The Religious Sex Abuse Epidemic

The public reaction to the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Vatican and Roman Catholic churches worldwide is causing rank-and-file Catholics to leave the church in droves. But concerned parents need to be wary about more than just the Catholic brand of clergy. The public rightly became disenchanted with an institution that claims moral authority while acting like those who it would condemn for their immoral behaviors.

The trend of less-than-holy behavior is not limited to the Catholic Church, although they have received the majority of the media’s attention and the public’s criticism. Recent cases such as that of Pastor Tony Alamo, who was convicted of abusing several young children and forced the government to remove children at his ministry from their negligent parents, shows that sexual abuse exists in different religious communities. It appears as though many institutions that have a tradition of powerful clerics that guide the community also suffer from allegations of child sexual abuse. This situation is often worsened when the religious institutions attempt to handle the matter internally by trying the offenders in a religious court instead of reporting the abuse to secular authorities.

Take for instance the allegations of sexual abuse in several Hasidic Jewish communities, where young boys were routinely abused at religious schools and community gatherings. These children weren’t able to come forward with their allegations for years because they feared being cast out from the religious community for accusing one of their “holy” leaders of such a despicable crime. When the boys finally did come forward the rabbis were tried in an ecclesiastical court, much like the Catholic priests who were accused of similar crimes. These courts exonerated the rabbis of their crimes and halted efforts to pursue secular justice against the offenders.

Sexual abuse of children is seen in other religions that emphasize a strong clergy and utilize religious courts, such as in Islam and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In Pakistan there are many allegations regarding sexual abuse of children in Islamic religious schools called madrassas. This abuse of children is not widely discussed by the victims, as the religious community routinely shuns those who come forward and “dishonors” their religious leaders. The same situation occurs with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose leaders are accused of wide-spread sexual abuse of children. American Southern Baptist churches also suffer from the same problem, as a bishop was recently accused of abusing a group of young boys in his mega-church. It appears as though these different religious communities, all of whom abide by distinctly different scriptures, share common ground in their efforts to silence victims of sexual abuse through marginalization and exclusion from the community.

Sexually repressive religions suffer numerous allegations of sexual abuse, which makes sense when you consider the effect that their scripture might have on normal sexual behavior. Statements such as “I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28) and the emphasis by religions on abstaining from sex until marriage creates a repressive sexual environment that prevents healthy discussions about sexuality. This repression of sexuality discourages victims of sexual abuse from discussing the traumatic event because of the emphasis by the religious community on refraining from discussing sexual matters.

Sexual abuse occurs not only because of the specifics of a sexually repressive religious doctrine, but because the leaders of the religious community are given extraordinary power over their followers and are nearly immune to prosecution for their crimes because of the emphasis by those religious communities on handling criminal matters in religious courts. This method of self-prosecution is an obvious conflict of interest, as the community will be less to pursue any action that embarrasses the faith, even if such inaction comes at the expense of justice for the victims.

As human beings, we must feel for the plight of the victims and work to ensure that religious courts have no legal authority to protect criminal behavior. Victims of sexual abuse should not be ostracized or marginalized; rather, they should receive support and legal justice for the crimes that have been committed against them. Religious leaders are never above the law, no matter what faith they hail from, no matter their claims of moral superiority. Their “moral authority” does not grant them permission to do what they please, especially when they use that authority to silence their victims.

“If the world knew what I was doing, they would hang me from the highest tree.”

— Warren Jeffs, in a note seized from his Texas ranch.

We believe in freedom.

A 52 year old man instructing a group of 12 – 14 year old girls on how to please him sexually is not freedom. It is criminal.

It is even more criminal if such a thing is done in the name of God.

It is yet even more criminal if that group of 12 – 14 year old girls are told that if they fail to please this 52 year old man sexually, they will be rejected by God.

We are thankful today that Warren Jeffs will lose his freedom permanently.

We are thinking about the 10,000+ members of the FLDS Church who are probably wondering what to do now.

We are sobered in thinking about the 4,000 other Warren Jeffs who are leading the 4,000 spiritually abusive groups in the United States alone. Some groups are larger, and some are smaller. But they are all quite real and quite dangerous.

Why are they dangerous? Because they steal freedom. And they do so in the name of God.

