession and emailing child prone, but don't worry; it was all just a sexual fantasy. Of course, it was not a fantasy for his victim. She was 15.
The poor bastard is guilty of being a texting pervert before widespread use of snapchat.
According to the affidavit, the texts between Hall and the Lexington girl came to light on March 24, when Lexington police took a report from a mother who said she had seen suspicious texts on her daughter's iPhone.
The texts were from a person saved as "Prince Charming" in the daughter's contacts. The contacts also listed Prince Charming as Zachary Blight Carter. Several texts asked the girl whether she was deleting the texts and photos the two were sending each other, the affidavit says.
New rule: Youth pastors shall not have snapchat installed on business or personal phones or tablets, nor shall they ever use the application or have an account.
This poem was written by atheist poet Sean Wright.
My eyes along the tree line fall,
It is no idle pastime though;
No pleasant thoughts do I recall.
I watch for demons dressed in green.My children play, as children do,
With fingers pointed, thumbs cocked back.
I played this game till it came true;
I watched for demons dressed in green.My wife against the rising light
Holds up a child. With thought I'm struck
Of ancient Abram's mournful plight.
I watch for demons dressed in green.A call I answered long ago.
In foreign soils my blood is sown.
The price was paid (I thought it so).
I watched for demons dressed in green.And Christ-like is the ledger square?
Or do my children fear me too
As shades of green, my actions bare?
I watch for demons dressed in green.A sacrifice, I made for life
And though those men in green lie dead
And arguments my only strife,
I watch for demons dressed in green.A silent cohort are we all
And only death will end our charge.
My eyes along the tree line fall.
I watch for demons dressed in green.
This poem is reprinted with the approval of the poet. If you would like to submit a poem for publication here, please see this link. - Mojoey
Pastor Andrea Lewis was indicted on federal charges that he allegedly took underage girls across state lines to engage in illegal sexual contact. He allegedly did this as during choir trip. The guy sounds like a peach.
A Shreveport, Louisiana pastor was denied bond and indicted on federal charges for allegedly taking underage girls in his church’s choir across state lines in order to commit illegal sexual contact with them.
KSLA-TV reported on Tuesday that 54-year-old Andrea Lewis is still listed as the pastor and choir director for Act of Faith Ministries. A Shreveport Police detective testified that a search of Lewis’ home produced a cell phone containing pictures of his activities.
Read more: Louisiana pastor indicted for alleged sexual attacks against underage choir girls
Lewis is the pastor at Act of Faith Ministries in Shreveport. The victims were girls as young as eight-years-old.
This poem was written by atheist poet david m. myles.
Art, as you
You start with clean canvas
and fresh palette primary
at first a cacophony
you learn line and form
time ads its own colors
or steals them
you concentrate
structures, perspectives
landscape, the surreal
shades of darkness
and light
distance
the
termination
point
If you would like to submit a poem, please see this link. - Mojoey
"otherwise he would be denied the Kingdom of Heaven" - parents of child kill by their religious negligence
Russian religious zealots ensured that their child would die from a injury sustained in a car crash by driving to their church for an emergency baptism instead of seeking aid at a hospital.
“This is superstition, not religion,” an Orthodox Church spokesman told Fontanka.ru. “They should have gone to the hospital, it’s only human.”
“A psychiatric ward is the best temple for such people,” an unidentified Investigative Committee official was cited as saying.
You've got to love the approach the Orthodox spokesman used. It is perfect.
Posted with Blogsy
