Bad pastor roundup for Feb 17

I get mail. This week, most of it was positive. Readers like the roundup format, so here we go again. 

Retired Torrance pastor arrested for allegedly molesting, threatening three girls

A 77-year-old retired pastor allegedly molested three elementary school-age girls at his Torrance home and at his nearby church, threatening to harm them if they told anyone, police said Thursday.

Pedro Emilio Vallejos, who led the now-defunct Santuario de Oracion church at Prairie Avenue and 180th Street, was expected to appear for arraignment Friday at the Torrance courthouse. He will face multiple counts of child molestation, Torrance police Sgt. Robert Watt said.

Pastor arrested for rape

Rustenburg…He prayed for the girl during services and fetched her and her friends to help him clean the church premises at night.

On Tuesday, he offered her a lift to school, which she accepted.

“... Instead of driving to school, the suspect turned to the nearby bushes where he allegedly raped the victim,” said Ngubane.

Troy youth pastor booked on sex charge

TROY, Ohio (WDTN) - A 26-year-old youth pastor is behind bars in Miami County facing a preliminary sexual battery charge.

Jail Records show Michael “Mic” Mohler was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Troy. He appeared in court Wednesday where a judge ordered him held in lieu of $100,000 bond.

Mohler's arrest stemmed from an investigation into allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old parishioner…

US authorities arrest Puerto Rico pastor, allege he intended to have sex with 3 boys

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Authorities say that a Puerto Rican pastor allegedly sexually assaulted three boys at his home.

The U.S. Department of Justice has identified the 47-year-old suspect as Nelson Santiago Colon. He is the pastor of a church in Santa Isabel, a small city in southern Puerto Rico. Santiago was arrested Monday by U.S. agents and Puerto Rico police.

Pastor accidentally shoots friend (Would Jesus own a gun?)

IMPERIAL — Charges may be pending against an El Centro pastor who was briefly arrested then released Saturday following what has been described as an accidental shooting that killed his longtime friend in the pastor’s home.

El Centro Church of the Nazarene Pastor Patrick Conrad Drainville of Imperial reportedly shot the victim shortly after 1:30 p.m. in his home in the 400 block of Roadrunner Lane, according to Imperial police.

An autopsy on the victim, identified by the Coroner’s Office as Jeffery Earl Barrelcliff, 52, is set for today.

Trainee pastor arrested for gang rape

JOHANNESBURG - Nine teenage boys have been arrested on Monday afternoon in connection with the gang-rape of a Free State woman.

The woman and her husband were walking in the early hours of Sunday morning when they were approached by the group, who demanded money and then assaulted the pair.

While the husband ran for help, the young woman was taken to a nearby quarry where she was gang-raped and beaten.

Ex-pastor waives hearing in 2nd Pa. murder case

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - A former Methodist clergyman convicted of having bludgeoned his second wife to death in eastern Pennsylvania has pleaded not guilty to having killed his first wife in central Pennsylvania.

The Lebanon Daily News (http://bit.ly/XAdca1 ) says 64-year-old Arthur Schirmer waived a Lebanon County hearing Wednesday in the 1999 death of Jewel Schirmer, his wife of more than three decades.

Cops catch pastor assaulting girl

North West - A teenage girl was raped, allegedly by a pastor in Phokeng near Rustenburg, North West police said on Wednesday.

Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said the pastor, who was seconded to the parish for a week, had the 17-year-old and her friends help him clean the church premises in the evenings.

On Monday morning, the 29-year-old pastor offered her a ride to school.

“Unsuspicious, the young girl accepted the pastor's offer. Instead of driving to school the suspect turned to the nearby bushes where he allegedly raped the victim.”

Well… this is just odd

EASLEY, SC (FOX Carolina) - At least seven families will soon be kicked out of their homes.

The Pickens County Sheriff's Office said those families were made victims by 38-year-old Anthony Williams, who was arrested Thursday morning, accused of fraudulently renting homes to them. According to jail records, Williams was charged with seven counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent.

Investigators said he presented himself as a pastor then rented out mobile homes in a park that didn't belong to him.