They make demands that God never makes. And they make people believe that these demands are biblical and worthy of their absolute and complete allegiance.

And they threaten them with hell if they do not comply.

This should outrage everyone. Especially people who love God.

Locking up Warren Jeffs today is a win for all of us, but the job is far from over.

How we put these guys permanently out of business is to educate people about how people submit their will to someone like Warren Jeffs in the first place.

It’s similar to the dynamic of an abusive spouse. Often a perpetrator like Jeffs will spend years grooming people, getting them to trust slowly while closing them off from their family and friends.

Over time, there is no context to understand information except through the eyes of the perpetrator.
That isn’t freedom.

God’s name being invoked doesn’t necessarily mean that God has given a stamp of approval.

In fact, it might mean exactly the opposite.

If you would like to learn more about the phenomenon that is spiritual abuse, or if you need help for yourself or a loved one, here are three places we believe can help.

Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center

The International Cultic Studies Association

Freedom of Mind Center

Take good care.

Andie Redwine and Storme Wood

Tony Alamo’s cult remains active in Santa Clarita and abroad

Tony Alamo, a local “evangelist”, was sentenced to 175 years in prison during July of 2009. His history in Santa Clarita extends over 40 years. In spite of his incarceration, this past weekend a flyer for his Tony Alamo Christian Ministries was placed on the windshield of my car. Heads up parents, his easiest converts are teenagers.

Tony Alamo’s connection to Santa Clarita

One Alamo compound sits on Sierra Highway in the Canyon Country section of Santa Clarita, California. His organization called Tony Alamo Christian Ministries began on the streets of Hollywood in the 1960’s. As it grew, he settled in the Saugus area of Santa Clarita and then expanded across the country.

Criminal charges followed him

Though at birth he was named Bernie Lazar Hoffman, he legally changed his name in 1966 to Tony Alamo. In 1988, the first child abuse charges began. He was accused of beating an 11 year old 140 times with a paddle. Repeatedly the authorities lacked sufficient evidence to send Alamo to prison. Children were removed for his Saugus compound in 1988, he was accused of abuse again in 1989. Families were, however, awarded money because of these crimes. The judge for that case, U.S. District Judge Morris Arnold said, “No feeling person could fail to be moved by the testimony in this case or be revolted by the cold-blooded and calculated manner in which the punishment was carried out.”

Alamo practiced and preached polygamy. He took multiple wives, including many under age “women”. He stated that women should become married as soon as they begin to menstrate.

In 1994, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to six years in federal prison for income tax evasion. An attempt was made to further imprison him on child abuse and polygamy charges at that time, but the charges were dropped.

Finally, in 2009, previous members of his group brought suit against him on child tafficking and abuse. He was convicted on federal charges for taking girls as young as 9 across state lines to have sex with them. The five victims in this case watched him receive the conviction. One had been made to be his bride at the age of 8.

Inspite of his conviction the “work” continues

The newsletter placed on my car window last Saturday in the Whole Foods parking lot on Valencia Boulevard came packed with random Bible verses strewn together to create the image of a Christ-centered community. It contained letters from people supporting Tony Alamo and comparing his imprisonment to struggles experienced by Biblical prophets. It invited people to come to the Sierra Highway location or three other locations across the country.

How can I tell a fake prophet from a real one?

Alamo and his organization plays on people’s lack of knowledge and desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. There have been people claiming to speak for God from the beginning of time. Scripture itself makes us aware of them and how to recognize them. Here are a couple references to help parents educate their children.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-19

The “fruit” of a prophet or any person is a result of their actions. In the same way, water and sun and soil nutrients flow into a plant and result in fruit, the things we do show evidence of what we really believe. As mentioned above, the “fruit” of Alamo’s ministry is not a Christ-centered fruit, regardless of what pretty words they use.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” James 2:14-18

There are people within the Alamo organization who would argue that they help homeless people all the time, however one seemingly kind act cannot obliterate the other damages caused by this group. Whenever we seek to determine if someone is truly following the tenants of Christ, these verses serve as helpful guidelines.

*Alamo, Tony. “The Polygamists”. Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. 1993.

*Sheth, Kershal. “Tony Alamo News: Verifiable facts and opinions.” http://www.tonyalamonews.com

*Associated Press. “Evangelist Tony Alamo found guilty of taking young girls from state to state for sex”. www.foxnews.com. July 24, 2009.

