Another mind blowing case of clergy sexual abuse

I found out about this story care of my army of faithful tipsters. Thank you.


Youth pastor Seth Butler was arrested for the repeated sexual assault of a 14-year old girl. The 22-year old youth pastor allegedly carried out the rapes in his church basement rectory apartment over two years.

Butler worked as a youth minister at the New Jerusalem temple on the far South Side. The church is relatively small with about 100 members. But the girl's parents say they felt comfortable encouraging their children to spend time there rather than the streets. That, they say, turned out to be a mistake, as the 22-year-old youth pastor began taking a special interest in their daughter - an interest they say that turned sexual.
Read more: Youth minister charged with sex assault of teen

Did you read the story? Good. Here is what blows my mind.


The parents of the victim thought their child would be safe in the church because it is a house of God. Why? After numerous stories of clergy sexual abuse, why would her parents think their daughter would be safe at a church. Children still need your care. Do not give up your parental duties simply because believe a church is safe.


Youth pastor Seth Butler is 22. Doing the math, that puts him at 20 when the abuse is supposed to have started. How does someone get a youth pastor gig at the age of 20, and one with a church provided rectory apartment too? What are his qualifications? What university degree does he hold? I’m betting he is uneducated and untrained, which means he family, a friend, or somehow connected to the leadership of the church. Who would hire an unqualified youth pastor except for reckless church leadership?
The parents knew of the alleged abuse and went to the church before well in advance of going to the police. The youth pastor was raping their daughter. Instead of going to the police, they went to the church. The sexual assaults continued. What did they think would happen? They gave their daughter to a holy pedophile.


The youth pastor had unsupervised time with the victim. I can point to a hundred cases where this alone lead to abuse. Leading a child alone with a youth pastor is irresponsible and should never happen.   It should be common sense by now. Would a reasonable person leave a child alone with a priest? Only a fool would do so now. I’m not just harping on the parents here. The church opened itself up to bankruptcy. It owns the abuse now. The court will side with the victim. They almost always do.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Rape

Wasting no time with Silas Ruark

Former Archpriest Silas Ruark, profiled here, was deposed from the priesthood by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of los Angeles and the West on July 1st. Ruark stands accused of molesting children is his capacity as pastor of a church in Fairfield.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Molestation

Mass public resignation from Mormonism

I had a what the fuck moment when reading a story about Mormons who had gathered in Utah to resign from their church. It was this section:

Married in a Mormon temple, Fielding said the couples shared disaffection from their faith is tied in part to their local church leader's response to questions Fielding had about polyandry and polygamy - taking multiple husbands and wives - in the early church.

"I went to him looking for a faithful perspective. He called my wife and told her she needed to find a new husband," Fielding said.

Read more: Mormons quit church in mass resignation ceremony

How dare the church stick its nose into the private family life of its members? Unfortunately, It is normal behavior. It is the price you pay to become a Mormon. You give up your privacy and the ability to manage your own affairs without interference from well meaning but poorly trained religious zealots. Besides Mormon's fairytale theology, this is what bothers me the most the church. The social aspects of Mormonism are insidious.

It takes courage to quit the Mormon church. Once you are a member, the social ties are strong. You face business and personal isolation. Your family will turn their backs to you. Your friends will disappear. You may even lose your job. I’ve helped two people and their families leave the church. In both cases, the people involved suffered horrible social pressure. I’m encouraged to see people leave in mass. It sends the right message.

Technorati Tags: LDS,Mormons,Mormon Resignation

Child porn in a Roman Catholic church

By now, finding child porn in a Catholic church should surprise no one. It should cause anger and a call for a deep and serious investigation. I do not see either sentiment expressed in this article. 

WFSB-TV says Norwich Bishop Michael Cote will release a letter to parishioners during masses this weekend announcing that he has received and accepted the resignation of their pastor, Fr. Dennis Carey.

Read more: Police launch child porn investigation at Connecticut church

Pastor Carey served The Catholic faith over a 25-year career.

Carey was ordained a priest in 1998 after a 25-year career as a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to biographical information on the diocese website.

Read more: Pastor resigns; computers seized from Waterford church rectory

The investigation has just started. Pastor Carey has not been charged with a crime. It may take some time until we see any charges come of this investigation, but here is my problem with the case. Where is the outrage? Simply finding child porn on a church computer should cause a uproar among the parishioners and members of the community. Besides a few superficial news stories, there is no outrage. Today is Sunday. I’m willing to bet the pews at St. Paul in Chains Church are full of people listening to a new pastor.

If you are a victim or have information, SNAP can help:

Let's hope that every person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and misdeeds by Father Dennis Carey will find the courage and strength to speak up, call police, expose wrongdoing, protect kids and start healing.

Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com, (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,) is the worlds oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.

SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word priest in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Pornography

Pastor Robert Ruark arrested

Orthodox Christian pastor Robert "Silas" Ruark was arrested on suspicion of molesting five children over the past two decades. There may be more victims. Father Silas worked at St. Timothy Orthodox Church in Fairfield. If you have additional information or were a victim, please call detectives at (707) 426-7600.