 

In other news…

A Southern Baptist church self-destructs

I was at Southern Missionary Baptist Church in Toledo. Perhaps you’ve read about it. As was reported in The Blade, the church has filed for a temporary restraining order against 13 members of the congregation. Among the allegations in the complaint to the court are that one member physically assaulted the pastor, the Rev. Lemuel Quinn III, during a church service; that an unauthorized meeting was held to remove Pastor Quinn (who was in the pulpit when I was there Feb. 10, after he was allegedly fired); and even, a court document says, “Circulating a malicious and false rumor that the pastor had died in order to diminish the attendance at the Church’s weekly services.”

 

 

Bullies suck, right Joe Rickey Hundly?

This is not a story about Christians gone wrong. Instead, this is a story about a bully and my attitude towards bullies.

Joe Rickey Hundly, convicted bully and president of Unitech Composites Structures, allegedly slapped an interracial 19-month old child across the face after yelling a racial slur at the child's mother. 

Bennett, 33, told investigators that the “aircraft was in final descent” to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when her child “started to cry due to the altitude change.” Bennett added that she “was trying to get [her son] to stop crying, but he continued.”

At this point, Bennett recalled, Hundley used the racial epithet as he told her to shut the child up. He then allegedly “turned around and slapped” the toddler in the face “with an open hand, which caused the juvenile victim to scream even louder.” The slap, Bennett said, “caused a scratch below [the child’s] right eye.”

Source: FBI: Man Slapped Crying Toddler On Delta Flight - The Smoking Gun

Hundly had allegedly been drinking before boarding the flight, and had ordered several drinks during the flight. 

My attitude towards bullies is formed by an event from my youth where I bullied a handicapped classmate. I had not intended to bully a handicapped boy. I was simply going to pester an underclassman with a wedgie. My stunt failed in a horrible way. I pulled a double amputee out of his prosthetics legs. He fell forward and hit his head, which knocked his prosthetic lower jaw and teeth out of his mouth.  I was horrified and tried to apologize, but it did no good. He yelled in a way I can still hear in my mind 30-years later.  I received a severe beating from onlookers for my stupidity. It was totally deserved. Even the black eye I sported for the next 10 days. All of it was deserved. I apologized later. My victim never forgave me. The event changed me forever. I protect the weak. I always do. I hate bullies. 

Hundly deserves what he will get. First, fire the bastard. Second, convict him and send his bullying ass to prison. A little dose of reality will cure his evil ways.

On the plane… how did Hundly not get his ass thumped? He is lucky I was not on the plane, or somebody like me. I would of inserted myself between him and the child in the most aggressive way possible. I think most decent men or women would. I'm sure being on the final minutes of a long flight deterred most intervention. I would like to thank the person who called the FBI though. That was righteous. 

Thoughts on watching a youtube sermon by pastor Kevin Sutherland

I wrote about pastor Kevin Sutherland in my post, Money corrupts pastors. One of his congregants contacted me via email and asked that I watch a sermon or two to get a better feel for a real "man of God". So I did. This sermon was delivered at Mosaic Miami church on February 3rd, 2013.

I've sat through hundreds of sermons as an atheist. They all seem interchangeable. This sermon was no exception. Pastor Sutherland makes a long impassioned plea for people to come to Christ. He gives ample reasons for doing so, and tells the story in an entertaining way, but it is the same story. Sinners and nonbelievers need Christ and Christians need to let Christ lead their lives. I've heard the pitch so many time and in so many different forms that I could give a convincing performance myself. It is what was missing from the sermon that bothers me about Christianity. Few Christians have an idea what it means to be follower of Christ. They need to be taught an authentic message. They must lean what it means to be a Christian. They don't get that message from an altar call. 

Sutherland recalls the healing of the man blind from birth. He goes on to talk of Jesus mixing part of himself (spit) and part of the world (Mud) to symbolize, x, y and z. It is a retelling that I've heard ad nauseam. What I always look for is the pastor who will translate this miracle into action. What can a Christian do to live the example set by Jesus? What behavior can be adopted that will strengthen the message of Christ?

I once listened to a street preacher who told his audience to look for truth. He told them to think before judging. To look deeper than the surface. Look for meaning. Look for truth. He gave examples from current events. He sited history. It was amazing. 

I've heard other calls for action too. The key is, rather than relating an often told story, giving a person something they can do to incorporate the teaching into their daily life. It almost never comes. It's easier to stick with the script. 