Religious zealots should not be allowed to indoctrinate from jail

Religious propaganda inundates us daily, even in the most unlikely of places. Say that you just got done working out with your friend at the gym and you are walking to your car, when on your windshield you see what can’t be anything but a brochure inviting you to find Jesus and take him into your heart, from your friend Tony Alamo.

This happened to me the other day and it got me thinking about the fine line between insanity and normalcy in America.

Tony Alamo has probably always been crazy. Currently known as prisoner ID number 00305-112, Alamo is serving a 175 year sentence in Tucson, Arizona, for rape, sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of minors. But his leaflets and tracts, distributed by his followers on car windshields, wouldn’t have you know that.

The only thing that’s strange about his pamphlets, besides the drivel that they’re filled with, is the picture of Tony Alamo that graces the cover of them: a picture taken in 1986, showing the Pentecostal crazy-man clad in a set of aviator sunglasses and a dapper looking suit. You instantly know that this guy is just another religious nut, because someone who is speaking the true word of Jesus Christ can’t possibly look like he just stepped out of a Frankie Goes To Hollywood music video, right? Of course not, that would be crazy!

But this article isn’t about Alamo alone. When you think about it, most religious leaders have some of Alamo in them. Maybe they don’t have the law-breaking or child sexual abuse things in common, but they do have similarities.

Take, for instance, a quote from the Alamo brochure that was left on my car:
“You’ve just completed the first step in a series of five steps which are necessary to receive salvation. Your second step is to deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Jesus for the purpose of mortifying your own flesh, that is, for putting to death your own will, your soulful self, and the world with all your lusts.”

This isn’t too different from most of the religious psycho-babble heard on the Trinity Broadcasting Network daily. This also isn’t too different from the sermons disseminated to congregations daily across the United States and the world, from self-titled prophets who think they are doing the “Lord’s” work.

Why isn’t this looked at by society as pure and unbridled insanity? People who believe in the resurrection, a higher power, or any other form of religious dogma are basically in line with Tony Alamo and his insane beliefs.

And the funny thing is that people who believe in such nonsense as divine intervention would just as quickly turn around and tell you that Tony Alamo is crazy. If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.

But that’s what dogmatic religion does to people. It breeds insanity, while at the same time instilling righteousness, telling people that they are the chosen ones yet they are still better than everyone else and will be rewarded with an eternal afterlife, blah, blah, blah.
Probably the funniest thing about all this is Alamo’s continuous high praise of himself. At the end of one article written by Alamo in the brochure, entitled “God Said That Arabs Are Wild Men, Lawless, Crazy!!!,” Alamo signs off by saying, “Tony Alamo is probably the greatest patriot this country has ever known.”

One thing is certain: Alamo has definitely figured out how to continue to indoctrinate people into passing out his leaflets and other writings from the comfort of his own jail cell. And that’s the problem. A convicted rapist and child molester can continue to sell his brand of bullshit and call himself “just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel,” all from behind bars.

What’s wrong with that picture?

Gerry Wachovsky is a graduate student and columnist for the Summer 49er and is probably the greatest patriot this country has ever known.

COMMENTS left on the Daily 49er

ALLEXUS8
This is Character Assassination The Devils and his followers Always been Crazy and what is their numbers in hell 666, You Can tell a man of god they talk about him every single day, because he must be e doing something right and he is i read all his tracts and he Tony Alamo is definite a man of God!!!!!!!!

GerryWachovsky in reply to ALLEXUS8
Thanks for adding that to the discussion

guest
Letter from Nikki Farr’s (FALSE ACCUSER)
Father
June 2010

I’d like to say that I’m very sorry to hear about Tony’s incarceration, though I’m certain it will be short-lived. I know that things can change in a moment’s time, just like in the days of old.

And even though the enemies’ of God, and of the church, feel themselves victorious and triumphant, just as did Dathan and Abiram against Moses, and Haman, the Jews enemy, who was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, and the king of Assyria against Hezekiah and Israel, and many other examples in the Bible of the wicked rising up against God’s anointed it only serves to seal their own fate.

