SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST ABUSER
In 1996 a Seventh Day Adventist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to sexual relations with a minor and was sentenced to 11 months in prison. Pastor Barry William Katzer, 33, met the boy, 13, through a computer chat room on the Internet.
NOT ALL CLERGY ABUSERS ARE CATHOLICS
When Canon Terence Knight left prison in 1997 after serving 21 months of a 3-1/2 year sentence for child molestation, he was given a place to live, moving in with Canon Roger Williams in a rural village - Lighthorne, Warwickshire. But not for long. Parishioners got wind of the priest's presence in their midst and protested.
Canon Knight had gone to prison after admitting to indecently assaulting boys aged between 11 and 14 between 1975 and 1985. He had invited them to his home and plied them with alcohol, before acting out his fantasies.
Parishioners with children were particularly outraged and demanded the priest move on. In the end he did.
EGYPTIAN ENLIGHTENMENT SOCIETY
A group that came to the fore during a UN conference in Egypt in mid-1994. They are working against superstitious notions among fellow-Egyptians. It was founded in by writer Farag Foda, who paid with his life at the hands of fundamentalist murderers in 1991. The group cites typical examples of what they oppose, such as the instruction given by an Islamic cleric to a woman that she could remove her clothes in front of an animal provided it was female but not if it were male! A man was told by a cleric that he could only take drinks using his right hand as his left hand was 'the Devil's hand'. Muslim fundamentalists demand that female trainee medical students should not view male sexual organs and vice-versa.
BEATINGS IN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
Michael Johnson, aged 6, received seventeen blows with a paddle and showed severe bruising, resulting in The Principal of the Fellowship Christian School in the USA being charged with child abuse. He was acquitted. 16-year-old Michelle Dwyer was bruised from a beating at Cookson Hill Christian School, resulting in Kansas authorities refusing to licence the school.
In 1977 Timothy Fischer, aged 5, was beaten with an eighteen-inch redwood paddle at Northpoint Baptist Church. The boy tried to conceal his livid bruises and his mother found out he'd been threatened with more punishment if he told. His mother was shocked when she saw his black-and-blue bottom. It transpired that the small boy had first been spanked twice by a female teacher then the job was finished off by the minister, the Rev. Wayne Dillabaugh. The little boy broke down in court and had to be removed; as a result the pastor was not convicted. 'GOD wins again!' was his jubilant cry.
A Christian day-care centre called Love-N-Care was refused a licence renewal by authorities when a teacher was convicted of paddling an eighteen-months-old baby. And when a divorced father of a 9-year-old boy was charged with child abuse in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1981, the local fundamentalists turned on a march to protest against 'interference by the state' in parental rights. But the man had beaten his son severely on his bottom with a ruler that the boy had been removed from his custody.
BLESSED BE THY TOYOTA.
It was reported in 1994 that Russian Orthodox priests in Moscow were turning a handy rouble by blessing apartments, bars, casinos and cars. A priest was seen carrying a sign: 'We bless cars'. The charge: $15 to $25, which included prayers, incense and holy water.
PRAYER FAILS AGAIN
Remember this . . .
Prayer Watch (US election)
At a rally in support of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, Pastor Arnold Conrad prayed:
'I would also pray, Lord, that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their god — whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and election day.'
Clearly Pastor Conrad wants his god to make sure Democrat candidate Barack Obama doesn't win the presidency. It will be interesting to see if the Pastor's prayer is answered. It is not looking good for him right now. Maybe it is just as well he's not a betting man.
And now we have Dr James Dobson and Sarah Palin praying for a Republican victory.
'I'm going to know, at the end of the day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America will be done, she told Dr Dobson when he said he was praying for her. Dobson told Ms Palin that 430 people had prayed for her throughout the weekend, to which she replied: ' is that intercession that is so needed and so appreciated. I can feel the power of the prayer.'
'I would also pray, Lord, that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their god — whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and election day.'
Clearly Pastor Conrad wants his god to make sure Democrat candidate Barack Obama doesn't win the presidency. It will be interesting to see if the Pastor's prayer is answered. It is not looking good for him right now. Maybe it is just as well he's not a betting man.
And now we have Dr James Dobson and Sarah Palin praying for a Republican victory.
'I'm going to know, at the end of the day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America will be done, she told Dr Dobson when he said he was praying for her. Dobson told Ms Palin that 430 people had prayed for her throughout the weekend, to which she replied: ' is that intercession that is so needed and so appreciated. I can feel the power of the prayer.'
We said we would be watching with great interest. We did and - sorry folks, your prayers failed.