There was another canard related to marriage. Sutherland said, no Christian marriage can fail if… Of course if your marriage fails, and about half do, then you were not really a christian and it was doomed to fail in the first place. It's such a trite message and completely wrong too. Marriages work or don't work based upon many factors. A good pastor can point you to behaviors that will build a healthly marriage, but they so seldom do. To get that message you need a special marriage retreat and a full complement of church sponsored Kool-Aid. Of course, I'm still not certain you will actually get advice on behavior, but more biblical passages and obscure references to what Jesus wants for you. 

I just recently sat through another Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment of my personality. It was my fifth time around. I scored my normal INTJ (Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, Judging). I've had the same score each time I've taken the test over the last  20 years. We do not change. We learn how to offset the weaknesses in our personality type by learning behaviors. I am an introvert. I've learned to offset the problems with being an introvert through hard study at the hands of masters, plus I'm an autodidact.  I have a toolset and I use it every day. Some tools are subtle and used with care. Others are direct, and used by second nature. For example. I have a habit of standing up near the door to a meeting and greeting people as they enter. I do this because otherwise I will ignore the people who enter and concentrate on my own thoughts. It's five minutes of stress I would rather do without, but it changes the social perception of me and help me get my job done. 

The same concept applies to Christians. There are behaviors that can be learned that will offset the obvious weakness in ones personality and inclination. If you ignore the homeless, which is very unchristian, you can go out of your way to talk to them. If you get angry on Facebook threads, you can learn to self-moderate. The possibilities are endless. Pastors should teach this stuff, bu they rarely do. It is such a wasted opportunity. 

Let me give just one more example of learned behavior that can offset a weakness. As an INTJ, I a spend a great deal of time in my own mind with little interest in other peoples thoughts or feelings (or so the profile says). What this means for me is that for a time when I was new to my career, I would sit and daydream about a problem. I would not seek the input of others, instead I would think it out. My boss gave me no end of grief over the day dreaming. My coworkers hate me. I leaned two things that are now habits. First, I close the doors to my office when I need to think, and second, I recognize the behavior and asks other for input even if the input will not help. Making the change has helped cement relationships with my staff and has changed how others view my work habits. Just think of the opportunities for Christians. What one thing could you change about how your faith is perceived that would benefit your religion the most? 

I recently discovered that a local Korean church, that holds Korean language only services at their church, is active in my neighborhood doing shopping for elderly shut-ins. The elderly are mostly older white and hispanic people. The Koreans do not advertise their generosity. They simply help the old folks and ask nothing in return. Talk about changing perceptions… This is the same church that converted a local pub to a church, so I was not a happy with them at all. It was the only pub within walking distance of my house after all. 

I don't know if Kevin Sutherland is a criminal or a misunderstood pastor. I'll find out in the days ahead. I can tell you that his message is the same as that of a thousands of other hip little churches in America. His church is driven by his personality. His message is simple. Come to my church. Hear my words. Become a Christian. Tilth. Church is a business after all. 

Bad pastor roundup for Sunday, Feb 10

I am a busy professional and sometimes I do not have time to document the entire breadth of religious depravity on display in the media. Here are a few of the smaller cases from the last week.

Texas Church Closed After Pastor Arrested For Drugs, Family Violence

TEXAS CITY (January 27, 2013)—Baypoint Community Church in Texas City has closed after the arrest of its pastor for drug possession and family violence.

A bank has foreclosed on the Baypoint Community Church's property in Texas City.

Pastor accused in drug case

CALCASIEU PARISH, LA (KPLC) - The pastor known for local "Just for Jesus" rallies is facing charges in a drug case.

According to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, James P. Bertrand Jr. has been charged with possession of CDS II (crack cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Authorities said Bertrand was arrested after an alleged narcotics transaction outside a gas station on Country Club Road in Lake Charles.

Pastor arrested for tying 5-year-old to pole

Tororo. Police in Tororo are holding a pastor for allegedly torturing a five-year-old girl.The 35-year-old pastor of a Pentecostal church in Kasoli, a suburb of Tororo Municipality, was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly tied the minor to an electricity pole.

The pastor reportedly accused the girl and her friends of stealing electricity bulbs that had been installed in the church.