I’d like to add that during the 30 years I was at the church, I, with great interest and encouragement, observed Tony (and Sue, while she was alive), and what I saw was a man and his wife, struggle to feed, clothe, provide shelter, medical and dental, and the rest of life’s necessities, along with teaching new converts the Gospel and how to win others to Christ, and at the same time mold them into becoming productive, contributing members of society on a day by day basis, 365 days a year, year after year, to thousands of people, many who turned out to be extremely ungrateful.

Countless times, I saw Tony stay up day and night, working fervently around the clock, tending to the needs of both, people in the church, and out; people from around the world, believers, and non-believers alike. Whether it was for counseling, health issues, marital problems, financial or spiritual matters, he was vigilant and tireless about addressing people’s problems and concerns. He was devoted, and determined, as a watchman on the wall, being spent to the fullest, ministering to souls; while at the same time, carefully and compassionately tending to the needs of his wife who was ill with cancer.

I’m not deterred by what the corrupt news media, or bitter, small-minded people who left the church have to say.

Slander and persecution against Tony and the church is nothing new. I’ve been reading these same types of articles about Tony, and the church, for the past 3 decades. The only thing different are the dates and the players; different reporters, different accusers; but the same, or similar accusations.

However, I agree with the Psalmist David (the apple of the Lord’s eye), who in reference to King Saul, said, “for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?” (I Samuel 26:9).

Reggie

Tony Alamo is INNOCENT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW TO SEE HOW A FORMER FBI AGENT WAS HIRED TO FRAME (ASSASSINATE) TONY ALAMO.
Greg Szymanski’s radio interview with John Peeler
A former government agent who refused to target Pastor Alamo
April 29, 2010
http://www.alamoministries.com/content/english/…

New Evidence
that Pastor Alamo Is Innocent
http://www.alamoministries.com/Newsletters/0830…

READ THESE NEWSLETTERS.
FOUND ON THE HOME PAGE.

http://www.alamoministries.com/content/english/…
False Allegations

Conspiracy in the United States

Nation Without Pity

This Is A Very Brief History of Tony Alamo’s Persecutions

Government Subversion Against Tony Alamo

THE TRUTH ABOUT TONY ALAMO VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbW4WsnIfqc
Attached files
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1 person liked this. Like Reply Reply
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GerryWachovsky in reply to guest
You see, folks? This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

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Michaelcyee in reply to guest
You’re going to have to show me another non-official source (read: NOT from Tony Alamo’s official website) to even convince me to click the link. And you’re going to have to tone down your name calling and other poisonous rhetoric (e.g. “small minded” and “corrupt bitter media”) to actually persuade people of your viewpoint.

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guest in reply to Michaelcyee
Then don’t. People don’t want to hear the truth. They only want to hear the lies, slander and the juicier the story the more they believe and by your comment here I can see that it works. Propaganda and slander always works on the majority that only want to hear lies, especially if it can deter people away from a true Christian work.
Satan does a very good job with his deception.
I believe it was Hitler that said if you tell a lie long enough and strong enough the people will believe.
What does Jesus say?
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
I want to know both sides of this story. I have seen far too many times and history repeats itself the persecution of true born again Christians. While they have taken God out of schools and govt. buildings, court houses etc. It’s for sure they are trying to destroy true Christians that are preaching the Gospel. The Roman Catholic church murdered millions in their genocides, inquisitions and crusades, including the Jewish holocaust. They haven’t stopped. History is repeating itself today. This is religious persecution and the people in American are so deceived they don’t even see it. Especially those that call themselves Christians but aren’t.

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Breez1111 in reply to guest
Terry Farr…..Shame on you! Every time there is an article about Tony You post this exact comment all over the internet, Copy, Paste, Copy Paste…Everyone knows your story….example…(http://nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/14356-women-we-were-child-brides-in-us) Aren’t you the same TERRY FARR that was a federal fugitive for nearly 2 decades &
Wanted on child abuse charges for beating 11 year old Justin Miller bloody over 140 times w/ a large wooden board while the boy was held down by 4 large men. Later you bragged to others about how you “beat the devil out of the boy at Toni’s orders….
You are full of delusion & totally without natural affection. You have the blatant audacity to continue to put Tony on a throne when you’re 15 year old daughter Nikki, your own flesh and blood was rapped & physically and mentally abused by Tony Alamo your Idol…Got news for you, Tony won’t be there defending you when the Angel of Death comes for you…as you used to say….It won’t be Long….