NOTHING FAILS LIKE PRAYER.
(with thanks to Freethought Today, November 1995 issue:)
A snowbound man whose pickup was stuck in the Klamath Mountains put his faith in God and slowly starved to death, while clear pavement leading him to safety was just around the corner.
Teenagers found the body of DeWitt Finley last May, along with numerous religious letters. One read:
'I have no control over my life its all in His Hands. "His will be
done." Death here in another month or so, or he sends someone to
save me..'
The former fundraiser for World Vision was snowbound on Nov. 14 and checked
off his calendar through Jan. 19, writing 'The most wonderful thing out of
this ordeal has been the never ending fellowship with the Lord.'
Associated Press reported there was no sign he ever left his truck.
Depending on the weather, locals say, he would only have had a few yards or a few miles to walk before reaching clear pavement.
RELIGIOUS BELIEF FAILED.
Around 1978 in the
mountain region of New Mexico (USA) a terrible family tragedy
occurred. William Orr, 48, a lecturer in psychology at Mansfield
State College, Pennsylvania, died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
His 13-year-old daughter, Annette, also died from the same cause.
His wife, Lillian, 44, was charged with child abuse and his three other
daughters, aged 7, 11 and 12, all nearly died of starvation.
The reason for this tragic episode was religion. Mr and Mrs Orr were known for their deep religious faith and suddenly Mr Orr gave up his post and the family embarked on a journey by caravan, apparently with some religious purpose in view. Upon its side was painted the slogan: 'Kichanou Nichla-Wana-Teak-O. Servants of the Holy Family. Neuro Kenesis the miracle cure!' Their faith was sadly misplaced. Along the way, in freezing temperatures, they ran out of petrol. They were penniless and soon ran out of food. On the back of the van was a sign reading: 'We have no money or means. We serve God and men in a vow of charity. We need gas, food, money.' The father and 13-year-old girl died as the family sat huddled about a charcoal heater inside the van; killed by the fumes.
Reportedly passers-by had tried to help but the family, evidently trusting God for a miracle, refused all offers of aid.
The reason for this tragic episode was religion. Mr and Mrs Orr were known for their deep religious faith and suddenly Mr Orr gave up his post and the family embarked on a journey by caravan, apparently with some religious purpose in view. Upon its side was painted the slogan: 'Kichanou Nichla-Wana-Teak-O. Servants of the Holy Family. Neuro Kenesis the miracle cure!' Their faith was sadly misplaced. Along the way, in freezing temperatures, they ran out of petrol. They were penniless and soon ran out of food. On the back of the van was a sign reading: 'We have no money or means. We serve God and men in a vow of charity. We need gas, food, money.' The father and 13-year-old girl died as the family sat huddled about a charcoal heater inside the van; killed by the fumes.
Reportedly passers-by had tried to help but the family, evidently trusting God for a miracle, refused all offers of aid.
THE MASSEUSE AND TELEVANGELIST.
SueRae Robertson,
a masseuse, in November 1995 accused Garner Ted Armstrong, 64, head of
the Church of God International, of sexually assaulting her. The woman
announced she was suing Armstrong and the Church for emotional distress
and mental anguish she said she experienced. Armstrong later stepped
down from his position, pending further action.
The Church of God is the latest incarnation of the original Radio Church of God, founded by Garner Ted's father, Herbert W. Armstrong. Father and son fell out in 1978, when Garner Ted was excommunicated by his father, after which he founded his own denomination. The Church broadcasts on free-to-air and cable TV. Ms Robertson, 48, a licensed nurse, began treating Armstrong after she ran an advertisement offering her services.
She claimed that Armstrong insisted 'he receive his therapy in complete nudity' and that she should 'concentrate her therapy on the area of his groin, lower back, inner thighs and buttocks because of stiffness he purportedly felt from his driving.' During one session Armstrong, according to the plaintiff, said he needed some 'relief' and grabbed at her breasts and genitals, even trying to bite her breasts. He then put her in a head lock and tried to force her towards his own genitals but she broke free.
Armstrong was, she alleged, booked for another session so she agreed and arranged to have the action secretly videotaped with the assistance of a private investigator she had hired. Similar behaviour occurred at this second session, she claimed. For his part Armstrong heatedly denied the claims. But the nurse further claimed that the preacher had told her his work for the Lord was so vital that 'any transgression on his part would be overlooked by God.'
Eventually the televangelist's organization settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. He died in 2003.
