Baptist youth pastor charged with sex offense

When is a resignation not good enough? When you call from the FBI lockup to resign your position as youth pastor. That's Donald Brent Page did, he called in his resignation after being arrested for.... do I need to say it?

According to the Shelby County Reporter, Page, a 33-year-old husband and father, was arrested at a Memphis apartment after arranging a sexual encounter with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Page actually had been corresponding with a member of the Memphis FBI Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Source: Montevallo youth pastor charged with sex offense- al.com

Pastor Todd Burr accepted Page's resignation. He should have rejected it and then fired his sorry ass. What the hell is a youth pastor doing arranging for a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl anyway? Burr's indignation is comical.

"Many of the unchurched in the community have been encouraged by the stand we have taken, and we are bound and determined to do something about it," Burr said. "It has got to stop, and it's going to take our churches rising up and having a voice again and saying we are not going to tolerate this."

What stand is that? Is it the one where you hired an alleged pedophile to prey on your youth group or is it the stand you took when you accepted his resignation. I don't see a stand buddy, I see spin.

Technorati tags: Baptists, Donald Page, Todd Burr, Pedophilia, pastor sexual abuse, Alabama

The Bible says nothing about Halloween

The bible says nothing about have sex with a chicken either. Yet common sense tells you that sex with a chicken is icky and Halloween is harmless fun. Hot Tip Christians: use your common sense. Stick your kids is a costume and mingle with the neighbors - without trying to sell your religion. We'll like you better and tease you less.

I really loath "the bible says this or that" kind of reasoning, especially when it comes to Halloween. Yet every year Christian struggle with the great moral issue of whether or not to allow their adolescent children to participate in this kid friendly secular holiday.

I appreciate the sensitivity the authors display in dealing with what is a difficult topic. It is my conviction that this is, in many ways, an issue of conscience. I do not believe there is absolute right and wrong here—we can’t be too dogmatic about it. Each person (and, in particular, I believe, each father) must examine the Bible and his conscience to see where that leads him. It may lead him to any of these options, each of which can be legitimate.

Source: Halloween - Trick or Retreat?

I guess women don't understand Halloween, or maybe he's referring to women not understanding the bible? I dunno, it seems inane.

I remember the fundies from when I was a child. They ran it two camps. Either they turned the lights out and lied about being home, or the handed out candy along with bible tracks. I loved the bible tracks. They were just the right size to rap around a firecracker,dip in wax, and use as exploding fire bombs. Of course, my favorite trick was the good old flaming bag-o-crap!

Technorati tags: Halloween, Christians, Fundies

It's called a cheat

...or so my son tells me.  Convicted sex offender Robert Pannier knows this. The first time he was busted as a fake teacher, the second time he was busted as a fake pastor, the third time is still a few months in the future. My bet is Pannier will take the easy route and open another church. After all, there are no standards for leading a church.

But in March, officials discovered Pannier was claiming he was an ordained minister, and was hosting and organizing Saturday services. He also went into private homes where children were present without reporting it to the Department of Corrections, and spent unsupervised time with children.

Source: Sex offender's pending release prompts Prior Lake town meeting

I don't know Robert Pannier. I don't want to. Injecting Pannier into a community will cause pandemonium. Especially if the community is small like Prior Lake. My home has three convicted sex offenders living within two miles. I also have about ten thousand people living within those same two miles. We don't notice the sex offenders because they hide in the crowd. A small town is different. When an unrepentant pedophile returns to a small town, they have no place to hide. I'll have to watch this case. My bet is he will offend again.

Technorati tags: Sex Offenders, pedophilia, Robert Pannier

about those fires

I had a few inquires about how I am surviving the firestorms here in LA. I am touched by the concern. Let me assure you that I am in no danger whatsoever, nor is my extended family. Los Angeles is a big city. I know there are fires. I see the smoke everywhere.  Last night's sunset was blood red. It was amazing.

I am not close enough to the action to see the actual fires or even the crews who are working hard to extinguish the flames. I suppose if I jumped in my car, I could get close to the action in about an hour. Fire scares me... so no.

I do not want to downplay the severity of the situation. The fires have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. many families have lost their homes. I have rarely seen anything like this fire season, and its only a week or two old.