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unhoodwinked 2 days ago
I was there for 21 miserable years, brainwashed into thinking I would burn in hell, if I were ever to leave, and get a life ! I witnessed tony alamo getting loonier and loonier by the day. As far as preaching Jesus, that was a thing of the past. he preached that little girls were ready for marriage at ages like 7,8,9,10. somewhere along the road, he sold out to satan and became nothing but a sex-crazed pedophile. Those who stick up fo him are on a “sympathy trip for the devil” so glad to know he’s incarcerated, finally.

Does Patrick remember the Alamo?

Metroplex radio listeners who tune in to state Sen. Dan Patrick’s KVCE-AM (1160) can hear the program “Living with Joy,” financial planner Ray Lucia, former Houston talk-show host Sam Malone, Patrick himself for two hours daily – and, until a couple of days ago, Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, from 11 p.m. until midnight every weekday night.

You remember the Alamo, right? He’s the one-time street preacher who built a multi-million-dollar ministry based most recently in Arkansas and who’s now serving 175 years in prison for taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex.

What Alamo (accent on the second syllable) was doing on Patrick’s station, which bills itself “the new conservative voice of Dallas and Fort Worth,” the Houston Republican and ardent defender of family values couldn’t say. He’s out of the country on vacation, station manager Bonnie English said, and was unreachable by cell phone.

English said it was purely coincidental that the station dropped the program after the Chronicle began inquiring about it. “The programmer made some decisions to stop carrying the program,” she said. “It’s something we do periodically, always trying to get the right mix.”

English said she had never heard the program and had never heard of Alamo. “If you check on every single program, you know. . . .”

With a little checking, English would have discovered one of the most bizarre characters in the world of cultdom this side of David Koresh. Now 75, Alamo’s been preaching since the 1960s that polygamous unions between older men and young girls is the will of God. [ALAMO DIDN'T START PREACHING ABOUT POLYGAMY UNTIL 1993 WHEN HE HIMSELF STARTED TAKING MULTIPLE WOMEN]

Born Bernie Lazar Hoffman in Joplin, Mo., he moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and, according to a 2008 Associated Press report, married his first wife, [ACTUALLY, SHE WAS HIS 4TH WIFE], a chain-smoking would-be actress named Susan Lipowitz. They established a ministry to hippies, junkies, drifters and street people who hung out on Hollywood Blvd.,[ALSO MIDDLE CLASS CHURCH GOERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS], and provided free food and lodging in return for unpaid labor in one of the couple’s many business ventures. The best known was Alamo Designs, manufacturer of rhinestone-studded jean jackets that were popular with Dolly Parton, Brooke Shields, Mr. T and other celebrities.

When Susan died from lung cancer in 1982, Alamo displayed her embalmed body in a glass coffee table [NO GLASS COFFEE TABLE OR CASKET, SHE WAS IN A NORMAL CASKET]and ordered his Hollywood congregants to pray for her resurrection. With Susan Alamo still under glass [NO GLASS], members began fleeing the cult with tales of corporal punishment, forced marriages and being refused food for days. The Los Angeles district attorney’s office charged Tony Alamo with felony child abuse and the FBI launched a manhunt. He served four years in federal prison on tax charges in the early 1990s [1994-1998].

When prison gates swung open, he moved to tiny Fouke, Ark., near Texarkana, and established a 15-acre compound with upwards of 300 followers. He still preached that the end of the world was nigh, that the Catholic Church was a conspiracy responsible for everything from World War II to 9-11 and that young girls – some as young as 8 – made the best wives. (He contends that Mary was 6 when she conceived Jesus.)

Alamo was arrested again in September 2008 and convicted a year later on charges of taking his underage “wives” across state lines as early as 1994, violations of the Mann Act. He’s serving his sentence in the high-security U.S. Penitentiary near Tucson, Ariz..

Metroplex radio listeners who miss Alamo’s message on KVCE — sister station to Houston’s KSEV-AM (700) — can now find taped Alamo shows on Dallas station KKGM-AM (1630), or they can go to his website, Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. There they’ll find the answer to the question “some demonic newspapers are asking” – namely, if Alamo is in jail why is the ministry continuing?

