Mandatory reporter law in Florida

I was doing research for a story when I came across the mandatory reporter law (PDF) for the state of Florida. Mandatory reporter laws are in place to protect children and at risk adults from abuse. They required that people in certain positions of authority notify authorities when abuse is discovered. I was surprised to learn that clergy are excluded in the list of professional mandatory reporters. Excluding Christians from the list speaks volumes about their special status in Florida.

• Assisted Living Facility Staff
• Adult Day Care Center Staff
• Adult Family Care Home Staff
• Bank, Savings and Loan, or Credit Union Officer, Trustee, or Employee
• Chiropractor/Chiropractic Physician
• Day Care Center Worker
• Department of Business and Professional Regulation employees conducting inspections of public lodging establishments.
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Florida Advocacy Council Member
• Foster Care Worker
• Hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examination, care, or treatment of children and vulnerable adults.
• Health Professional
• Institutional Worker
• Judge
• Law Enforcement Officer
• Long-Term Care Ombudsman Council Member
• Medical Examiner
• Mental Health Professional
• Nurse
• Nursing Home Staff
• Osteopath/Osteopathic Physician
• Paramedic
• Physician
• Practitioner who relies solely on spiritual means for healing.
• Professional Adult Care, Residential, or Institutional Staff
• Professional Child Care Worker
• Residential Care Worker
• School Teacher
• School Official or Other School Personnel
• Social Worker
• State, County, or Municipal Criminal Justice Employee or Law Enforcement Officer

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Florida

Youth pastor Damian Burkhalter arrested

In Ham Lake (the home of bacon?), youth pastor Damian Blake Burkhalter of Glen Cary Lutheran Church, was arrested for an alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted. As usual, the abuse was completely inconsistent with the concept of Christian morality.

Burkhalter was employed as youth director at Glen Cary Lutheran Church in Ham Lake when he allegedly tried to have sex with the victim from June to November, 2010. The victim described oral sex incidents, most of which happened at the church, in Burkhalter's office or in the youth room in the church's basement. Other sexual incidents happened at Burkhalter's Blaine home.

The girl was hired as Burkhalter's temporary secretary over the summer, working about two shifts a week. She said there was sexual contact with Burkhalter on each shift. Burkhalter allegedly tried to adopt the victim, a detail supported by testimony of the victim's aunt, who the girl now lives with in Willmar.

I’ll have to add a few things to my list of potential abuse vectors. In this case, I question if it is advisable for a child to work for an adult in a job that affords routine privacy. Another question I have is how a relationship that included talk of adoption could escape the scrutiny of the leadership of his church. Whenever a youth pastor becomes a child's surrogate daddy, more oversight is required. It should be seen as a potential grooming activity.

As usual, there is no mention of the arrest on the churches website.

Update 6/15/2012 - All charges were dropped. Burkhalter is innocent.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Rape,Child Molestation

Youth pastor in training arrested

Seth Werling, 22, was interning at Apopka Calvary Nazarene Church when he was arrested for sexting and sending lewd photos with a 14-year-old girl.

In March , Werling drew henna tattoos on the girl and her 14-year-old friend during the girls' spring break from an Orlando high school.

After drawing the tattoos, Werling sent phone text messages to the girl and asked her to take pictures of the tattoos and send them to him.

The girl complied, and Werling's messages soon became more suggestive and demanding. The girl sent him photographs of herself in a bathing suit, underwear and partially nude as well as videos of herself. He in turn forwarded photos of himself that included snapshots of his genitals, according to the affidavit.

The story goes on to talk about how the church’s youth pastor did an internal investigation, even confronting Werling, before he went to the police. I’m sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but his first call should have been to the police. Youth pastor Jason Roberts made a grave mistake. He may have even endangered he life of he victim. How could he be so stupid? My guess is lack of training. I’ll drop a note to the church and find out.

Of course, I’ll want to know if the church had a cell phone/texting policy. I’m betting no.

Update: Member of the the church claims the church has a texting policy. I’ve requested the post a copy or send it to me along with proof Werling was trained.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Sexting,Child Molestation

Pastor Grover Thomas Jr. arrested

I’m going to use the term “self-proclaimed) here. I have no proof pastor Grover Cleveland Thomas, Jr., is anything other that an alleged rapist who claims to be a man of god. Details are thin. Thomas allegedly raped a 53-year-old woman who was recovering from surgery. He sounds like a peach.

I could use some help on this story. If anyone has information, please send it my way.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Rape

Pastor Steven Perez arrested

Pastor Steven Joseph Perez was arrested and charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl. Perez made a classic mistake. See if you can catch it below.