I've had trouble posting these last few days in some small way because of the fires. My allergies are acting up. Between the headaches, watery eyes, and antihistamines, I find it difficult to concentrate long enough to post.

The fires bring out the absurd in our local religious community. A Muslim mosque in Garden Grove will offer special prayers tonight to call for rain. While another Muslim claims the fires are God's retribution on infidels. I don't think the two groups talked to each other. They need to get their story straight.

Praying for rain, whatever.

Technorati tags: Fires, Blogging, Los Angeles, Islam, prayer

Anti-Atheist bias at BlogRush?

Fellow atheist blogger and Atheist Blogroll member Riker of Prose Justice was rejected by Blogrush because of objectionable content.

We regret to inform you that your BlogRush Account has been made INACTIVE because your blog did not pass our Quality Review criteria. You will find instructions below for making your account active again.
...
We determined that your blog did not meet our strict quality guidelines. Please do not take this personally but realize that we must abide by a very strict set of quality guidelines. (They are listed below.)
...
The primary reason(s) your blog(s) did not meet our guidelines: Inappropriate Content Or Advertising: Hate Speech or Anti-Racial

I am on the fence regarding blogrush. To date, no rush of traffic has resulted from their service, and now they discriminate against my friends. They are beginning to piss me off.

Riker is seeking to have his rejection overturned, so for now I wait. After all, it could be an honest mistake.... Right?

Technorati tags: BlogRush, Discrimination, The Atheist Blogroll

I wonder if Jesus would live in a 1.4 million house?

Sergio Alvarizares lives in a big house, drives fancy cars, and is alleged to have raped at least 8 woman. Can you guess what his job is? That's right, he's a pastor.

On Monday, Portland Police Bureau detectives arrested Sergio Alvarizares Sr., 38, at his home in Ridgefield, Wash., on suspicion of committing rape, attempted rape and sexual abuse, according to police. The allegations were leveled by eight women in all.

Source: Arrest divides church

I first heard of the case when it hit the press a week ago. I waited to post until more information surfaced. The key to this story is Alvarizares's alleged exploitation of older immigrant women. They are a class of people with few options. It is easy for a sexual predator to take advantage of women in a situation like this. Alvarizares seems to have used his position of authority as a pastor to pressure women into having sex while picking their pockets to support his lavish lifestyle. He sounds like a real "man of god" to me.

It is comments on this story that are most interesting. Some tell a story of incomprehensible blind faith.

Anita is a representative of the blind faithful. Her pastor can do no wrong.

When the truth comes out, God will lift him up to the highest place and he will be glorified. God does every single thing for a purpose even though we may not understand it.

Martinez chronicles Ten Commandments violations.

Looks like just another case of a greedy man dipping into the church's money, buying himself a fancy life with that loot, and then feeling free to dip into the church's women. There's big commandements (sic) against coveting (#9 & 10), that's five so far.

15 year old Vanessa likes all caps while offering this bit of wisdom.

AND YEAH SERGIO MAY HAVE A NICE HOUSE AND NICE CARS BUT HELLO PEOPLE ITS CALLED BELSSINGS!!!

And finally there is mentally ill Jose

I gave all my money to the church. Now I am homeless and beg on the streets. But dont worry, I will be getting a little each day. I will also give this to the church. If it will help our pastor fight these charges, yes I will do this

I don't know if Sergio Alvarizares is guilty or innocent. Fortunately, God has nothing to do with determining his guilt. Alvarizares is in the hands of the State now. He fellow Americans will determine if he spends the rest of his life in Jail.

Technorati tags: Sergio Alvarizares, pastoral misconduct, clergy sexual abuse, Portland, Oregon

Wicked Garden

I was alone in the park near sunrise this morning playing my usual round of disc golf. On the 17th hole, I happened upon a great blue heron standing among the trees near the hole. Since nobody was playing behind me, I opted to watch this majestic bird for a few minutes. Eventually my mind started to wander, thoughts of work and other projects intruded. I remember thinking I should start carrying my camera. It is not very often that a four foot tall bird presents itself for pictures.

Did I mention my mind wandered? Because it did. I became aware of my surroundings again when an old lady touched my arm. She asked me, "Son, are you alright?". I hid my embarrassment by smiling. I told her I was fine. She gave me a long hard look. I could see she was skeptical. To her, I was just a big sweaty man staring at a tree.

