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9/22/08 – RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Interviews Tony Alamo (Video included)

CNN.com – Transcripts
Aired September 22, 2008 – 15:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

Evangelist Tony Alamo joins me to talk about the raid at his Christian compound. He denies he sexually abused children, but wait until you hear what he believes about kids and sex.

Over the weekend federal agents raided a church compound after alleged reports of child abuse and pornography surfaced at that religious compound. We’re going to be talking live, here, to the church’s leader Tony Alamo.

Stay with us. We’ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Let’s talk now about a story that has a lot of people — staring at it. It’s the story of Tony Alamo. Let me show you some pictures now. This is a raid that took place in Texarkana, Arkansas. It is where the religious facility for Tony Alamo, and others in his church, was raided by officials on the investigation that children may have been abused at this particular facility.

And we are fortunate enough now to have Mr. Tony Alamo joining us on the phone.

Mr. Alamo, thank you so much for being with us, sir.

VOICE OF TONY ALAMO, TONY ALAMO CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES: It’s my pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Prosecutors are saying that you are a polygamist who preyed on married women and girls in your congregation. That’s what prosecutors have said on the record. What is your response to that?

ALAMO: Well, even if I was a polygamist, which I’m not, what would be wrong with that when the Psalmists, David, Moses, and Solomon, and Gideon all those top people in the Bible, you can read about them in the 11 chapter of Hebrews, that they were polygamist as well. SANCHEZ: Well, the Bible, sir, is a — is a collection of stories, some of them to be used literally when they involve God’s word and —

ALAMO: Hey, man.

SANCHEZ: But there were also people who were stoned in the bible. Do you think you have the right to do that now?

ALAMO: Don’t tell me about the Bible, man. I’m a Jew. We wrote the bible. Let me teach you.

SANCHEZ: OK.

ALAMO: You don’t know anything about the Bible, OK, friend?

SANCHEZ: OK.

ALAMO: All right?

SANCHEZ: So you’re saying the Bible gives you the right to have sex with girls?

ALAMO: I have the right to have sex with my wife. Is there any problem with that?

SANCHEZ: No, absolutely no problem. No problem with your wife.

ALAMO: Some people are homosexuals today like the people at the Vatican and everything.

SANCHEZ: Let’s not go there, sir. Let’s —

ALAMO: Yes, let’s go there. Let’s go there. Come on now. Come on. You know there’s a bunch of faggots over there and nobody is prosecuting them.

SANCHEZ: I think people would find that kind of language repugnant. I would — I would ask you not to use it anymore. Let’s try and stick to the issues here.

ALAMO: Hey.

SANCHEZ: If we possibly can. Hey, just for the record, they’re saying for the record that you have possibly either promulgated or had sex with young girls at your particular facility. Is that true or not?

ALAMO: That is false.

SANCHEZ: OK.

ALAMO: All right?

SANCHEZ: You told the “Associated Press” that you are not guilty, but then you went own to say that — according to you — the age of consent is puberty — puberty? What do you mean by that? ALAMO: It’s not according to me. That’s according to the Bible. That means when a woman is able to conceive, and have a child, she is an adult and she could be married. But we don’t do that at our church. We never have.

SANCHEZ: Why would you be saying that then?

ALAMO: Well, because it’s Bible. I have a right to preach the Gospel, don’t I? OK? What kind of a — what kind of creep are you?

SANCHEZ: Puberty is — as early as eight years old. Are you saying that you would be for children, young girls as early as eight years old having sex?

ALAMO: No, you’re just trying to make me look that way. You’re part of the government regime to try to destroy Christianity. And I didn’t say that. I don’t know when girls reach puberty. Most of them around 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. God inseminated Mary at the age of around 10 to 12. Should we get him for having sex with a young girl?