The Church of God is the latest incarnation of the original Radio Church of God, founded by Garner Ted's father, Herbert W. Armstrong. Father and son fell out in 1978, when Garner Ted was excommunicated by his father, after which he founded his own denomination. The Church broadcasts on free-to-air and cable TV. Ms Robertson, 48, a licensed nurse, began treating Armstrong after she ran an advertisement offering her services.
She claimed that Armstrong insisted 'he receive his therapy in complete nudity' and that she should 'concentrate her therapy on the area of his groin, lower back, inner thighs and buttocks because of stiffness he purportedly felt from his driving.' During one session Armstrong, according to the plaintiff, said he needed some 'relief' and grabbed at her breasts and genitals, even trying to bite her breasts. He then put her in a head lock and tried to force her towards his own genitals but she broke free.
Armstrong was, she alleged, booked for another session so she agreed and arranged to have the action secretly videotaped with the assistance of a private investigator she had hired. Similar behaviour occurred at this second session, she claimed. For his part Armstrong heatedly denied the claims. But the nurse further claimed that the preacher had told her his work for the Lord was so vital that 'any transgression on his part would be overlooked by God.'
Eventually the televangelist's organization settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. He died in 2003.
FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH SHOCKS.
In July 1996 the Art Gallery of Western Australia staged an exhibition of photographs by famed Annie Leibovitz. To coincide with the event the West Magazine reproduced on its cover her most famous photo - a naked John Lennon in a foetal position with Yoko Ono. Reportedly hundreds of phone calls and letters were received by the publishers protesting that the photograph was 'obscene'.
The editor was accused of being 'everything from a rapist to a pedophile' by citizens who had apparently never seen the photo before - one of the most famous in the history of photography. The resulting outcry surprised many in the art world. And many of the people complaining used their own 'obscenities' in the form of language. One man even said Lennon deserved to be shot for posing that way.
Annie Leibovitz is famous for her covers on Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. The photograph, actually taken with Lennon on top of Ono but turned sideways by Leibovitz for greater impact, was only executed hours before Lennon was shot dead in New York on December 8, 1980, by a crazed gunman - the true obscenity! Commented the Editor: 'It is these obscenities [e.g. war in the former Yugoslavia, also featured in the same issue of the paper] that we should be shocked by, not the picture of a man and wife in a loving relationship.'
CRIMINAL GIVEN RELIGIOUS FUNERAL.
Jack Rooklyn was a noted Sydney businessman and yachtsman. When he died in July 1996 an obituary in The Australian (July 15, 1996) described him as a 'devoted Jewish family man'. Indeed he was accorded a traditional Jewish funeral. Yet Rooklyn was undoubtedly a crook.
Although he managed to keep one step ahead of the law throughout a long life of business activity he was accused of bribing police and politicians and of having Mafia links through his involvement in the poker machine industry, especially in connection with Bally Manufacturing Corporation of the USA.
The Moffitt Royal Commission (1973-74) found that Bally was 'an organization probably backed and aided by organized crime.' In 1992 the law caught up with Rooklyn when he was fined $350,000 in a Brisbane court after being found guilty of bribing former Queensland Police Commissioner, Terry Lewis. Only his age (he was then 83) kept him out of prison, said the judge.
NUNS METE OUT HOLY HELL.
In February 1999 Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston attended a celebration to mark the 125th anniversary of St Mary's Church. Participating in the celebrations was Sister Ann Daylor, a Dominican nun and Director of Religious Education for St Mary's.
Towards the end of 2002 Cardinal Law resigned following revelations of scandalous activities by his priests and the allegations the Cardinal had covered them up. And Sister Daylor was placed on leave, accused of the alleged sexual abuse of a young girl. The sister denies the allegations.
The case of Sister Daylor is not unique but much of the abuse by nuns has been covered up even more effectively than abuse by priests.
Ashley Hill has written the book, Habits of Sin: An Exposé of Nuns Who Sexually Abuse Children and Each Other (Xlibris Corporation, 1995). This might be the only book in world history devoted exclusively to sexual abuse by nuns. The author claims a nun molested her when she was seven.
Many cases of sexual and physical abuse involving nuns have come to light in places as far apart as Australia and Ireland. One Australian woman, for example, has claimed daily sexual abuse at a Catholic girls’ home thirty years ago. She said a nun would digitally penetrate her, beat her with a blackboard ruler, call her parents and tell them she’d been bad, then send her home, where she’d be punished all over again. Boys have also reported such abuse.
At Nazareth House, Brisbane (Australia) children were allegedly subjected to savage beatings for such infractions as being left-handed or opening their eyes while praying. A woman named Lizzie Walsh, who had been a resident of Nazareth House in the 1950s, recounted tales of being vaginally raped by a nun with a flagstick 'to get the devil out of me.'