Stone Temple Pilots was playing Wicked Garden.I pulled out an earbud to talk to the old woman. She was walking her corgies. She told me she walked the dogs with her husband every morning. A tear rolled down her cheek. It was my turn to ask. "are you ok?". She told me her husband had passed two months ago. She was lonely.

Can you see just like a child?
Can you see just what I want?
Can I bring you back to life?
Are you scared of life?

I learned a little about her life, about her children and grandchildren, and about her dogs. She called them corgies, although they looked more like fuglies. She cried when she talked about her husband. Apparently, they walked the dogs on Sundays before church. She had not been able to attend since he passed. It hurt to much.

I'm a good listener. I think that is why I attract so many interesting people. The truth is, I like people. Even this lonely old lady. I felt compelled to listen, so I did.

The old lady eventually asked me to pray with her. The Atheist in me wanted to say no, the human being in me said something entirely different. "Sorry Ma'am, I am not a Christian, but I would be happy to keep you company while you pray." She bowed her head. 30 seconds of silence passed between us. She eventually looked up. I could tell she was more at ease. She asked if she could walk the rest of the course. I was on the 17th hole, I figured what the hell.

Technorati tags: Deep Thoughts, Disc Golf, Atheism

Child porn costs ex-pastor 5 years

I missed this one (there are so many). Richard Sweat was sentenced to five years in federal prison for having child pornography videos on his computer. He claimed his wife or father-in-law planted the videos because his marriage was about to end. What a jerk.

What bothers me about this story are the character witnesses. A parade of supporter stood by his side to claim Sweat was a good man and could not have committed the crime he was committed for. It is what I've come to believe is a knee-jerk reaction among some religious types. The circle their wagons around a man of God while closing their minds to logic and reason. For instance, Sweat made an allegation that his wife had planted the videos, yet he provided no evidence to prove his claim. Other pastors should have seen this for what it was, cowardice.

Sweat's character witnesses included a lawyer, two ministers, a business vice president and a teen from his youth ministry. They described a life of good deeds, from working with Boy Scouts to letting a homeless man live in his garage and interrupting a restaurant dinner with his boss to counsel a couple fighting at a nearby table.
Source: Jacksonville.com: Metro: Story: Child porn costs ex-pastor 5 years

Great. Sweat is a swell guy. I get it. But he likes child porn too.

Technorati tags: Child Pornography, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pastors Gone Wild, Richard Sweat, Florida

15 years to life

That's a hell of a thing to hear when you are a man of God. I guess Pastor Frederick Deshawn Dew should have considered his punishment before molesting a 13-year-old boy in a public library.

Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny sentenced Frederick Deshawn Dew on Friday to 15 years to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault. Dew was also given a separate seven-year sentence on a molestation charge.

Source: Sacramento Pastor Sentenced to prison for molesting boy.

I've written about Dew before:

It was some other pastor, I swear!

Pastor convicted of molesting teen boy

Now his story ends.

Technorati tags: Child Molestation, Pedophilia, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Frederick Dew, Sacramento, California, Christians

Blogroll Update: Homo Economicus's weblog

Homo Economicus is the newsiest member of the Atheist Blogroll. In small world of Atheism, the author is somewhat of a celebrity. (actually, I count anybody I know of before they join as a celebrity). His introduction...

The blog is an extension of my secular activism, brought about by having been indoctrinated as a child in the Jehovah's Witnesses and inspired by The God Delusion.

I am a moderator on www.richarddawkins.net/forum (Homo economicus) and a volunteer for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. On my blog you will find out about my take on atheist issues, though a little bit of commentary on other things thrown in. For a good laugh at my expense do read the blog when the police stopped us in our "A" shirts on the way to the Atheist Alliance International Conference 2007

A typical quote:
"Our focus is on defending reason and science, the separation of church and state, and the removal of faith as having a special significance in the policy making process. Lets not make the struggle any more difficult by leaving people on the way side that could otherwise help us in these goals."

Welcome to the team!

Technorati tags: The Atheist Blogroll, Atheism, blogging

Blogroll Update - Exercise in Futility

The Atheist Blogroll just passed the 450 members mark. One of our newest blogs is Exercise in Futility.  The author has  provided an introduction.

