It makes you want to scratch your head, and then call for the head of the family court judge. If the judge is that wrong, perhaps he or she should find another job.

I find SDN to be a fine resource for stories. Do you follow them?

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The Jinwrights were indicted on charges that they failed to report more than $1.8 million in income on their federal tax returns between 2001 and 2007. That number eventually was increased to $2.3 million.

During those same years, prosecutors alleged, the couple received more than $5 million in compensation from the west Charlotte church. Prosecutors estimated that the Jinwrights owed the federal government nearly $700,000.

Read more: Judge denies Jinwright's bond request

I don’t think the judge trusts Bishop Jinwright. Would you?

I happened across this act of vandalism while walking in Golden Gate Park over he weekend. I saw it as violence, and as a visual metaphor for crimes against those to young or weak to protect themselves. It made me angry. I don’t know why things like this affect me so, but they do.

My wife tied it to a news story we watched earlier that day. After she mentioned it, I looked around. I had thought it a single tree. There were at least 8 other trees in the same condition. It was a little grove of violence full of oblivious hipsters.

San Francisco is offering a reward for information.

"He couldn't inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this their ritual," he said.

Or perhaps they understand that they needlessly endangered the life of their son and now want to hold somebody else accountable?

Few things get under my skin like hipsters, Berkeley hippies, and of course, pedophile pastors. I saw this group of hipsters in Golden Gate Park. I wanted to boo.

I was up in the San Francisco area over the weekend visiting family. On Saturday we saw the Birth of Impressionism at the de Young Museum. I experienced parking hell that day. I will rant it in another post.

After the museum, we drove down to Pier 33 to try a restaurant called Butterfly. We arrived half an hour late for our 4:00 pm reservation because of the traffic. Our seating was in between lunch and dinner so the full dinner menu was not yet offered. We tried 6 different appetizers.

• Duck Confit Spring Rolls ($9)
• Fire Fried Calamari ($11)
• Kalua Pig with Butter Lettuce cups ($11)
• Wok Seared Shanghai Garlic Noodles ($9)
• Hosin Glazed BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($16)
• Caramelized Shrimp and Green Papaya Salad ($12)

They were a little pricy, but given the view and the location, I think they were priced well. We ate in joyous silence while watching the view of San Francisco Bay behind our table. The food was sublime. However, I had come to pass judgment on the Sizzling Angus Cowboy Steak ($39). It was billed as 22 ounces and  best when served medium rare. I was celebrating a long-awaited promotion. I wanted my steak. I had earned my steak. I ordered and was not disappointed.

The 22 oz monster was served perfectly medium rare and cut into strips, which surprised me. The steak hissed and steamed. The foie gras butter oozed and melted into every piece. The smell was corrupting. My table sat in stunned silence while I had visions of replacing Adam on Man vs Food. I was going to win.

The steak was tender and flavorful. I relished every bite. Near the end our server asked my opinion, I let out the coveted Homer Simpson gasp that signified a full on foodgasm. I was in heaven, but it got better.  The steak was resting on a bed of roasted chorizo sausage and charred tomatoes, a delicious meal in itself. I ate till I could take no more. Food won.

I did not try the desserts. I have no problem with meat, but sugar drives me crazy. My family tried the melting cake and loved it. The coffee flavored ice cream that accompanied it was delicious (I tried a taste).

Chef Robert Lam visited our table. He explained the elaborate presentation of the steak, almost apologizing for its complexity in a city with a tradition of premium unadorned steaks. I would have none of it. I gave him high praise. His food is amazing.

Campoverde was accused of touching the four girls, who were as young as 13, between April 2007 and September 2009, prosecutors said.

Campoverde was a pastor at Ministerio Cristo Vive, a small Anaheim congregation whose members worshiped in a few suites behind a 99 Cents Only store in a strip mall on South Euclid Street, police said last year.

For more on Campoverde read a post from September 2008 – In my backyard?

This is a fan made video of Perfect Circle’s Judith with an overlay of the lyrics. I had to watch it twice. I had no idea they lyrics were so powerful or even what they were about. The band’s official video is here.