No salvation in Texas

Salvation Army youth pastor Luis Leonel Valdez was arrested for raping a 16-year-old girl. It’s not a pretty picture. It sounds like he gave her a rufie.

According to a police report, the girl told police she felt pain in her vaginal area when she woke up in Luis Leonel Valdez's bedroom without pants or underwear and with her blouse pulled up. She said Valdez was getting dressed and when he walked into the kitchen, she left running and called police. During the 911 call, records show, the girl was crying and "speaking hysterically."

Source: Salvation Army Youth Minister Accused Of Raping 16-Year-Old Girl

The Salvation Army has a policy called “Safe from Harm”. It’s supposed to check for potential abusers via a rigorous screen process. We already know that screening is a policy and not a practice. The issue here was not one of screening. It is one of behavior. Valdez was alone with the girl in an unsupervised situation. This should never happen. The fact they were together doing church business means the church grants tacit approval to the behavior. You cannot simply mind the door, you must mind the store too.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Rape

It’s all about the money

Over the years I’ve seen dozens of cases of pastors stealing from their churches. In most cases it is pastors duping uncaring and blind congregations. In other words, the pastor can do no wrong, therefor it is unthinkable to keep close tabs on his (or her) use of funds. It’s a shortsighted policy and can lead to ruin.

The congregation of Bethel Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Houston Texas were allegedly victimized by their pastor and First Lady. Charles Gilford and his wife Adriane Gilford allegedly misappropriated $430k from the small congregation over a few years starting in 2004. They used the funds to finance gabling trips. I always ask what would Jesus think. Would Jesus think pissing away $400k a good thing? Or, would he look to the church and ask, why did you trust these people to represent me in the first place? And… why did you have $400k to steal when there are thousands of people starving in Houston?

Let’s set aside the obviously corrupt behavior of the pastor and his wife and look at the church instead. Why did the church avoid oversight? What is it with Baptist churches in particular that causes them to set the pastor on a pedestal? It’s sickening.

Don’t get me started about the money. I’m watching a multi-million dollar church go up near my house. Do we really need another big church? Can’t the money be put to a better use helping people? And.. do we really need to pay the pastor a six figure salary? It’s sickening.

Is this the way Christianity is supposed to function? The excess and opulence of the Catholic church not withstanding, the protestant sects seem to be in a race to copy the church they defected from. It’s all about money and power. It’s this Christianity? It breeds corruption and abuse. It also breeds a class of people who think they have the right to impose their version of morality on others, but that’s another post.

Pastor Charles Gilford is no man of God. He’s a man trusted too much by believers too foolish to manage their own affairs. I’m no longer surprised by the excesses that organized religion produce. I am mystified by churches who continue to worship their pastors though. It seems so stupid. Why do congregations go down this road? Is it a Baptist cultural thing?

Technorati Tags: Corruption,Hypocrisy

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Another priest accused of child molestation

Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, formerly of Blessed Sacrament parish in St. Paul, was arrested for allegedly abusing a juvenile. Wehmeyer was removed from his position pending a police investigation. He has not yet been charged.

St. Paul police filed a report Thursday that said a juvenile reported being sexually abused by Wehmeyer for two years, starting in 2010. Police arrested Wehmeyer on Friday. He has been released, and has not been charged.

Police spokesman Howie Padilla said the victim was a boy, but could not divulge more details because of the ongoing investigation.

One would think that a priest in St. Paul might be aware of another series of investigations and would therefore be less inclined to violate a young boy.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Catholics

Progress in the endless fight for children

The Catholic church suffered a significant setback with the conviction of Monsignor William J. Lynn last week. The church had been all but untouchable. This case, for endangering children, sets a precedent for future prosecutions. I hope to see other prosecutions follow. Of course, a few district attorneys will need to step up. It is not as if there is a shortage of cases. Clergy sexual abuse and those who enable the crime, span across America. More prosecutions are likely to follow.

Prosecutions serve another purpose; one that is just a valuable as holding these evil men accountable. It opens up a secret society for public scrutiny. As we learn how they operate, we see there is nothing holy. These are simply men, earning a living in a simple way, while consuming the innocence of children. There is no justification for the excess, lies, or pain. They are just men; horribly corrupt men, and they should be held accountable.

More on Lynn: He moved priests around once things got hot. He moved them to churches without warning anyone. He turned pedophile priests loose to prey on new children. His actions were evil. Lynn is a pedophile pimp and and a complete hypocrite. I hope they send him to prison.

The single guilty verdict was widely seen as a victory for the district attorney’s office, which has been investigating the archdiocese aggressively since 2002, and it was hailed by victim advocates who have argued for years that senior church officials should be held accountable for concealing evidence and transferring predatory priests to unwary parishes.

Ream more: Cardinal’s Aide Is Found Guilty in Abuse Case

How can anyone think of the Catholic Church as a holy institution? I will never understand.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Catholics

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• The Hypocrisy Files: Church Quick to Punish Married Priest, But Not Pedophiles (home.conservativebabylon.com)
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Gay activist Larry Brinkin arrested

Larry Brinkin was arrested on child porn charges in San Francisco. I’m troubled by this arrest because it gives ammunition to the loons who claim that clergy sexual abuse is a gay issue. I prefer to keep focused on the actions of the offenders rather than their sexual orientation. Those who I write about are deviants.