SANCHEZ: Yes, yes, as a matter of fact, sir. If you go by the law, and we are a nation of laws, we should. And the law specifically states that you have to —

ALAMO: Hey, you’re not a nation of laws, you are the anti- Christ. You are the exact opposite of the law of God. The law of God what you’re going to be judged by and everybody else on this earth.

SANCHEZ: That’s fine, sir. Let me just ask you —

ALAMO: It’s not only fine. It’s going to really happen, OK?

SANCHEZ: Thank you, sir. But for the record —

ALAMO: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Are you saying that girls under the age of 18 should be allowed to have sex?

ALAMO: I believe if they’re married, that they could.

SANCHEZ: As young as what? As young as eight, as young as 10, as young as 12? Since that is in some cases when —

ALAMO: I’m not the one that sets the time. When they reach puberty, I wouldn’t recommend that any eight or 10-year-old girl gets married because — but in the event that it would be of the Lord, I would say it’s all right. But I don’t do that, OK? So let’s get that straight. I’m talking to you from the Bible, what God said, and you’re trying to make it look like I’m doing that and that —

SANCHEZ: Then why were those children — do you have any idea why those six children were removed from facility?

ALAMO: They were removed because they just want to make a big deal out of it. They haven’t found anything about them. They can check them for 27 hours, or 27 weeks, or months or years and they still will find out that they’re virgins, all right?

SANCHEZ: Let me ask you another question. The Southern Poverty Law Center which monitors the activities of extremist groups in the United States describes your ministry as a cult. How would you respond to that?

ALAMO: I respond that the Vatican is the cult. I’m very scriptural with the Bible. Anyone that is not scriptural with the Bible, such as yourself, are a cult. OK? The Lord is right and everybody else is wrong.

SANCHEZ: There’s someone named Anthony Justin Lane. Are you familiar with Anthony?

ALAMO: Oh, yes. He had his wife working at a topless bar and was tempting her and so —

SANCHEZ: Well, he says — well, he’s not here to defend himself so let me say what he’s said on the record about you. He says that you kicked him out for asking too many questions about your ministry.

ALAMO: Well, he’s a liar.

SANCHEZ: And that you keep him from seeing his children who live in the compound with — with their mother. Are you keeping this man from his children?

ALAMO: First of all — first of all it’s not a compound. It’s a church. It’s a facility. We have houses all over the place and they live in a single-family dwelling. And it’s her husband that doesn’t want him around, because he had her working at a topless bar and also was pimping her. It’s the husband, not me. I don’t know anything about that.

SANCHEZ: And Tony Alamo, you were convicted of tax-related charges in 1994. The IRS said you owed them $7.9 million as a minister. What are we to make of that?

ALAMO: Well, I don’t — you know, if you want to believe that garbage, that’s up to you. But the IRS dropped all charges after they sent back all those debts to me. They know very good and well that they were liars. They hid the books on me and they pulled a lot of people out of prison to testify falsely against me.

SANCHEZ: OK.

ALAMO: And I’m – you know, let’s stick with the subject. The world government is the polygamists. They are the —

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ALAMO: Also child molesters.

SANCHEZ: OK.

ALAMO: And so is the school system. SANCHEZ: World government? Mr. Alamo, I want to thank you, sir, for taking time to join us here.

ALAMO: Well, you’re welcome, Mr. Chanchez, (ph), or whatever your name is.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, sir.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

In: Tony Alamo - In His Own Words, Transcriptions

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  1. Alexandra Says:

    While I agree with a few of the things he says (like the child molestation and homosexuality in the Catholic church), it sounds to me like he’s dodging the question and backpedaling. He should have just answered the question. Also, calling someone a name right off isn’t going to want to make them listen to you…getting hostile and whatnot. Just answer the question in a civil manner and don’t fire off accusations.

    I’d like to know where the Bible mandates marriage at puberty. In some countries it’s okay (like in Africa), but here, it’s generally right around 16 or so with parental consent…so girls should wait until then. In the meantime, parents should guard them and not let them get into compromising situations.

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