There is no justice in the world.
McLean County Judge Robert Frietag on Wednesday ordered The Rev. Ted Pierce to continue receiving outpatient mental health treatment but released him.
Pierce, who is 47, was charged with aggravated battery, domestic battery and criminal trespass after allegedly forcing his way into Laura Pierce's home in July 2006, shoving her onto a bed and threatening her. The couple were separated.
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I know some poor soul out there attends Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. Can you tell me what seminary he study out. Or what university he attended? I read these stories and think, "how dumb is that"? A 23-year-old has little wisdom as wisdom comes with age. A 23-year-old has little experience as experience come from actually working. An a 23-year-old has all the same impulse control issues as other 23-year-males. That is too say, impulse control is a challenge. So... Why are we surprised when they get arrested for assault? I'm never surprised anymove.
The director of outreach ministries at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford was arrested Tuesday on third-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges. Frederick L. Ward, 23, of 15 Bates St., was arrested after an incident near 18 Bates St. about 10:20 p.m. A police spokesman said details of what happened were not immediately available.
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Hicktown Press covers bad pastors from a Christian perspective. It is a pet peeve of mine that more Christians do not do the same thing. When I find one reporting on a bad pastor, I feel compelled to pass it along. Besides, I've been reading this blog for about a year now. It's pretty good if you can get past the conservative bias. Oh... and the whole Christian thing.
This post is about former Baptist pastor and convicted pedophile Robert Reaves. He murdered the girlfriend of his roommate in a jealous rage. Don’t skip the comments.
President Elect Obama has a full plate. The country is a mess. We are fighting two wars. Our economy is in the worst state I can remember. And, our reputation as a nation is at an all time low. Yet there are some things that need to be fixed simply because they are just wrong. Like the erosion of personal liberties caused by our massive and misguided overreaction to 911. We lack innocent people up for trivial offensives. These people are not a threat to the United States. Why do we treat people like this? It reminds me of the Red Scare of the 1950’s where everybody is under suspicion.
Paul Clements sits in immigration prison because we are idiots. Let common sense prevail. Stop the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing mindless rules. Nothing is life should be black and white. Binary responses to difficult security questions are adopted when those who rule do not trust those who enforce our laws. My hope is that our new President will see the shortcomings created during the incompetence of the Bush Administration, and fix DHS.
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The Atheist Blogroll has grown to 870 active members. I like seeing the new members. It amazes me that so many people continue to start blogging. Ahd that so many new atheist bloggers keep joining our little community.
Unfortunately, we are stuck with Blogrolling.com. Their website offers this suckfest from Nov 18. They promise another update sometime Thursday. Of course, they did not mention which Thursday… It could be some Thursday in December (they missed November already). It could be some Thursday in 2009. How do they expect people to trust them if they cannot even publish simple status updates.
The thing is, blogrolling.com officially sucks ass. So does their parent company Tucows. It’s been months since the service went down, and still nothing. Plus the service was spotty at best ever since Tucows bought it back in 2994. They cabbit even put together a simple update. So what is the story? Is blogrolling coming back as V2, or is blogrolling dead? Do I need to find another service, or can I trust you with the future of the Atheist Blogroll?
I have no faith is this company, no faith at all.
Alvin – if you read this post, it is time we pool our collective resources and make our own blogrolling tool. I mean, how hard can it be? It’s not rocket science. Plus, we’ve made much more sophisticated software together (several times). What do you say?
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I spoke with my long lost High School friend this evening for the first time in at least 15 years (see the Fish Heads post). I was a little nervous about the call. I've lost a few friends over the years because I'm an Atheist. I did not want the same thing to happen again. I warned him about my blog in an email and asked that he not take offence. I was hoping for the best as the call started. I need not have worries.
Jon was confused. He remembered me as a Christian, but not as an atheist. When I explained my history and why I write Deep Thoughts, he added that he too was an atheist.
And all is right with the world...
Guess where I'm going tomorrow? I am visiting the Museum of Latin American Art to see Photoshopping and more. With a two hour one way commute and and no free time during daylight hours, my creative muse has been killed by daylight savings time. I figure a little time with some local photographers looking at a new art exhibit may be just the trick. I’ll post a review after the visit.
Wow – I found my best friend from High School on the internet a few minutes ago. Jon Zamarin was a great guy when I knew him. I’ve lost track of him over the years. I’ve tried to find him, but it seems that I always misspelled his last name, which should come as no surprise to the readers of this blog.
I named my first son after Jon. He was special, gifted musically and extremely intelligent. I look back at the years we spent together as some of the most import of my young life. My son will be married in a few months, it is only fitting that I let my old friend Jon know what is going on.
I found Jon by random chance. I clicked on a picture of a fish on a random blog and landed on a old school website. I noticed the picture and said, “Is that Jon?” It was. What the hell are the chances? Check out his website, Fish Heads
I know where he got the name for his website. When we were young lads, we would listen to Dr. Demento on KMET. I can still picture him singing Fish Heads by Art & Art Barnes.