O.J. SIMPSON'S MESSAGE.
O.J. Simpson - soon due to face trial again - in July 1996 stood before
the congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and told the
people: 'I'm not trying to restore an image; I'm not trying to get
back what wealth that I lost, I'm trying to do one thing, I'm trying to
go to heaven.' The congregationb reportedly greeted this statement with several standing ovations.
CROCODILES TEST FAITH.
Twenty-nine people died after being 'told by GOD' to cross the
crocodile-infested limpopo River in the border area between Zimbabwe
and South Africa. The people received 'divine guidance' from a member
of the Apostolic Faith sect.
RITUAL MURDER BY SATANIC CULT?
Caroline Marchant, a 23-year-old English nanny, suicided early in
1990. But before dying she had confessed to an Anglican vicar
that, as a high-priestess in a Satanic cult she had sacrificed her own
two small baby daughters and taken part in the ritual deaths of a
number of other babies.
From her confession and from a horrendous diary she left behind, the
story of Caroline's life was pieced together by police. At the age of
three her parents separated and Caroline went into a children's home,
eventually being befriended by a 'happy' family.
At the age of 13 years she was initiated into a coven by the
family. The initiation involved taking part in a sexual orgy in a
graveyard in Norfolk.
In her diary Caroline described what took place when the mother of her
boyfriend, Danny, a high-priestess of the cult, served at the altar:
'The ceremony was very long and many people attended. When the time
came I stepped forward to the altar. An incision was made in my
arm and some of the blood caught in a cup.
I drank from the cup and sealed my life over to Satan forever,
rejoicing that I was now a bonded child of Satan. More sexual
perversion went on that night.'
Caroline eventually had a baby to Danny, but she arranged an abortion.
When Danny's parents discovered this they demanded that their own son
be sacrificed to Satan. Caroline was hung on a cross and forced to
watch while her young lover was killed. She claimed he was killed by
his own father.
When the sect sacrificed babies videos were taken of the activities
and, according to Caroline, these 'snuff' movies were circulated
through the black market.
The coroner investigating Caroline's death, George Graham, said he was
unable to go fully into the claims of Satanism. A post-mortem showed
that the girl had 11 knife scars and burns to her body, which seems to
indicate participation in rituals. Her father had her cremated, so as
to avoid Satanists making further use of her body.
MOLESTING
CLERIC.
In March 1994 Harvey Lee Sechler, 53, who operated the Universal Life
Church out of his home, admitted to sexually molesting a 10-year-old
girl he had been babysitting.
Sechler had previously admitted to having
repeated sexual relations with his own daughter - from the age of 4
years to 12 years. No charges were ever laid in this matter but the
girl was removed from the home.
PARISHIONER ASSAULTED.
In December 1993
the Reverend Wendell Beets, of
the Sound Doctrine Church of God in Christ, Cedar Rapids, was convicted
of the sexual assault of a 20-year-old female parishioner.
The assault had occurred when the pair were alone in a van. Beets was sentenced to 2 years in jail. He appealed but the Iowa Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
HOLY CHILDHOOD HELL.
That priests are not the only abusers is shown by the record of the delightfully named Holy Childhood of Jesus School in Harbor Springs, Milwaukee.
The school, operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame, was shut down in 1983 but left behind memories of abuse among the boarders whose lives were controlled by the holy nuns.
Some nuns were accused of committing sex acts with young boys, one man claiming he had lost his virginity at the age of 12 - to a nun. Physical punishments included draping urine-soaked sheets over the heads of bed-wetters and the inevitable strappings.
A former inmate told a reporter about a
night when he was in sixth grade. He did something wrong—he couldn’t remember what -- and was forced to kneel all night long next to his bed. 'I finally got tired and jumped into bed and went to sleep. I woke up and Sister Beth was beating on me. I think she enjoyed beating people.'
The assault had occurred when the pair were alone in a van. Beets was sentenced to 2 years in jail. He appealed but the Iowa Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
HOLY CHILDHOOD HELL.
That priests are not the only abusers is shown by the record of the delightfully named Holy Childhood of Jesus School in Harbor Springs, Milwaukee.
The school, operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame, was shut down in 1983 but left behind memories of abuse among the boarders whose lives were controlled by the holy nuns.
Some nuns were accused of committing sex acts with young boys, one man claiming he had lost his virginity at the age of 12 - to a nun. Physical punishments included draping urine-soaked sheets over the heads of bed-wetters and the inevitable strappings.