The answer: “Pastor Alamo is in jail, but Jesus isn’t. Jesus is watching all of you, and no matter how hard you try, you’re going to stand in judgment before Him because you know that Pastor Alamo is innocent, as Jesus was innocent, and the Apostle Paul was innocent. But Jesus is watching this whole scene, and He knows all of you. You don’t believe in Him now, but you will.”

Last week, Houston attorney Don Ervin filed court documents on Alamo’s behalf, claiming that statements by U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes at sentencing show that the judge “imposed his own sense of religiosity” when he gave the preacher the maximum sentence on each of 10 counts listed in the indictment. Ervin’s court filing accused Barnes of allowing his own religious beliefs to color his judgment when he said, “Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher and greater judge than me. May he have mercy on your soul.” The longtime Houston attorney says he successfully used the same complaint against a judge when he represented defrocked televangelist Jimmy Bakker.

Ervin also contends that the government never proved its basic charge against Alamo – that he violated the Mann Act by taking underage girls across state lines for the “dominant purpose” of having sex with them. He and fellow lawyer John Wesley Hall, of Little Rock, Ark., argue that the sex was “incidental.”

Top Ten Fraudulent Religious Leaders

Sadly but not surprisingly, researchers find no shortage of candidates for this list. Compiling this list, researchers defined “fraud” in reasonably strict legal terms, setting aside all questions of doctrine and faith. In most cases, religious leaders duped their followers into believing in their righteousness; and they subsequently were exposed as pious hypocrites. Fraudulent leaders’ sexual exploits typically were the source of their undoing. Some faced criminal charges; all endured severe public humiliation, and none ever rebuilt a ministry after his exposure.

1. Jim Jones

Shortly after leading nearly 1000 of the faithful to establish a colony in Guyana, Jim Jones, founder of The People’s Temple, became the object of a Congressional investigation late in 1978. Deborah Layton, a Jonestown defector, and concerned relatives of Jonestown pilgrims alleged Jones had bilked his followers of all their assets and was holding them captive at the Guyana settlement. Layton disclosed The People’s Temple controlled millions of dollars in offshore accounts, and she detailed the deceptive practices by which Jones had secured their transfer. Other concerned relatives detailed their allegations that messages of family indicated Jones and his lieutenants held them against their will.

2. Warren Jeffs

In another much-publicized case, Warren Jeffs, a “descendant of the Prophet and leader of the Fundamentalist “LDS” Church, went to trial on charges of rape as an accomplice, because former members of his flock testified he had married them to church elders while they still were in their early teens. Jeff’s Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints openly practiced polygamy, housing all its members on a huge, well-fortified compound that straddled the Utah-Arizona border. According to testimony in the case, Jeffs and the elders banished teen-aged boys and claimed eligible teen-aged girls as their wives. Witnesses testified some elders had as many as seven wives, and some wives were as young as twelve years old. For a brief period, state officials took all the children from Jeff’s compound, making them temporary wards of the state. In court proceedings separate from Jeffs’s trial, FLDS officials won restoration of their parental rights, but a variety of criminal investigations continue.

3. Jimmy Swaggart

In a vivid illustration of a New Testament parable, Jimmy Swaggart threw stones—hard, fast, and repeatedly—before he took stock of his own sins. Third among the top three 1980s televangelists, Swaggart systematically took out his rivals, exposing Jim Gorman’s affair with a member of his congregation, and then trapping Jim Bakker and revealing his infidelity. Both exposes received extensive media coverage. Adapting the old principle “an eye for an eye” to the modern media world, Gorman retaliated, hiring a private investigator who found Swaggart in flagrante with a prostitute. In an impassioned, tear-filled confession, an icon of the televangelist age, Swaggart admitted between sobs, “I have sinned against you, my Lord.” The confession still attracts lots of hits on YouTube.

4. Jim Bakker

Arguably the best known and most successful among televangelists of the late seventies and early eighties, Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye first came to prominence in Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. The Bakkers later moved their popular “Praise the Lord” television show to Paul Crouch’s Trinity Broadcasting Network, contributing substantially to its nationwide success. In the mid-seventies, the Bakkers launched their own network and evangelical enterprise; by 1978 they controlled a satellite network with more than thirteen million regular viewers. They also operated “Heritage USA,” a surprisingly successful evangelical theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In 1987, Bakker suddenly resigned his position, admitting he had an affair with Jessica Hahn, a “PTL” church secretary, who later became Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s frequent friend and companion. Bakker confessed paying Hahn “hush money,” and further investigation revealed he had started a ponzi-like scheme with investors in Heritage USA. Bakker served five years in a federal prison. During his term, Tammy Faye divorced him and became a popular guest on television talk shows.