Hate comes in many forms. There is the outright bigotry of Prop 8, and then there is the subtle effort to create or maintain a hostile environment. In this case, the Catholic Church opposes a United Nations plan to introduce protection for gays facing the death penalty in countries charges where homosexuality is illegal. Their reason, it might hurt traditional marriage. I'm not kidding...
This week the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, said the Holy See would oppose a resolution that would protect gays from being killed, just because they are gay because it would "add new categories of those protected from discrimination" and could lead to reverse discrimination against traditional heterosexual marriage.
Source: Queers United: Catholic Church Against Making Gay Death Penalty Illegal
The original source for the story can be found here.
I don’t get it. Why would anyone buy into this crap. It’s hate rapped in a shroud of saccharine love.
Artwork by Jeber
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Somebody had a good idea. Use the collective power of Reddit to build a list of non-theist charities. I plan to steal liberally from the list for another post. In the mean time, if you know of any charities that qualify, add them to the Reddit list or add a comment to this post.
Image via Wikipedia
My least favorite is the fat cat pastor who lives off his church. Like First AME pastor John J. Hunter. This is what he had to say when confronted over a three year $100K spending spree financed by church credit cards.
I may owe [the IRS] some money, but I absolutely have never done anything criminal," Hunter said. "I have nothing to hide. To the extent I have any responsibility, I have fully embraced it and all of these matters have been addressed.
He already had problems with the IRS. What’s $300k in back taxes and penalties? Nothing to be concerned about people, move along… And then there are the same allegation from his previous church in Seattle. Again, nothing to worry about…
Where are the criminal charges? Why is he still a pastor? How is this behavior allowed to flourish over the years? Where is the moral outrage?
Allegations of financial mismanagement have dogged the pastor since his tenure at First AME Church in Seattle from 1998 to 2004. More than 30 Seattle church members formed a "Save Our Church" committee to protest what they alleged were improper charges on church credit cards and tax evasion by Hunter. In a series of 2005 interviews, Hunter dismissed the allegations and categorically denied any wrongdoing.
"There's nobody who's a leader who doesn't have enemies," the Boston University Law School graduate said at the time. "You have to make decisions. You can take the easy road, or you can take the right road."
No… It’s played off as his enemies are trying to bring him down. He can’t even take responsibility for his own actions by saying he knew spending church funds on personal items was wrong.
I guess it’s all ok because he runs a big church and… you know, them pastors are men of god and all.
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Pastor Paul Smeltzer was sentenced to 45 years in prison for video taping himself molesting three relatives and his step daughter.
"I know I've sinned before God," Smeltzer said in an address to the court.
"I hope you also know God and will show the mercy God always shows us," he said.
These bastards always seem to find god in the end. As if it will help them in prison. Pedophiles make the best prison bitches.
It's a pro gay bible.
A gay version of the Bible, in which God says it is better to be gay than straight, is to be published by an American film producer.
New Mexico-based Revision Studios will publish The Princess Diana Bible – so named because of Diana's "many good works", it says – online at princessdianabible.com in spring 2009. A preview of Genesis is already available, in which instead of creating Adam and Eve, God creates Aida and Eve.
"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Aida, and she slept: and he took one of her ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from woman, made he another woman, and brought her unto the first. And Aida said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of me. Therefore shall a woman leave her mother, and shall cleave unto her wife: and they shall be one flesh.' And they were both naked, the woman and her wife, and were not ashamed."
The Atheist bible is due out in 2009. In the creation story, god creates Adam and Eve, but then Adam kills god because he looks a lot like a cow.
What kind of training does one need to be a 22-year-old youth pastor? What ever it is, it is no where near enough. Pastor Damon J. Noel went fishing off the company pier so to speak. He allegedly snagged his minor victim at vacation bible school.
According to Officer Jon Bohanan, police confronted the suspect near Boyton Park, where he reportedly had arranged to meet the victim, at about 2:15 p.m. Friday. They arrested Damon J. Noel, 22, on charges of third-degree rape, contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, third-degree sex abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor and sexual misconduct.
Nice. Ok… cross vacation bible school off the list.
Christians had this to say…
Mike
He fell off the path of righteousness. As we all know is thin.
Don't judge him, save that for God. Pray for him that he will look to God for guidance instead of falling to the enemy.
"MOM" that is a broad brush stroke you make. Children are safe in their churches. It is not right to think that now all youth pastors in all the churches will do such things. Pray for him.
16 Year Old Youth of That Church
There is a paucity of details here, the age of the victim should have been revealed, it may have thrown a little light on just how "perverted" this crime is. I always wonder if there is an agenda behind these one sided reports.
No I don't condone Noels acts.