A former inmate told a reporter about a
night when he was in sixth grade. He did something wrong—he couldn’t remember what -- and was forced to kneel all night long next to his bed. 'I finally got tired and jumped into bed and went to sleep. I woke up and Sister Beth was beating on me. I think she enjoyed beating people.'
PRIEST
EXECUTED.
In 1564 Fra Tommaco di Mileton, a Franciscan,
openly expressed doubts over the sinfulness of eating meat on
Fridays. For his heinous offence Cardinal Carlo Borromeo ordered
that the priest should be immured alive. The sentence read: 'I
condemn you to be walled up in a place enclosed within four walls,
there with anguish of heart and abundance of tears you shall bewail
your sins and grievous offences committed against the majesty of God
and Holy Mother Church.'
HERETICS
BURIED ALIVE.
HITLER UPHOLDS THE MISSION?
On August 31, 1941, a telling article appeared in the Yugoslavian journal, Katolicki Tjednik (‘Catholic Action’). This journal was published with the imprimatur of Catholic Archbishop Saritch of Sarajevo and was written by a priest, Father Peter Pajic. It was titled, amazingly: Hitler Upholds the Mission. In read, in part:
Until now, God spoke through papal encyclicals, numerous sermons, catechisms, the Christian press, through missions, through the heroic examples of the saints, and so on . . . And? They closed their ears. They were deaf. Now God has decided to use other methods. He will prepare missions. European missions! World missions! They will be upheld not by priests but by army commanders led by Hitler. [italics added] The sermons will be heard with the help of cannons, machine-guns, tanks and bombers.
The language of these sermons will be international. No one will be able to complain that he did not understand it, because all people know very well what death is and what wounds are, disease, hunger, fear, slavery and poverty are. .’
THE POPE WHO KIDNAPPED A CHILD.
In 1858 a six-year-old Jewish boy, Edgardo Mortara, was abducted by papal police in Bologna, Italy. The police were acting on the orders of Pope Pius 9th who claimed that the boy had been baptized as an emergency measure by a servant of his family when the child had fallen ill.
The law in the Papal States insisted that a baptized Christian could not be raised by non-Christians, in this case by the child's own natural parents. The boy was now lodged in the House of Catechumens, to be trained up as a Catholic. His parents were never allowed to see him again alone. Later the Pope officially adopted him.
Thereafter the Pope steadfastly refused to give up the boy, while around the world there was an outcry against this cruelty. Many newspapers, among them The New York Times, issued editorial condemnations but nothing would move the Pope. Governments intervened and even the Emperor Napoleon 3rd, whose troops guarded the Pope, protested but the papal criminal snubbed them all.
At one point in the dispute the Pope offered the parents a Hobson's Choice - they could have the boy back if they converted to Catholicism. They refused. The boy remained with the Pope and eventually trained as a priest, never returning to his parents or to his Jewish faith.
CLAIM AGAINST PRIEST.
In 1993 a Boulder (Colorado) man filed suit against the Reverend Delbert Blong for infecting him with the HIV virus. Eventually he settled out-of-court with the Pueblo Catholic Diocese for an undisclosed sum of money. Thomas Perea, 37, claimed the relationship that began when Blong was his parish priest in Alamosa. Blong, 68, who admitted having sex with Perea, filed a counter-claim that says Perea transmitted the virus to him.
BIKINI GIRLS IN CHURCH.
A bizarre episode in the history of Anglicanism was recorded when an evangelical movement in Britain centred on the Nine O'Clock Service embraced a rock musician, Chris Brain.
Brain's story goes back to the 1970s when rock music and flashing disco lights accompanied worship by a group of enthusiasts gathered around the musician. Reportedly it was not unusual for the sounds of Pink Floyd or the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour to accompany communion.
Chris Brain was eventually ordained as an Anglican priest and the movement reached its high-point in 1992 when gyrating girl dancers clad only in leather bikinis, accompanied by flashing disco lights and loud music, performed in a church in the Diocese of Sheffield.
As if this was not enough to stir up the righteous indignation of Church authorities, worse was to follow. In 1995 Chris Brain admitted to sexually abusing some of his nubile parishioners. Brain, 38, was separated from his wife at the time.
Following his confession it was reported diocesan authorities counselled the priest and he later voluntarily admitted himself to a mental hospital.
PASTOR ACCUSED.
In January 1996 the Kansas City Star reported charges alleging sexual assault and harassment had been filed against the Reverend Michael Schreffler, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pleasant Hill.
Jeanine F. Hemann, a former part-time secretary for the church, claimed Schreffler fondled and inappropriately touched her on several occasions.
The outcome of the case is unknown.
SEX ADDICT RESIGNS.