Pastor Arrested & Charged Over 492 Fake Marriages

A vicar has been charged with presiding over 492 fake marriages in 16 months – equivalent to one a day.
Reverend Nathan Ntege was arrested in June last year following an investigation into sham marriages by the UK Border Agency.

The 53-year-old is accused of conducting a string of fake marriages at the St Jude’s with St Aidan Church in Thornton Heath, south London, between December 2009 and March 2011.

Pastor arrested over N725, 000 visa fraud

A 43-year-old pastor, Nehemiah Elijah, who allegedly obtained N725, 000 under pretence, was on Friday charged before an Ikeja Magistrates' Court in Lagos.

Elijah, who resides at No. 13 Edom St., Muwo, Ojo, Lagos, is facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraud. The prosecutor, Insp. Okoi Edet, told the court that the accused had on May 5, 2011 at Ojo Area, Lagos, obtained the sum of N725, 000 from one Mr Cyprian Ezegbo.

Pastor Arrested For Raping Church Members

A pastor with a Pentecostal church has appeared in court for allegedly raping two women from his church on separate occasions.

Greatness Tapfuma (31), a Zimbabwean, allegedly raped a 25-year-old congregant twice and another one who is aged 22 once.

It is alleged that he would invite them to his house or go to their houses on the pretext of holding prayer sessions and eventually rape them. Tapfuma has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Honduras arrests pastor wanted for rape

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The pastor of an evangelical church in Colombia accused of sexually assaulting 23 women and four underage girls has been arrested in Honduras, officials say.

Alvaro Javier Gamez Torres was arrested in Portal del Bosque, a town south of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. He was being held pending extradition proceedings, La Prensa reported Thursday.

Pastor Arrested for Kidnapping in Gay Custody Case

A Virginia pastor was handcuffed and taken into federal custody Thursday for his role in a dispute between an ex-lesbian and her former gay partner.

Pastor Kenneth Miller, from Stuarts Draft, Va., cited his religious beliefs for refusing a court order to testify in the case that's now before a grand jury.

 

Giving a pastor the benefit of the doubt or not

I am often asked what a church should do when confronted with a pastor who is accused of a crime. Most people who ask think that because the accused is a pastor and the allegations are unproven, then the accused should be given the benefit of the doubt. In other words, until the allegations are proven, pastors who are accused of raping children or abusing congregants should be allowed to continue working as a pastor until they are convicted of an actual crime. My advice is simple, but often rejected; place the accused on administrative leave until the facts of the case are clear. This is a prudent and safe course of action that protects the institution, the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator. But in case-after-case, the church elects to stand by the accused pastor, in some cases, right up to prison and sometimes beyond

How a church handles an accusation is one of the things I track when writing about clergy sexual abuse. I have a checklist.

• Was the accused pastor suspended?
• Where church members notified by mail?
• Where church members notified by meeting?
• Was there an open forum discussion of the abuse charge?
• Did the church post information on its website?
• Are new visitors notified of ongoing cases?

The list goes on and on. I'll publish the full list at some point if readers are interested. 

I am pleased when a church does the right thing. I try to give them credit when they do so. Let's look at a recent case from South Africa. Church dismisses pastor accused of rape. 

A Soweto trainee pastor who was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in his church was dismissed, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God said yesterday.

"Following this arrest the church leadership interviewed the person and has summarily dismissed him from the body of pastors," spokesperson Nametso Mofokeng said in a statement.

The unnamed trainee pastor was dismissed soon after the accusation. The rest of the case will remain unclear as it is in South Africa and outside of my ability to investigate further. I am happy to note that the church acted swiftly to protect its members from an alleged rapist. It is the right thing to do and they did it in Africa. Why can't we do the same thing in America?

Money corrupts pastors

I read a lot of stories about pastor flying around the country in private jets and living in mansions. I know these people to be frauds by their works. There is no connection between the lifestyle they live, and message of Christ that my christian friends try to sell me when we talk of religion. My friends use the old canard, "Well pastor X is not a real christian, and his church is not an authentic church." They urge me to pay no attention to the high-flying mega church pastors and the moral corruption of their collective message. Worship the dollar… pay no attention to the family struggling to put food on the table. Wealth is our God…

Corruption takes many forms. If you read my blog, you know that clergy sexual abuse is an area that I explore. I cannot understand why anyone abuses a child. When you wrap the abuse in religion, it becomes all the more confusing. I don't have an answer. I simply point at it and yell, "Wrong!"