Exercise in Futility is primarily an atheist themed blog.  Since I have a strong interest in history, I often critique religious claims from a historical perspective.  One of my favorite posts was a look at the so called Fatima Miracles, wherein I pointed out the absurdity of the Virgin Mary speaking to some kids in the Portuguese countryside while tens of thousands of men were being slaughtered on the battlefield in Belgium.  If the real Virgin Mary were going to appear to people, wouldn't it have made more sense to appear to the political and military leaders of the countries fighting each other in World War One to get them to stop the carnage?

But I don't think it is enough to just criticize examples of religious bigotry or absurdity.  I believe in using my blog to highlight worthwhile causes and to promote altruistic activities such as donating blood or events such as International Coastal Cleanup Day.  Exercise in Futility is also a place where I make barbed or humorous observations about life, such as my Pet Peeve of the Day series.  Lastly, I want my blog to be a place where people can also be entertained.  Every Friday I have a Friday Funnies post that features one or more humorous clips from movies or television, along with a weekly medley of music videos for songs that I like.  Exercise in Futility has been around for over a year now, and it has evolved a lot since I first started it.  As I become more tech savvy, Exercise in Futility will only become better and better.  I am excited about the possibilities in store for it and hope you will accompany me on the journey.

Drop in and say hi!

Technorati tags: The Atheist Blogroll, Atheism, Blogging

Bad Religion - Stranger than fiction

Technorati tags: music, Bad Religion, Videos

Stranger Than Fiction

I play an early morning game of disc golf each weekend. I like to get out about sunrise and tromp through the wet grass. Sometimes I play with a friend, sometimes alone. I always have an ipod filled with an album or two. Today I played alone with Bad Religion as my musical guest.

I cleared the front nine without talking to another human. The squirrels and egrets were my only distractions. As I started in on the back nine I was disturbed by a man who wanted to join me. His name was Terry. He asked me what I was listening too, I handed him an ear bud. He screamed out these lyrics.

cockroach naps and rattling traps,
how many devils can you fit upon a match head?,
caringosity killed the Kerouac cat,
sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

Terry plays guitar in a band. He covers songs by Bad Religion and a wide variety of other bands. He makes a living from music. When he's not playing, he repairs guitars or acts as an extra in movies.

My new friend spent the rest of our game talking about his recovery from heroin addiction; he has been on methadone maintenance for 10 years, apparently with no hope of kicking the cure. During our game, I helped him count his throws. He could not seem to count past 2. He played poorly, but took great joy in the simplest improvements. I laughed a lot.

He talked in a stream of consciousness way about his life. In the end, I knew more about his life then I wanted to, but I was entertained. Addicts can be interesting people to spend time with.

Terry asked my name about ever 10 minutes. He got it right in the end. I handed him two discs as a gift because he had been plying with a borrowed disc. I know that giving anything of value to an addict is wrong, but a man should have his own discs. I am not so sure I will ever see him again. I hope I do.

Technorati tags: Deep Thoughts, Disc Golf, Long Beach, People, Music

here's a surprise

A former Baptist youth pastor was busted for trying to have sex with an underaged girl. It all sounds so.... familiar.

A former Green County youth pastor is behind bars after police say he drove to Madison County to meet an underage girl he'd been chatting with on the internet. Timothy Richerson, 39, a former youth minister at Freedom Baptist Church in Campbellsville, was arrested Friday by Kentucky State Police and charged with prohibited use of electronics to procure a minor. Richmond police allege that Richerson travelled from Greensburg to Richmond, where he had sexual contact with the girl.

Source: LEX18 - Lexington, KY - News, Weather, Sports - Former Youth Pastor Arrested

Technorati tags: Baptist Pedophiles, Tim Richerson, pedophilia, clergy sexual abuse

I have little compassion for thieves

A priest convicted of stealing from his church wants to delay sentencing because he has cancer. My gut reaction is unsympathetic. Let him spend his last days in a prison hospital.

The Rev. Michael Jude Fay faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 4 after he pleaded guilty last month to a federal fraud charge. He resigned last year as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien.

He has asked to have his sentencing delayed until April, after he undergoes chemotherapy treatment for prostate cancer which has spread to his bones and lymph nodes and become resistant to traditional chemotherapy.

I vote for sending him to prison. You?

Technorati tags: Michael Fay, Cancer, clergy abuse, Prison