5. Ted Haggard

Between 2003 and 2006, Ted Haggard served as President of the influential National Association of Evangelicals while he continued his ministry at New Life Church, a huge and politically active congregation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Handsome, articulate, and charismatic, Haggard emerged as one of the poster boys for America’s “religious right,” and he consulted with President George Bush on faith-based initiatives and social policy. Just before the 2006 mid-term elections, CNN and several other major media outlets reported Haggard regularly had visited with a male prostitute, who, in addition to providing sexual services, introduced Haggard to methamphetamine. Haggard resigned his posts, but many pundits believe the scandal influenced voters’ choices in the mid-term elections, when the Democrats scored significant gains in Congress, state legislatures, and key gubernatorial races.

6. Tony Alamo

Currently awaiting sentencing after conviction on ten counts of transporting minors across state lines for sexual purposes, Alamo faces a jail term of more than 100 years. In September, 2008, at the behest of city officials in Fouke, Arkansas, FBI agents raided the headquarters of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Former members of Alamo’s congregation alleged child pornography, child abuse, other sexual abuse, and polygamy. Agents collected more than enough evidence to charge and convict Alamo, including hours of videotaped interviews with children living on Alamo’s compound.

7. Joe Barron

Among the most recent American evangelical escapades, Joe Barron made news in May, 2008, after he was arrested for soliciting sex with a minor. At the time, Barron numbered among forty ministers at prestigious Prestonwood Baptist Church—one of the nation’s largest and most profitable, counting 26,000 regularly tithing members. Police nabbed Barron after he drove from suburban Dallas to Bryan, Texas, where he expected to have sex with a thirteen-year-old girl. Police based their probable cause for the arrest on dozens of transcripts detailing explicit sexual dialogues between Barron and “the girl.” Reminiscent of investigative programs on NBC, the Bryan police used one of their own undercover detectives as the lure.

8. Paul Crouch

Was in it for the money. Founder and CEO of the world’s largest evangelical broadcasting company, Crouch hosted Trinity Broadcasting Network’s wildly popular variety show, “Praise the Lord.” In September, 2004, investigative reporters at the Los Angeles Times broke a series of stories about financial improprieties at TBN. Although the reporters found nothing criminal in the network’s fundraising and accounting practices, they did find a long list of unethical and deceptive procedures. During the investigation, a former employee also came forward, alleging he and Crouch had a long-term homosexual affair. The humiliation drove Crouch and TBN off the air.

9. John Paulk

First achieved widespread notoriety with his best-selling autobiography Not Afraid to Change. In the book, Paulk credited his conversion to Christianity as “the cure” for his homosexuality, and he immediately became the darling and big-time crony of James Dobson and associates, movers and shakers in “Focus on the Family.” In September, 2000, at the peak of his popularity and influence, Paulk saw himself splashed across front pages and television screens as he drank-up and flirted wildly with other male cruisers at a D.C. gay bar. After a few vain, silly attempts at denying the photos and charges, Paulk retreated quietly into obscurity.

10. Robert Tilton

Linking religion with success and wealth, Robert Tilton drew millions of viewers to his weekly broadcasts. In 1990, at the peak of its popularity, “Success-N-Life” commanded big ratings in all 235 American television markets, earning approximately $80 million per year. In 1991, ABC investigative reporter Diane Sawyer exposed a long list of Tilton’s shady practices, none of which were criminal but all of which were dishonest, crass, and decidedly unholy. By the end of 1993, Tilton and his show were off the air everywhere.

Fox News reports today that former preacher Tony Alamo has been sentenced to 175 years in prison for the sexual abuse of children. In this case he preyed on the daughters of the people who followed him, taking child brides as young as 8 years of age.

The trial of Alamo is already over; it was followed by a sentencing hearing in which some of his “brides” expressed their opinions now that they are adults and out of his reach. Those who testified against him also alleged that he threatened these children with loss of their salvation if they or their families refused his advances.