In August 1994 it was reported that Monsignor Joseph Schwaegel had resigned from parish work in the Bellevue Diocese of the Catholic Church in Minnesota. The reason (in the priest's own words) 'I am a sex addict.'
Court records reveal that the priest had been found guilty on at least two occasions of 'sexual misconduct' charges involving adults.
PROMISES! PROMISES!
In April 1996 in Vancouver, Canada, the local head of the international men's Christian group Promise Keepers was sentenced to two years in prison for vicious sexual assault. Rick White, a Terrace church leader, pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to breaking into his former girlfriend's home last June armed with a knife and handcuffs, and sexually assaulting her.
BIZARRE AUSTRALIAN CULT
A bizarre page in Australian history was written by William Kamm, known to his followers as Little Pebble.
Kamm was a former bank clerk who led a pseudo-Catholic cult with a commune at Cambewarra, south of Sydney. The cult, repudiated by the Catholic Church, called itself the Order of St Charbel.
Kamm claimed he was in contact with the Virgin Mary and that he had been chosen to lead his followers in preparation for a predicted holocaust. It had been revealed to him that he would have 72 'princesses' and 12 'queens' to minister to him and that he should prepare to be elevated to the office of Pope.
In 2005 William Kamm was put on trial charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault and one of aggravated sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. Kamm had claimed the girl had been 'mystically married' to Kamm and was one of the 12 queens and 72 princesses designated by the Virgin Mary to conceive a new race with him.
Kamm was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail. He appealed the sentence but the appeal failed.
During his time as prophet of the cult Kamm prophesied many things. among them that his 15-year-old 'princess' would bear him 17 children. He also prophesied at the time of the Thredbo disaster that two men would be found alive under the rubble. In the event only one survived, Stuart Diver. When months later Kamm was challenged over this prophesy he said 'time would show there is another man!'
RED HEIFER RAISES HOPES.
Reports about the birth of a 'red heifer' in Israel have ignited excitement in that country's Orthodox Jewish community, and Christian
fundamentalist quarters in America. Some say that the appearance of the animal fulfills prophecy in the Jewish holy book, the Torah, and even the New Testament Book of Revelation.
But secularists and skeptics in Israel worry that the appearance of the heifer is a the cultural equivalent of a religious A-bomb that could further fuel the passions of religious fundamentalists, and promote political agendas including expansion and construction of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories, or close the door on negotiations about the status of Jerusalem.
'That cow represents the risk of a massive religious war,' warned Avraham Poraz of the secularist Meretz Party and a member of the Israeli Parliament or Knesset. 'If the fanatics get hold of it and try to take over the Temple
Mount, God knows what will happen. It only takes a few crazies to endanger all our lives.'
(From Atheist News 1997)
CHINESE TORTURE PRIESTS WITH SEX.
In January 1999 the Catholic newsagency Fides reported on the torture of a Catholic priest working in the underground church in Hebel province. Among tortures experienced by Father Li Qinghua, 31, female prostitutes tried to have sexual relations with him. A similar technique had been employed at other times and in some cases priests were successfully seduced. They were then blackmailed into joining the official government-backed church known as the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
CHRISTIAN CULT TRIES TO HASTEN THE END.
In January 1999 Israeli police arrested eight members of a Christian cult, Concerned Christians, who were accused of planning violent acts. It is believed that with the turn of the century and millennium near at hand the cultists were trying to hasten the return of Christ. Members of the Denver-based cult had left their jobs and homes and travelled to Jerusalem to be ready for the Messiah's return. Reportedly relatives in the USA had been searching for as many as 60 missing family members.
BURN THE BITCHES CRIES VICAR.
In March 1994, on the eve of the ordination of 32 women as Anglican priests, a vicar, the Reverend Anthony Kennedy, let fly in print claiming women priests were 'bloody bitches' who should be burnt at the stake. Kennedy made the remarks to several newspapers and on radio. 'Let these bloody women go off and form their own politically correct church and religion,' he added. 'Women can't represent Christ. Men and women are totally different; that's not my fault, and Jesus chose men for his disciples.'
The women were the first to be ordained following a decision by the Church to admit women to the priesthood. The decision split the Church of England and several members of the clergy, two members of the Government and one member of the Royal family (the Duchess of Kent) left the church and joined the Church of Rome as a result.
BIZARRE DEATHS.
In July 1978 Salt Lake City, no stranger to the bizarre, saw a series of murder-suicides, evidently some kind of religious ritual. First a man, Emmanuel David, 39, committed suicide. David believed he was the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ and GOD the Father. Two days later his wife, Rachel, 38, took her seven children to a balcony on the 11th floor of a hotel building. She pushed the terrified younger children out of the window and then jumped herself. At least three of the older children also jumped and it is believed they did so of their own volition.