Brinkin was a gay activist, a good one by all accounts. The charges focus on Brinkin’s alleged possession of child pornography with a mean-spirited white supremacist tinge. Frankly, the charges are hard to fathom.

The warrant claims these e-mails contained images of children as young as perhaps a year old being sodomized by and performing oral sex on adult men. Zack3737@aol.com -- whom the police allege is Brinkin -- provided graphic commentary on the photos of interracial adult-child sex. Comments included "I loved especially the nigger 2 year old getting nailed. Hope you'll continue so I can see what the little blond bitch is going to get. White Power! White Supremacy! White Dick Rules!"

Source: Larry Brinkin, S.F. Gay Rights Icon, Arrested on Child Porn Charges

It makes you think wtf. Right?

Technorati Tags: Crime,Pedophiles

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Death by circumcision

It’s hard to write about this stuff. I’m a grandfather now and children seem to be more precious than ever. It’s hard to read about the death of an innocent child, especially when it happens as part of a senseless religious practice.A child died because of a botched circumcision. It did not have to happen.

A one-month-old baby from Queen’s Park bled to death less than two days after he was circumcised, an inquest heard.

Angelo Ofori-Mintah’s operation went according to plan, but a few hours later the incision began to bleed.

Westminster Coroner’s Court heard it eventually stopped and his mother Maame Abrafi, who lives in Ashmore Road, thought he was fine.

Source: Queen’s Park baby bled to death two days after being circumcised

The baby bleed to death after two days. The circumcision was unnecessary. It could have been performed by a doctor. The mother could have had the common sense to consult a doctor instead of a Rabbi once she realized her child was bleeding. I mean… crap. Why must a child die for a religion’s stupidity?

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Youth pastor Michael Lenzini sentenced

Former youth pastor Michael Brandon Lenzini, profiled here in 2011, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the rape of a teen girl. Lenzini was have marital problems, so he raped a girl to offset his personal problems. Creep.

Lenzini plucked the unlucky girl from the youth group at Crossroads Church in Alma where he was a youth pastor. You can watch the youth group in action here.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Molestation

Clergy across America are worried

The FBI captured the membership list to NABLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association). Catholic priests and Baptists pastors should should be worried. I’m sure the feds are running down the list right now. So… if your pastor suddenly heads for Brazil… well, you can do the math.

I must admit that I thought NAMBLA was some TV invention. Who would be dumb enough to belong to an organization that promotes sex with children? I seriously thought this was an invention of Law and Order SVU. Silly me.

A comment to the FBI – Please show no mercy. Put these men away forever.

Technorati Tags: Pedophiles,NABLA

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Pastor Wolford nominated for Darwin Award

Yep! A snake handling pastor died from a snakebite during a church service. Pastor Mark Wolford was handling his rattlesnake when it bit him.

"I am looking for a great time this Sunday," Wolford wrote May 22, according to the Washington Post. "It is going to be a homecoming like the old days. Good 'ole raised in the holler or mountain ridge running, Holy Ghost-filled speaking-in-tongues sign believers."
Robin Vanover, Wolford's sister, told the Washington Post that 30 minutes into the outdoor service, Wolford passed around a poisonous timber rattlesnake, which eventually bit him.
Read more: 'Serpent-Handling' West Virginia Pastor Dies From Snake Bite

He died like his father before him; in an utterly senseless attempt to prove his faith to an uncaring and nonexistent God.
I’ll leave bit of idiocy this here…

"He lived 101/2 hours," Wolford told the Washington Post Magazine. "When he got bit, he said he wanted to die in the church. Three hours after he was bitten, his kidneys shut down. After a while, your heart stops. I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in

Update 7/5/2012: CNN footage of Wolford dancing with snakes.

Technorati Tags: Religious Stupidity

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Baptist pastor Richard Land reprimanded

Prominent Baptist pastor, radio show host, and president of the Southern Baptists Conventions ethics committee was reprimanded for racial comments he made on his radio show while discussing the Trayvon Martin shooting. His radio show was also cancelled. Pastor Richard Land represent the old guard – his time in the sun is past.

During a March 31 broadcast of “Richard Land Live!” Land had accused Obama, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton of attempting to capitalize on the fatal shooting of the Florida teenager. He also appeared to justify racial profiling.

Source: Southern Baptist leader reprimanded, show canceled

Is Richard Land a pastor on the fringe of Baptist culture, or is he the face of Baptist culture? I want to believe that the largest protestant denomination in America is moving toward racial harmony instead engendering hatred. I’m pleased to see that Land was reprimanded. I’m happy to see that the Southern Baptist Convention is doing something about it’s dirty laundry. Will a purge of other racists follow? One can only hope.

Hope… I have so little hope when it comes to Baptists. They represent a clergy sexual abuse problem every bit as big as large the Catholic’s problem. Yet they do much less to confront the problem. I hope for change, but it almost never comes. When it does come, I am often surprised.

Technorati Tags: Baptists,Clergy Sexual Abuse,Racism

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