7/27/09 – A false prophet faces judgment
Baxter Bulletin
July 27, 2009
A false prophet faces judgment
In the Bible, people are told there will be false prophets preaching false teachings. Friday, a federal jury at Texarkana convicted one of those false prophets essentially of being a child molester.
The 74-year-old Tony Alamo — born Bernie Lazar Hoffman — is looking at 175 years in prison for taking girls as young as 8 across state lines for sex. Or, as he put it, “marriage.”
Although the 10-count indictment against Mr. Alamo charged him with taking his child “wives” across state lines as early as 1994, the youngest still is only 17 years old. And last September’s raid on the Alamo compound that led to the charges originally was prompted by an investigation into child pornography.
What is it about men such as Mr. Alamo, polygamist Warren Jeffs — who’s serving 10 years to life in a Utah prison on rape convictions — and others of their ilk that makes them think sex with children is all right? It’s never all right no matter what they use as justification for their sick practices.
They make it worse claiming it’s biblically sanctioned. No, it’s not. The Bible does not sanction sexual abuse. It’s their interpretation of the Bible to rationalize their perverted actions. Like the false prophets they are, they twist the words of the Bible to their own ends.
The nine-man, three-woman jury didn’t buy Mr. Alamo’s contention the children were “office workers” in his ministry. Even though they took 11 hours to deliberate, the jury foreman said they were convinced of Mr. Alamo’s guilt and only wanted to make sure they’d considered everything before returning their verdict. He told the press that the evidence was there, and the charges were proven.
As so often happens in such cases, people were dazzled by a charismatic “religious leader” who controlled every aspect of his followers’ lives. It was such control that gave Mr. Alamo access to their children. One thing most people will never understand is how anyone can be taken in by someone such as Mr. Alamo to the point they let him “marry” their children.
And according to the federal prosecutor, the girls were getting younger and younger.
Naturally Mr. Alamo claims he did nothing wrong, nothing outside biblical beliefs, and that he’s a victim of persecution from the federal government on up to the Vatican.
No, Mr. Alamo, you are no one’s victim. You made victims, you preyed on helpless children and virtually enslaved their families, you perverted the words of the Bible for your own gratification.
With your conviction, Mr. Alamo, you now face your earthly judgment. One day, you’ll face a higher judgment and 175 years in federal prison may seem like only a drop in the eternal bucket.