It blows my mind how much the Vatican covered up for Fr. Marciel. It’s simply disgusting.
Hat tip Atheist Media Blog.
Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Catholics
Monday, July 05, 2010
Not so Faithful and True part II
The stories of alleged abuse keep coming from Linda and Shelly Hall. They ran the Faithful and True Ministries in Groveland. Shelly Hall has already been arrested once for stalking a woman staying at his ministries' homeless shelter. His wife Linda Hall was arrested for stalking the current director of Faithful and True Ministries, Vincent Noffleo. Now, new charges were filed against Linda Hall, this time for fraud. She allegedly stole money from 80-year-old shelter resident Tony Yanak.
Sheriff's officials say Hall continually told Yanak that she would kick him out of the shelter if he did not give her his bank card and PIN. Hall is accused of using Yanak's ATM card and the PIN to withdraw an undisclosed amount of cash from his bank account, sheriff's officials said.
Yanak, 80, suffers from multiple sclerosis and hypertension, the affidavit says. He receives $694 per month from Social Security and the U.S. Navy. All but a few dollars of that money would be gone each month, the affidavit says.
It appears Linda Hall is a bit of a racist too.
The charges also involved the Halls allegedly following Noffleo and yelling at him outside a store, saying, "Your days are numbered, you're going down, God will strike you dead, you white devil," according to the warrant.
The Halls are fast becoming the very definition of Christian Hypocrites. They need some jail time or perhaps even hard labor to straighten their lives out.
Technorati Tags: Hypocrisy,Clergy Misconduct
Saturday, July 03, 2010
How to tell right from wrong
I drove by this sign yesterday. My son looked at me with a strange expression on his face as I laughed out loud. Do we need a pastor to tell right from wrong? As adults, don’t most of us know the answer to this simple question already? We learn it as children. It’s reinforced as we grow and mature, and besides, most of us know the answer intuitively.
I sign like this pushes me away. Why don’t they see that?
Pastor arrested for crimes against humanity
Jean-Bosco Uwinkindi has finally been arrested. He stands accused of conspiracy to commit genocide and extermination for his efforts in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. Uwinkindi was a Pentecostal pastor.
According to a copy of his indictment, Uwinkindi, 59, was a pastor at a church near Kigali during the genocide, and allegedly collaborated with an extremist political organisation that professed hatred for the Tutsi ethnic group.
In early April 1994, Uwinkindi is accused of helping to organise and instruct groups of Hutus to kill Tutsis, and after allowing Tutsi women and children to seek refuge in his church, he ordered their execution, according to the indictment.
First he murdered the Hutu men, and then he herded their wives and children into his church under the guise of safety, and then he slaughtered them. I don’t see how this fits in with the fundamental message of Christ. Are Pentecostals taught to kill thy neighbor?
Art is cool – Kinetic Sculpture
I love this video clip of a kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum in Munich. I could watch it for hours.
The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative.
I wonder how much a trip to Germany would cost?
Art, Sculpture
Friday, July 02, 2010
Pastor Edward Bradfield arrested
It looks like we have another pastor with impulse control issues. Assistant pastor Edward Bradfield was arrested in the act of receiving oral sex from a women while parked in his car (video).
Bradfield works for the Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton.
The woman involved says that was performing oral sex for free. I wonder if Bradfield asked for the clergy discount?
Note to pastor Bradfield – I’m pretty sure accepting free oral sex from a prostitute still makes you a hypocrite.
Technorati Tags: Baptists,Clergy Misconduct
Introducing the Social I.Q. Lady
Please join me in welcoming the newest member of the Atheist Blogroll, the Social I.Q. Lady
Hi! I'm Andrea Griffith, also known as the Social I.Q. Lady. My blog is an Atheist's Guide to Successful Social Interaction. As atheists, we face an uphill battle when it comes to working with and interacting with religionists. Life is difficult enough and with so many differing views it can sometimes be tough to rise above it all. I welcome your questions regarding relationships, philosophy, and political issues surrounding moral values. Please stop by and visit. I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading.
Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll resource blog for more information.
Technorati Tags: Atheism,The Atheist Blogroll
Youth Pastor Bradley Boda sentenced
Youth Pastor Bradley Boda pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Bradley Boda pleaded guilty in April to sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse and sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. His deal stipulates that a judge may sentence him to between 10 and 20 years in prison, followed by lifetime probation. Prosecutors dismissed 11 other felony counts.
Boda was a pedophile who victimized young boys.
In November 2008, Longmont police began investigating reports from men who said Boda used his position with the church to develop sexual relationships with them when they were as young as 11. He was either a church volunteer or a youth director from 1991 to 2004. Boda was arrested in September at his Berthoud home after he failed to show up for his counseling job at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins. No cases turned up in Fort Collins.
Boda was the youth pastor at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Longmont, CO. The church has a statement on its website.
The leadership of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church is pleased that justice has now been served in this case. The Judge thoughtfully and professionally sentenced Mr. Boda after considering testimony of victims and their families as well as statements from family and friends of Mr. Boda during the sentencing hearing.
It reads like the police and church worked to bring Boda to justice. I applaud their efforts.
There is a good profile on Boda at the Coloradoan. The comments are interesting.
Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Lutherans
Youth pastor Lee Porter arrested
An Indiana youth pastor named William Lee Porter was arrested for the sexual assault a teen girl from his youth group. Porter was the youth pastor at Elmwood Church of Christ when the assaults allegedly took place.
The victims tells a horrible story:
…the victim said that on an occasion in July 2009, Porter shoved her onto a couch and performed oral sex on her against her will.
Porter’s former church has a statement on it’s website. I’ve reprinted it here to recognize the Elmwood Church of Christ’s good behavior. It is rare for a church to acknowledge an incident let alone make a public statement about it.
We are saddened by the charges facing Lee Porter, who served the Elmwood church of Christ as youth minister for almost 12 years.
Lee submitted his resignation the day after his initial arrest in November of last year. We accepted this resignation with regret, recognizing Lee’s need to work through his personal challenges and his desire to prevent the consequences of his problems from affecting the youth at Elmwood.
In the week following the initial arrest, we met with the parents of youth group members to discuss the situation. In addition, professional counseling was made available to the parties involved, and church members were informed of Lee’s resignation by announcement and by letter.
Two of our members are serving as interim youth leaders while a search committee is being formed for a new youth minister. Youth activities such as Bible classes, Winterfest in Gatlinburg, Leadership Training for Christ, involvement with Cincinnati Urban Ministry, and summer church camp will continue. One positive outcome of this situation is that new people have been able to use their gifts in serving our young people.
We are confident that God can bring good even out of awful circumstances.
We continue to pray for the Porter family and everyone involved in this case.
The Shepherds of the Elmwood church of Christ
July 1, 2010
July 5, 2010 – corrected. Porter is alleged to have molested one girl, not two. Also, added a picture of Porter.
Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,CoC
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Pastor Shelly Hall arrested again
Pastor Shelly Hall was arrested in June for stalking a homeless woman and her daughter. Now he’s been arrested for stalking a board member for the homeless shelter.
Pastor Linda Hall and her husband Shelly Hall are accused of sending over 120 text messages to Vincent Noffleo.
Noffleo said they threatened him and also followed him around Groveland.
This case keeps getting stranger. I don’t see any Jesus like behavior going on there.
Technorati Tags: Clergy Abuse,Hypcorisy
Pastor Travis Gandy arrested
I missed this one. I’m sure I missed a few others too.
Pastor Travis Gandy, 27, from Sheboygan, Wis, was arrested for exposing a child to harmful materials. He allegedly sent a picture of his wee naught bits to 15-year-old boy.
The investigation began after the boy’s mother contacted the Sheriff’s Department after discovering one of the photos.
How embarrassing. More importantly, when is the last time you checked your child’s phone?
One day after he was released, he was rearrested for the sexual assault of a different child.
Gandy was arrested Monday night after the mother of a 15 year old boy told police Gandy sent her son inappropriate text messages. The boy told police Gandy also "made out" with him in the attic of the church.
Travis Gandy worked as a music pastor at Praise Fellowship Church in Sheboygan. The church website has no information about Gandy. I did not expect it to.
Technorati Tags: Pedophiles,Clergy Sexual Abuse
Charges dropped against pastor Jimmy Hughes
Charges have been dropped against the pastor charged in the 1981 Octopus murders. Pastor Jimmy Hughes is a free man.
"We conducted an exhaustive review of the evidence provided by the Sheriff's Department, re-interviewed key witnesses and uncovered additional evidence tied to the case," said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown. "This process and the new information our office discovered materially changed our assessment of the nature and quality of the evidence."
I wrote about Jimmy Hughes in October of 2009.
Pastor Hughes, my policy states that any pastor I write about who is cleared of charges or found innocent is eligible for a guest post here at Deep Thoughts. You can post on any topic you like. If you would like to take me up on the offer, send me an email.
Technorati Tags: Murder
My dad’s 46 Ford
Many of you asked about my dad’s hot rod. He drove a a clean 46 Ford. His car club, the Outcast’s” brought their rides to his memorial service. We had one last car show in his honor. It was pretty damn cool.
My son took this photo.
Technorati Tags: Photography
An annoying start to my day
The Christians where picketing the corner of Bloomfield and South Street in Cerritos this morning. I snapped a few pictures but vowed to keep their ugly faces off my blog.
Their message:
Jesus died for our sins.
Trust in Jesus.
Be reconciled to God.
No person is righteous.
Their message is banal, routine, and annoying. Why they would waste their time like this? It makes no sense. Will somebody really see a sign and think, “Wow, I better trust in Jesus?”
It’s time for a few Atheists to counter picket these nutballs. I wonder if I could get a few people from Think Atheist to join me? I’ll have the “Trust in Bacon” placard.
No crucifixion for Jesus?
Bible scholar Gunnar Samuelsson thinks there is little or no evidence for the crucifixion of Jesus. Instead, he thinks Jesus may have been impaled.
Samuelsson bases his claim on studying 900 years' worth of ancient texts in the original languages - Hebrew, Latin and Greek, which is the language of the New Testament.
He spent three years reading for 12 hours a day, he says, and he noticed that the critical word normally translated as "crucify" doesn't necessarily mean that.
“Jesus, was impaled for our sins” does not have the same ring to it. I don’t think the guys in marketing will like it. He’s bucking 2000 years of tradition and ignorance. My guess is that Samuelsson is about to be crucified by the establishment.
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