But according to the criminal complaint, the young girl, 12, told police she went to "Pastor Steve's room" one night to watch a movie. She said Perez fondled her. The girl told police she pretended to be asleep because she was scared and uncomfortable.

But Perez told police he's innocent. In his arrest warrant, Perez told police, "we were just wrestling, me and (victim), there was nothing sexual, (victim) is known for lying."

If Perez is a trained pastor (there is not guarantee here), he would not that it is job to resist placing himself in situations were abuse can occur. There is no excuse for the man “wrestling” with a young girl. He should have known better. Every pastor should know better. It should be part of a pastor basic training manual under the chapter title of Protecting the virtue of you and your flock.  

Perez was a pastor at God’s Church on the Move in New Mexico.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Molestation

The Diocese of Phoenix’s list of pastoral perps

The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has published its list of priests accused of sexual abuse. It’s a short list. I’m betting it’s not complete.

• Former priest Louis Ladenburger
• The Rev. Jorge Cordova
• Former priest Donald McGuire
• The Rev. Loren Riebe
• Deacon Maxwell Rollin (Ron) Pelton
• Former priest Dale Fushek

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Catholics

If a pastor gives you a pill, don’t take it.

We all have differing amounts of common sense. As a children we have less than we do as adults. That is to say, we will develop more common sense if our mistakes do not kill us along he way. 16-year-old Brianna Benbo made a mistake and it cost her her life. She trusted a pastor where an adult might have said hell no. Her pastor, Glories Powell, allegedly gave her a “poison pill” during a church service. The church called it a relaxer. Brianna had an allergic reaction and died. Her parents are suing.

The suit accuses both the church and its leaders of wrongful death and negligence. The family of 16 year old Brianna Benbo, says the young girl's death  is the direct result of a "zealous religious fasting ritual" spear-headed by senior pastor Glories Powell.  A YouTube video shows Powell preaching to her congregation.

According to court documents, Brianna was a parishioner at Powell's church, the Moment of Truth Ministries,  also known as  the Church of Divine Appointment. 

And they say it was during a religious service in July of 2010, that Brianna was told to take a poisonous capsule.

I’ve got to get a list going. We all know the lead off item, “Do not drink the kool-aid.” Then there is, “Don’t accept a ride home from the pastor.” And, “Counseling requires the pastor wear pants.” Now we can add, “Don’t take poison from a pastor.” But then, that one seems obvious.

Pastor Glories Powell runs the Moment of Truth Ministries AKA Church of Divine Appointment.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Misconduct

Pastor David Love update

In case you missed it, pastor David Love allegedly murdered Randy Stone. His partner in crime was allegedly Randy’s wife, Teresa L. Stone. She was indicted for her husband’s murder a few days ago.

As the investigation continued, Stone’s family revealed that Love and Teresa Stone were having an affair that had been going on for about a decade, according to family.

According to the county prosecutor’s office, Teresa L. Stone, “agreed with David Love that one or more of them would murder Randy Stone, and ... one or more of them communicated that they wanted Randy Stone murdered.”

David Love carried on a ten year affair with the wife of his friend and ultimately murdered the man. How is this Christ like? How is this in any way related to a Christian walk? How did Love carry on a affair without members of his Church or family finding out and holding him accountable? What is the duty of the sheep here?

Another thing I will never understand about murder cases like this one is why they murder in the first place. It’s so much easier to just walk away and file for a divorce.

Technorati Tags: Murder,Clergy Abuse,Hypocrisy

Statement regarding the marriage of Eddie Long

Apparently Eddie Long and his wife Vanessa Long, is still intact. Art Franklin issued this statement on behalf of the Longs.

Despite a very public attack against New Birth Church and its leadership, New Birth has chosen not to respond to rumors but remain focused on fulfilling the mission that God has for the ministry.

However, in this new digital world, along with a steep decline in quality reporting, many people can't discern the difference between legitimate journalists and irresponsible bloggers. Recently, some blog entries have surfaced claiming to have anonymous sources stating that New Birth First Lady Elder Vanessa Long has left her husband. That claim is completely and absolutely false. Mrs. Long is very much a loving, dedicated and committed wife and mother.

It is unfortunate that anyone would make such hateful and damaging false claims of this nature. These cruel and insensitive rumors have the potential to cause immeasurable pain and suffering. Those involved should feel obligated to retract their earlier statements.

I’m not one of those irresponsible bloggers mentioned above. I did not speculated about the strength their marriage. I did not even know the name of the holy “first lady”. My speculation was all centered around Long’s lack of character. It still is. At this stage in the scandal, anything can happen. So I watch for the cracks to form. Eddie Long is on his way down. I fear it will be a long painful slide.