When a pastor trips over money, the stories are easier to understand, but no least disturbing. Why would a pastor lie, cheat, and steal? I have a theory, but few religious people listen. Pastors are just men or woman whose job puts them at the head of a church. They are not holy, or filled with the spirit, or different from us in any way. Pastors are people. Thus, they fall just like the rest of us.

Pastor Kevin Sutherland is the latest in a long line of fallen pastors. Although his alleged crimes are still unproven allegations, his case is a perfect example of my point. Sutherland and his wife run the Mosaic Miami Church. If you attend Mosaic, then you get the Sutherland spin on Christianity. I wonder if that spin includes teaching members how to profit from the sale of counterfeit art?

According to prosecutors, Kevin Sutherland, a Florida pastor, tried to do just that in December. Mr. Sutherland contacted Sotheby’s and offered to sell one of Mr. Hirst’s “spin” paintings, which he bought from an unidentified person according to court documents, at an upcoming auction.

By the end of January, Sotheby’s authentication service, Science Ltd., had determined that the work was a forgery, a prosecutor said in court. But before Sotheby’s notified Mr. Sutherland of that, it would seem that they also notified law enforcement authorities.

Rejected by Sotherby's, Sutherland offered the discredited work and other works, to an undercover investigator.

Then, on Jan. 31, Sotheby’s notified Mr. Sutherland that there had been a problem with the authentication. Three hours later, Mr. Sutherland e-mailed the undercover officer, prosecutors said in court papers. Mr. Sutherland went on to tell the undercover officer that he had another spin painting and three of Mr. Hirst’s “dot” paintings. He provided provenance papers and agreed to sell the lot for $185,000.

Now disgraced pastor Kevin Sutherland and his upbeat alternative church are in the spotlight. I am afraid the attention will not be kind. Fraud in one area leads to crimes in another area. Do you really want to tithe 10% of your wealth to a man who tries to sell counterfeit art? What other schemes are afoot? Look at your walk with Christ. is it authentic? How would you know if the words you've been using to interpret the message of Christ came from the lips of a liar?

How would Sutherland know what God wants?

What God wants from us is not religion but a relationship. Jesus didn’t teach His original disciples a religion. Rather, He loved them, trained them, commissioned them, and empowered them, and these disciples went out and changed the world! Jesus is still doing the same today. Now that’s an adventure. 

Sutherland, like every other pastor on the planet, makes it up as he goes along. Some pastors rely on ritual, some on doctrine, and still others build something to fit their personal vision. Yet, we give these people special privileges simply because they call themselves pastor. We treat them as holy or wise when they are just… us.  I'll never understand it. 

Pastor Ira Smith arrested for rape

In a race to the bottom for worst pastor of 2013, Ira Smith takes the early lead when he allegedly forced a mentally handicapped 15-year-old girl to give him oral sex. Smith was the pastor at the now defunct Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in Cave City, Arkansas. 

Sharp County Sheriff Mark Counts and Detective Aaron Presser responded to the call. The mother told Presser that one of her daughters came into her room late in the evening of Jan. 14 to explain her younger sister was crying and upset. After the mother went to speak with her daughter, she was informed that Ira Smith, 33, had forced the girl to perform oral sex on him in the home the day before, also touching her inappropriately during the incident.

Source: Pastor arrested for raping mentally handicapped child

Smith had been accused and cleared of similar crimes before. 