One of the teenagers, a 15-year-old girl, survived after her fall was cushioned by the other bodies but her condition was critical. It is believed the father's religious views prompted the suicide. It has been reported that remnants of the cult founded by Emmanuel David still exist.
CATHOLIC PRIESTS SUED.
In 1995 the Reverend Martin Greenlaw, a retired Catholic priest, was sued by the Archdiocese of San Francisco for allegedly stealing at least $250,000 in church funds. The priest had been head of the church's fund-raising division when he retired. It was later alleged by former congregation members of two parishes that he had diverted donations to his own bank accounts.
Greenlaw initially denied any wrongdoing, admitting only that he owed the church $45,000. However, in 1996 the former priest was found guilty of embezzling about $200,000 in church funds. It was reported that he had made full restitution and was sentenced to 1 year home detention and 3 years' probation.
In the same year another embezzling priest, Monsignor Patrick O'Shea, was charged over a missing $260,000. While prosecutors were investigating Greenlaw they came across a number of cheques O'Shea had sent to Greenlaw. 'We found a number of checks O'Shea had sent to Greenlaw, apparently because he (O'Shea) was under investigation for pedophilia charges and wanted to hide the money,' said Don Sanchez, chief of special prosecutions.
Molestation charges filed against O'Shea were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. A civil suit filed by 15 men who claim to have been molested as boys by the 3 Bay area priests was settled in March for $2.5 million.
ANTICHRIST WARNING. In the weeks leading up to the date of June 6, 1996, a rumour rapidly spread among superstitious Catholics in Colombia that the Antichrist would return on that day. There was a last-minute rush by neglectful parents to have their children baptised, 'just in case' the rumour were true. In one six-hour period, it was reported, over 7,000 children were baptised.
SUSPECTED WITCH BURNT. In June 1996 murder charges were laid against four people in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea. Police alleged they had burnt a woman alive because they suspected she was a witch. The woman was rescued but later died in hospital as a result of her burns.
APOCALYPSE COMING? In 1994 the Millennial Prophecy Report out of Philadelphia was tracking 1,100 groups which believe the apocalypse is at hand, including one which claims elderly Nazis hiding at the South Pole will take over the planet (with help from space aliens), and another prophesying a monster quake will turn Phoenix into a seaport and unearth Atlantis by 1997.
DEVIL BEATEN OUT OF CHILD. In 1997 two Californian women were given long prison terms for the beating death of a 5-year-old girl. The women believed the child was 'possessed by the Devil' and beat her for hours. Prosecutor Steven Slavitt said it was the worst beating he had ever seen.
ALLEGED DEFRAUDING. In 1997 five members of a Jewish Hasidic sect in Rockland County, New York, were indicted on charges that they systematically defrauded taxpayers of 'tens of millions of dollars' under loan schemes. It was alleged that one seminary alone received over $10 million in government grants on behalf of students who didn't exist.
NOVICE NUN MURDERED.In 1997 a Greek priest and a nun were each sentenced to five years in prison on torture charges. The court found that the couple had repeatedly beaten a 16-year-old novice nun with a cane over a three-year period. She was also often locked naked in a room. The girl eventually died of pneumonia but a coroner's report said her body was covered with bruises.
SAUDI WOMAN SAVED FROM BEHEADING. In August 1996 Ms Najah Al-Kariss received a last-minute pardon just minutes before she was to be beheaded in a public square in Mecca. The woman had murdered a man, Adel Al-Luhaybi because 'he tried to harm her' (no further details were given). After pleading for her life the father of the murdered man agreed to pardon the woman. Under Saudi's Islamic law this is sufficient to see her go free. When they heard the news the crowd that had come to witness the execution cheered.
FLORIDA HYPOCRITE. In 1996 Representative Martin Crouch of Florida was one of a group of legislators who sent letters to the Walt Disney Company objecting to the extension of health care cover to partners of gay employees. The alleged sexual immorality of the gays was cited as the reason.
On 22 February Crouch was found by sheriff deputies in a truck in a shopping centre with his pants down. he was enjoying oral sex from a prostitute. The lady told police that the cheapskate had haggled over her price of $30 and was being satisfied for just $22. Couch is married with six children. He admitted that he had used prostitutes in the past but he told reporters he was being counselled by his pastor and added he knew 'God still loves me.'