I’m surprised Long is married to a woman. I’m surprised a Christian did not fully disclose the nature of his lawsuit and the nature of the settlement. I’m surprised his church did not hold him accountable. I’m surprised anyone gives this church and its amoral materialistic pastor a dime of their hard earned money or a minute of their time. It literally boggles my mind that people follow this man.  

I love this bit, “…New Birth has chosen not to respond to rumors…”. And then they go ahead and respond to rumors.

Eddie Long, Hypocrisy

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• Bishop Eddie Long: My Wife Didn't Leave Me (theroot.com)
• Rumors On Eddie Long's Wife Moving Out (scotteriology.wordpress.com)
• New Birth Issues A Statement: Bishop Eddie Long Strokey Poke's Wife Is Still Down For The Okey Doke (bossip.com)
• Na wa oh! Disgraced Bishop Eddie Long's service! (prgoretti.wordpress.com)

Good press coverage for Atheists and Hemant Mehta

The first article in my inbox this morning was a story about the Atheist response to the vandalism of two churches with FSM graffiti and tags. Hemant spearheaded a chip in fund raising effort that the effort raised over $2,500. I participated with a post supporting the effort and a small donation.

The press coverage was kind.

Word of Sunday night's tagging spread to Pastafarian members with the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster and atheists across the country.

One of them decided to do something about it - from halfway across the country.

"You know, when I saw this church get vandalized and someone did it, I guess through atheism or Pastafarianism, I just figured the church, even though they are wrong and even though I disagree with their beliefs, they didn't deserve this," atheist Hemant Mehta said Wednesday. "So I think a lot of readers on my site would agree with this, so I asked them if they would consider chipping in."

Hemant Mehta is a good voice for Atheism. I’m very happy to see this effort worked out so well. I think it was the right thing to do and I think the effort had the right motivation. Good job to Hemant Mehta and good job to those of who supported his effort.

Technorati Tags: Hemant Mehta,Atheism

Crazy or real Christian?

Pastor Josmar Flores Pereira hijacked an Aeromexico flight in 2009 while claiming he was on a mission to warn people that god was planned a big earthquake. He sounds nuts, right? But he claims that becoming a Christian got him off drinking and drugs. I’m confused. How can god cure a drinking problem and skip the whole mental illness shtick?

Bolivia sentenced Pereira to 7 years in prison. He’s been in prison since his arrest.

Flores Pereira hijacked Aeromexico Flight 576 flight from Cancun to Mexico City while threatening to detonate a device he claimed to be a bomb. The alleged explosive device was a couple of juice cans with wires.

The Bolivian pastor was in Mexico organizing and holding a series of meetings to predicate his Christian beliefs. He later alleged that he never intended to detonate any explosives.

I’m going with nutball pastor on this one. What else can it be?

Technorati Tags: Clergy Misconduct,Hijacking

Related articles

• Bolivian gets 7 years for Mexico plane hijacking (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Bolivian jailed for plane hijack (bbc.co.uk)

How did I miss father Shawn Ratigan?

I must have been asleep at the switch on this story. I apologize. I honestly cannot keep up with these miscreants. Especially miscreants of the Catholic persuasion.

Father Shawn Ratigan liked to take pictures of children. He took them at every opportunity. Apparently, many of these photos were lewd or pornographic. Several of the photos were of the “up skirt” variety involving 12-year-old girls. Creepy, right? It gets worse though, his parish knew about the problems and did nothing for over a year.

The principal of a Catholic school warned a top official of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph more than a year ago that parents and teachers found the Rev. Shawn Ratigan’s behavior toward children troubling, including the hundreds of pictures the priest took.

When you add that to the fact that parish authorities knew about the images for six months before alerting authorities, well – it looks bad for everyone involved.

The parish authorities hid behind their legal counsel. Which is odd given the public push to out pedophile priests. Why would they delay reporting Ratigan? Why did they wait until others made the complaint?

“The very next day, we contacted a Kansas City, Missouri Police officer and described one of the more disturbing images,” Bishop Finn continued. “At the same time the diocese showed the images to legal counsel. In both instances we were told that, while very troubling, the photographs did not constitute child pornography as they did not depict sexual conduct or contact.”