One of his victims responded to his plea for clemency (based on his age of 75) this way: “You have the audacity to ask for mercy. What mercy did you show us?” A moment later she asked, “What kind of man of God does what you have done?”

Another victim said, “Maybe the real God, not the God you made up, will have mercy on your soul.”

So we see what the bottom line is. By abusing these little girls, the only thing that Alamo really did–besides have sex with children–was to destroy their faith. Do you think that these young women have a lot of confidence in the church that stood aside just like their intimidated parents, and failed to protect them from a dirty old man? I don’t think they are going to be pushing the crowds aside to get into a church this coming Sunday, although I pray that they do seek out some sane religion as time goes by.

Think about this in regard stricly to yourself. Ask yourself: what would you say to one of these women? Would you have a really good reason for her to go to church? Can you explain the abuse that she suffered in such a way that she could understand and relate to? If you learned that a friend of yours had been abused, do you have words to comfort them and tell them that they can find support in the Church?

If you feel inadequate, you aren’t alone. But we all need to be ready for the walking wounded who might turn to us if they perceive that we care and we can be trusted. Think about this and be ready, for the time to draw upon your resources of compassion could be nearer than you think.

Tony Alamo, the disgraced preacher, has been sentenced to 175 years in prison as a result of his abuse of young girls, crucifying Jesus again in their flesh by sexual degradation and humiliation. He shamed them in private, violating their bodies, and in public, where they were paraded before the congregation as his “brides.”

One of them asked him, “What kind of a man of God does what you have done?” That is the question we are hoping to answer today. To do that we must consider the theological issue called the Nature of God.

Alamo’s victim has passed from one level of understanding to another. She now realizes that when Alamo demanded her body, he was wrong to do so. When he invoked the power of God’s name and salvation given or withheld, he was wrong.

Why did he get away with it, then? I believe that he had his followers convinced of a false premise. There are two ways to look at God. One of them is, whatever God says is right because God said it.

The other way, which I believe, is that God never does (or asks for) anything but good. We must make up our minds about what we believe about God. Who is God–what does he want? What does God want with each of us?

We don’t have to ask someone else to show us what is right and wrong. We have the capacity to make that decision ourselves. Because of that, parents protect their children and prepare them for adulthood in a sensible and nurturing way. So why did the parents of these girls give them up to Alamo’s depraved appetite?

The answer is simple: Alamo told them that it was God’s will that he rape their children. Remember, outside this cult, we have civil codes that say a little boy or girl cannot be violated sexually without penalty of law (which is what Alamo is facing now). Alamo found a way to get around the laws, at least temporarily, by persuading the parents of these little girls that it was OK because God said it was OK.

This leads us back to the nature of God. I can tell you that if some dirty old guy told me that I should surrender my daughter to him, it wouldn’t happen. My belief about God does not permit me to agree with that proposition–in other words, I disagree with his premise that God would approve.

The minute that you acquire the power to say no to a preacher–or a church–or a Pope–or the Bible–because they do not reflect an adequate concept of the nature of God, you have broken the power of the false Church to abuse you. So the idea that “anything is OK if God says it is” simply is not true.

God never does anything but good. God does not will anything but good. God wants us to do good and we fear that we will be punished if we do evil, even in God’s name–because it is impossible to do evil with God’s consent.

As the trial judge Henry F. Barnes said to Alamo, “Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher, a greater judge than me; may he have mercy on your soul.”

An Arkansas judge has sentenced evangelist Tony Alamo to 175 years in prison Friday on charges that included taking minors across state lines for sex, according to media reports Saturday.

“Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher, a greater judge than me,” Judge Barnes said. “May he have mercy on your soul.”

The evangelist offered a brief statement to the court praising God, then adding, “I’m glad I’m me and not the deceived people in the world.”

One woman who Alamo took as a child bride at the age of eight, spoke out in court on Friday.

“You preyed on innocent children,” she said, staring down Mr. Alamo, who wore yellow prison scrubs and a windbreaker for the hearing.

“You have the audacity to ask for mercy,” she said. “What mercy did you show us?”

On July 24, 2009 Alamo was convicted in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, sitting in Texarkana, Arkansas, on 10 counts of Interstate Transportation of Minors for Illegal Sexual Purposes, Rape, Sexual Assault and Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors, according to Wikipedia.

Was justice served?

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