PRIEST CAUGHT SMUGGLING DRUGS. A Dutch Roman Catholic priest, Espark Cornelius Maria, was arrested in February 1997, as he tried to smuggle cocaine (estimated weight of about 2.5 kg) through the Maiquetia International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela. The cocaine was hidden in a belt under his priest's habit.
TEACHER IN THE SLAMMER.
In September 1994 Daniel Purdue, a teacher, athletic director, counsellor and coach at Bethel Christian Academy, Cocoa, Florida, was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison followed by 10 years' probation for the kidnapping and sexual battery of a 13-year-old student.
PREACHER DECAPITATED WIFE.
A Baptist clergyman, the Reverend John R. Strange was sentenced in 1991 to 65 years in prison. The Kentucky cleric was found guilty of the murder of his wife. He had decapitated her, buried the head and set fire to the torso. The preacher later appealed his sentence but the appeal was rejected.
CHURCH BELLS IN DISPUTE.
In September 1997 a dispute erupted over noisy church bells. A court order was issued following complaints about the noise of the bells. Father Salvatore D'Avanzo of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Naples, said he would refuse to hand the bells over in spite of the court's action. The priest commented: 'I'm told (the people complaining) are not even Roman Catholics and even the sound of the organ gets on their nerves.'
CHURCH PROPERTY SEIZED. In mid-February 2001 a small army of Federal marshals moved in on the Indiana Baptist Temple. The church has been involved in a long-running dispute with the Government over its failure to pay employment taxes. The marshals were executing a judgment following the US Supreme Court's rejection of the church's claims. Pastor Greg Dixon warned: 'God's judgment will be on these nine justices at the Supreme Court level. They will pay the price.'
Dixon was a founder member of the Jerry Falwell Moral Majority. He was also associated with the Korean cult leader Dr Sun Myung Moon, who went to jail for tax fraud. The Indiana Baptist Temple in 1984 announced it was no longer a church according to government guidelines and would cease filing tax returns. It was reported that Pastor Dixon collapsed when the marshals moved in.
LUTHERAN TREASURER ARRESTED. In September 1996 The New York Times announced the arrest of the former treasurer of the governing body of the Lutheran Church, George A. Patrick, 55, over allegations he had embezzled $800,000 from church funds.
It was claimed by the authorities that Mr Patrick had used some of the money to cover $100,000 in credit card expenses and to finance his sons' education. Other recent charges:
- Ellen S. Cook, former Epoiscopalian treasurer, pleaded guilty of embezzling $2.2 million.
- Allegations the former controller of Methodist Board of Global Missions took $400,000 church funds.
- Vincenza Bologna, manager of a Catholic pensions office, accused over $1.1 million. Under investigation.
O.J. SIMPSON'S MESSAGE
In a gathering of an African Methodist Episcopal Church in July 1996 O.J. Simpson told the congregation: 'I'm not trying to restore an image; I'm not trying to get back what wealth that I lost. I'm trying to do one thing. I'm trying to go to heaven.' The congregation reportedly greeted this message with several standing ovations.
In July 1996 in Dadeville, Alabama, a Bible-quoting contest in a street lead to murder. When a preacher's brother won the contest a man who allegedly lost shot him in the face, killing him. Police were hunting for the murderer.
CATHOLIC PRIESTS NOT THE ONLY ONES!
The retired minister of Mount Zion Baptist Church was sentenced to 16 months to 3 years in state prison on January 14, 2003. Grady O. Kemp, Sr., 65, of Wadley, Georgia, pled guilty to a reduced crime of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the 2nd Degree - a Class D Felony, sparing the stepdaughter from testifying. Kemp, when completing his prison term, must register as a sexual predator.
He had been indicted by a Wayne County Grand Jury in July of last year, for one count of Sexual Mischief in the 1st Degree, 4 counts of Rape in the 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Rape in the 3rd Degree, 4 counts of Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Sex Abuse in the 3rd Degree and one count of Sodomy in the 2nd Degree, involving a stepdaughter. It is alleged that the sexual activity began when the girl was 9 years old and continued until she was 14.
'He had sexual contact with the girl hundreds of times,' said Wayne County District Attorney, Rick Healy. The incidents came to light when the girl, now 16 years old, began fidgeting and praying. The next day the girl began crying and screaming at a family gathering and said she could not hold it back any longer. According to Healy, Grady had served as pastor of the church for almost 20 years. 'He just retired last year and moved to Georgia,' said Healy.
COMMENT: He got off far too lightly!
Heading on an
article on in a US journal in 1995 about a Yale Divinity School
symposium on mental retardation:
'MENTALLY RETARDED LOOKING
FOR GOD.'