It’s clear the process has no integrity. I have no idea how to fix this mess short of suing the Catholic church out of business and having the believers start over.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Pedophiles

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• Child Rape, Inc., Is Back in Business, Baby! (slog.thestranger.com)
• KC bishop admits failure in abuse case, says he'll address alleged 'concealment' (onecatholicorg.wordpress.com)

New book - why we believe in gods

I was sent a review copy of this book. It’s next in line for read with a review to follow. At 144 pages, I don’t expect it will take too long to read. The forward is by Richard Dawkins.

why we believe in god(s). A concise guide to the science of faith. (Pitchstone Publishing, June 2011) By J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD with Clare Aukofer. 144 pages.

From the press kit – Thomson and Aukofer draws on the most up-to-date research, along with studies stretching back to Darwin, and revels how religion took shape in the mind, and has kept a hold on it.

“We now know how and why human minds generate religious belief,” Thomson explains. “We’ve put together the pieces of the puzzle and expose the mind’s mechanisms that produce supernatural beliefs, the idea of souls, the notion of gods, and all else that built religions large and small.”

From Sam Harris:

“Andy Thomson, with Clare Aukofer, has written a wonderfully concise introduction to our growing scientific understanding of religion. If you would like to learn, in the span of an hour, why we have every reason to believe that God is man-made – this is the book to read.”

About the authors:

J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., M.D. (Andy) is a psychiatrist in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is also a staff psychiatrist at Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Virginia Student Health Services and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Dr. Thomson’s current research interest is in the area of evolutionary psychology and using its principles to understand depression, suicide terrorism, and religious belief.

Clare Aukofer first collaborated with Andy Thompson when both were at the University of Virginia’s Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction. For more than a dozen years she was editor of Helix, the quarterly magazine of the University of Virginia medical center, and director of communications for the medical center.  She has won numerous awards for writing and editing and her biography has been included in several variations of Marquis “Who’s Who.”  A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she is the youngest of seven children and the product of twelve years of Catholic education.  She lives in Charlottesville, VA.

Technorati Tags: Atheism,Religion,Book Reviews

Another brick in the fundie wall

A California school dealt with a stealth Christian fundie attack by canceling its fund raising effort and returning $40 in donations. Two fundies, Lou Ann Hart and Sheryl Caronna, tried to sneak bible versus into a memorial brick fundraising effort. The bricks were to be placed in walkways throughout the school. Bible verses included:

• Tell everyone about God’s power – Psalm 68:34
• The old life is gone. A new one has begun 2Co 5:17
• No one can serve two masters. Luke 17:13
• Be kind to each other…forgive on another. Eph 5:31

I love the way the school dealt with the potential legal issues. They simple cancelled the effort. There will be no long battle in court and no large legal bills. The Christians will not get to make their point, nor will they get to drop their bible turds throughout the high school campus. Instead, the poor children of Palm Desert High School in Palm Desert, Calif., will do without their music program or some such. It’s such a shame.

At least the cancellation of the program miffed the fundies.

"It is cowardly to shut down everyone's participation in this program simply out of animosity toward Christian speech," Cortman said. "There is absolutely nothing unconstitutional about a Bible verse on a brick when a school opens up a program for anyone to express a personal message. The school could simply have allowed the Bible verses, but instead, it chose to punish everyone."

Read more: California School District Cancels Fundraiser After Submission of Scripture-Inscribed Bricks

I’d prefer that our public schools not be plastered with Christian dogma. I’d prefer we do not waste precious tax payer funds on frivolous lawsuits when California schools are rated near the bottom in the country. I’d prefer Christians plaster their own walkways with bible verses, or whatever else they need to indoctrinate their own children. Leave my kids alone. They are in school for an education free from the stink of religion. They are there to learn to think and not learn to fear your make-believe god.

Technorati Tags: Rants,Religion,Christians,Fundies

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• Palm Desert High School Misinterprets The Establisment Clause - Gives Christians Ammo (hooglyboogly.wordpress.com)

They’re not real atheists

“Praise the FSM” was painted on two churches on Sunday night in Bend, Oregon.

The graffiti apparently refers to The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, an online group of people who claim they do not believe in religion but rather in what they call Pastafarianism.

Local church groups say it's one thing to not pick a religion, but it's another for these vandals to pick a fight.

Don’t worry though, the people who did this were not true atheists. We all know that tagging a church is against our secret atheist code book.  It was probably just some wayward Christian youth looking for attention. Or not – if it’s one of us then we own it and should do something about it.

The Friendly Atheist has a chip in fund working to help pay for the cleanup. Pay a visit to his blog and make a donation. I’m in for $10.

 

Technorati Tags: Atheism,FSM

Related articles

• How to Become a Pastafarian (ipnagogicosentire.wordpress.com)
• Let's Help These Vandalized Churches (friendlyatheist.com)