It's the pastors fault stupid

One thing I don't understand about the whole clergy sexual abuse scandal is the number of people who continually blame he victim. Take this barely readable dribble from a supported of Youth pastor Joshua Finney.

his wife & sweet innocent children are the victims here. the young girl invovled knew exactly what she was doing, i know we as parents always blame the adult, but be real, a 13 yr old knows right from wrong. i'm sure he did not force her. were there rap charges...nah i didnt think so. he is expected to be the more responsible party & THAT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN! this went on for a very long time. yes people involved did know her age. strangley her mother did not remove her from this enviroment. what is that CRAZY! often people in this enviroment are blind to their surroundings. if @least one adult in the congragation can pick up on something not appearing right with the two of them why could others not notice the closeness of the two. why did the wife not follow her intuition that she must have felt. we can begin with three people being responsible #1 Josh Finney-gave satan free reign to indulge in his lust, #2 Mother of the girl-idiot,people pleaser/complete posser, #3 the girl-young girl who was very sneaky. & any1 in the church who kept quite. it takes a fool to believe that texting is all that was involved..come on 1st baptist you know i'm speaking the truth. remember bloggers her mother kept her there a minimum of 6-12 months after the texting drama. yes he was removed & quickley left the state. parents it is no ones responsibility to protect our children other than our own. monitor those text! watch your children's behavior. do not be so disconnected that you can't pick up on a change in their life.

An anonymous poster left this on my blog tonight. The message is clear, the 13-year-old victim wanted it. The pastor was possessed by Satan, and everyone else involved is an enabler. Apparently everyone else involved in the case is at fault while the pastor was a victim of circumstance. I call bullshit. The pastor is at fault. There is no other story. 

Where is Jesus in this screed? Where is Christian love, charity, or forgiveness. Where is human compassion? It's absent. Just like it alway is. 

Sacred milk is made of… you don't want to know

I report on weird stuff. Religion brings out the worst in people, but few stories rival this one for weirdness. 

In Brazil, a pastor was giving blessings to his flock with Sacred Milk. The paster used his divinely blessed member to anoint believers with the holy substance. Pastor Sobrino Valdeci Picanto was caught in the act of anointing a shop keeper who was promised more sales if she went through the ritual. 

Okay… Picanto's sacred member is his penis and his sacred mild is his sperm. He claims he ran into Jesus in a brothel and… 

Valdecir came to abuse some elderly, and defends himself by saying that ‘he had an encounter with Jesus in a brothel and gave him the mission of spreading the sacred semen throughout the state, beginning with the faithful Apore Assembly, of which he is responsible’

I am not creative enough to make this stuff up. 

“Often, after worship, Pastor Valdecir take us to some of the funds back to the church and asked us to do oral sex on him until the Holy Spirit comes through ejaculation”.

And of course, Valdecir had plenty of followers. What is up with that?

Youth pastor Theldon Williams Jr. arrested

I don't have much to report on this story. In fact, I'm just going to repost a small news article.

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Forty-four-year-old Theldon Williams faced a judge Tuesday afternoon in Raleigh after being arrested Monday night on statutory rape charges.

Williams' sister told ABC11 that the father of two is a youth pastor. She said this is a case of mistaken identity.

Williams is facing a number of charges stemming from alleged incidents involving a 14 year old.

He remains in the Wake County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

 What we know is that Williams is a youth pastor, but we don't know the church is was attached to. We know that the victim was a 14-year-old girl. We know he claims innocence. We know much, but we know little too. I smell another Baptist, but I'm not sure without the facts.  

Update 2/9/2013

Theldon Williams was the youth pastor at New Horizons CME Church in Raleigh. Pastor William Mosley is the cousin of Theldon Williams. 

In the kingdom of stupid, Bill Donohue is king

I try not to pay attention to Bill Donohue. The man is an idiot. Of course, sometimes I cannot resist. The stupid hurts. 

The president of a Catholic group aimed at defending religious liberties has claimed that the rescue of a dog that was due to be put down because its owner thought he was gay shows anti-straight bias.

Source: Catholic group claims ‘gay’ dog rescued from death is anti-straight discrimination by Andrew Potts

Anti-straight bias?

In a January 31 news release entitled ‘Euthanizing Gay Dogs’ Catholic League president William A Donohue compared the issue of Elton the dog’s rescue to medically assisted suicide in the US state of Washington and the Netherlands – arguing that gay people now received better treatment than straight people or the disabled.

I don't see the connection. Do you?

This week in Tennessee a dog was rescued from being euthanized … because the condition driving the dog’s death was his alleged homosexuality,’ Donohue wrote in a news release posted on the group’s website.

‘The place where Elton was dropped … encourages dog adoption, but it also promotes dog euthanasia. Not, however, in Elton’s case. The shelter has no stomach for putting dogs down on the basis of sexual orientation.

What is the real issue here? A dog was about to be put down because it's former owed was a bigoted idiot. That is the news. Who would do such a thing? We all know on a visceral level that killing a dog because you think it is gay is simply insane, and worse, trasference. Why can't Donahue see this as the inhuman act that it actually is? Why can't he see the rescue as an act of love?

Donohue would not know love if it bit him on the ass.  Are you listening Elton?

The absurd notion of burkas for baby girls

I was browsing Reddit this morning when I read a post titled, "New Saudi Fatwah - baby girls must be veiled to stop sexual assault". My first thought was, "Wait - Saudi Muslims have a child rape problem?"

The article goes on to describe Sheikh Adbullah Daoud's recommendation that baby girls be wrapped in a burka to stop them from being sexually exploited. 

In a TV interview on the Islamic Al-Majd TV, which seems to date back to mid-last year, Sheikh Abdullah Daoud, stressed that wearing the veil will protect baby girls. The Sheikh tried to back his assertion with claims of sexual molestation against babies in the kingdom, quoting unnamed medical and security sources.

Recently picked up on social media, sheikh Dauod’s statement prompted wide condemnation from his fellow Saudis on Twitter. Some tweeps called for the Sheikh to be held accountable because his ruling denigrates Islam and breaches individual privacy.

Source: "Burkas for Babies": Saudi cleric's new fatwas causes controversy by Mohammad Alyousei

There are nutballs in every religion (and most political movements). Sheikh Adbullah Daoud is a nutball. His words damage his faith and also casts Saudi Arabia in a worse light than it already is. I put him in the same camp as Pat Robertson. A man who speaks religious nonsense. 

I understand his intentions. He wanted to protect children from rape and sexual abuse. He extended that only thing he knows that works to children without realizing his words highlighted his ignorance. The real problem and the potentional solution can be found be looking at the perpetrators and establishing real accountability. 

The most popular comment on Reddit says it all, "They should issue a fatwa about not raping babies…"

I don't get hell

I'm an atheist, so by definition I don't believe in heaven or hell, but I really don't get the concept of hell in the first place. The concept of hell makes no sense to me. Why would the Satan punish the evil? One would think he would reward anyone who rejects God or furthers his cause. It never made sense to me that if you are a Christian then you get eternal awards regardless of the type of person you were in life, but if you an atheist you suffer eternal damnation. It's a binary decision and silly. 

Do I suffer forever in hell that same way a murder would? Why would I suffer at all? Hell should be a party. 

A pastor once explained that being cast into hell was horrible because you were denied the presence of God. If hell is horrible because you don't get time with God, then what use is Satan and his torturous minions? None of it ever made sense. 

The most unbelievable aspect of heaven and hell was the prayer for forgiveness. Can you really commit horrible crimes and be admitted to heaven simply because you prayed your sin away? How simple is that? Son… I know you killed a man today, but if you confess your sin and get right with God, I'll see you one day in heaven. What use is hell if not to pushed the murders among us? 

Heaven and hell are concepts for children. I stopped believing in the concept as child. I'm never going back. 

Youth pastor Thaddeus MacMoran convicted

My inbox is full of stories. I did not even hear of the arrest of youth pastor Thaddeus Stephen MacMoran. He apparently molested a young teen.

MacMoran was a student ministry volunteer with the Lake Forest Church teen ministry. But a spokesperson for Lake Forest Church said the crimes occurred at another church, before MacMoran became a volunteer at Lake Forest.

Young adult males plus 13 or 14 year old girls = trouble. You would think churches would learn by now. 

Youth pastor Dustin Werneburg gets 10 years

Former youth pastor Dustin Wernerburg, profiled here, was sentenced to ten years in prison for raping a young teen. Wernerburg was a troubled youth pastor with three allegations of misconduct on record when he was arrested. HIs Church, First Baptist Church in Coalgate, allowed him to continue as a youth pastor. 

I've caught a lot of shit from the locals on this case. I take some small measure of comfort from knowing that this pedophile pastor will soon be gumming his meals. Now, if the parents involved will just sue the church out of business, I'll consider the case closed. 

I've come to the point where I think of Baptists as members of a cult. Is that wrong?