The father, who is not being identified to protect the identity of the child, said he was devastated when he learned what happened to his daughter by a man who is a pastor, charged with saving souls and teaching wayward individuals what it takes to please the higher power.

Moore’s wife operates a kinder care from their home. I hope there are no other victims. Moore is the pastor at United Faith Baptist Church in East St. Louis.

Jebar2 offers this bit of wisdom in the comment thread.

…I was specifically speaking of all those individuals that claim to be clergy that are sexually abusing children. I was not speaking of the tens of thousands of clergy that are doing Gods will.

Jebar2 thinks that pastors who abuse children are not really Christians. They’re just faking it to get to the children.

Another poster, FatherDonaldWeeksOSB, gives credit to God for the mother’s clear headed reaction to her daughter’s showing signs of abuse.

But God in His Almighty Power is able to place thoughts in the minds of people. God put forth in the mother's mind the thought to ask the child if someone abused her.

This kind of theological mumbo-jumbo drives me nuts. If God can put thoughts in her head after the abuse, why not before? What kind of God lets a child be abused and then steps in to help clean up the mess?

With each story of clergy hypocrisy I collect a  new picture. This is only small sample from my most recent posts. I intend to make a poster when I’ve put all the faces together.

oops – I had Tolkien in the mix. How did that happen?

Pastor Vandergraph has been the pastor at Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in Alto Pass for almost 50 years.

"Any time there are accusations of moral failures against anyone, it's shocking," Pastor Steve McKeown said. "When that individual is a member of the clergy, it's even more shocking."

Moral failures? Hell yes, but lets call it by its real name. Pastor Vandergraph is an alleged pedophile. There are degrees to hypocrisy. Molesting a four-year-old… you can’t just call it moral failure and get on about your day.

Way to go Pastor Vandergraph. I’m sure your family and church are proud. Look at what you pissed away. I wonder if they will let you build giant pointless crosses in prison? Wait. 72 and a pedophile in prison… that does not bode well. I would not plan any big projects.

For those of you who don’t know this reggae classic, listen and enjoy.

A family and two Noah’s Ark Water Park employees reported seeing Umberger repeatedly follow boys into the bathroom near a children’s pool area, according to the Lake Delton police report.

Umberger was found standing next to a 10-year-old using a urinal, the report stated. Umberger denied intentionally following the boys and told an officer he had prostate problems and had to urinate often, according to the DOJ report.

And he’s a pedophile.

Umberger told a state agent Wednesday he is sexually attracted to boys and young men and searched the Internet for pictures of boys 12 to 15 years old, according to the complaint.

Of course, the faithful are shocked.

“Everyone I talked to that is a member there is shocked,” said a church member who asked not to be named. “I mean, he’s our priest.”

So, because he’s “our priest” that makes his somehow incapable of committing horrible crimes against children? Wake up sheeple.

I shot this fellow in Garden Grove while was on a short photo-driving run. I did not see him pop in front of my truck. I came very close to hitting him. He was meandering along so slowly that he blended in with the background, and then he was suddenly in front of me.  I shot this photo while yelling at him. Angry photos are the best kind.

According to media reports, the bishop only began to investigate the case this year after the abused woman, now 46, contacted her directly in March.

Bishop Jepsen said she had not known about the case earlier, but the young woman signed an affidavit this week that she had informed the bishop through a local minister in 1999.

Well, you live or die by your values when you are in the public eye. Maria Jespen’s life work is forever tainted by the stain of neglecting her duties. I don’t know how she can bear it.

Al had a chance at a hole-in-one on 17. He came close enough that it looked like a real possibility. I’m proud of him. He overcame the yips to nail his 10 foot birdie putt.

I posted a 60, Al posted a 64 (Scorecard). It was not my best round, but much better than my last round.

We played at 6:45 am. When we finished at 8:00 am, it was already too hot to play again. It’s been brutal here the last few days, and much too hot to play in the afternoons. I’ll play again tomorrow morning though.

I’m not sure who I pissed off, but somebody gave me the gift of a bee swarm above my front door. Ok, perhaps nobody sent a curse my way, but bees?  They’ve been camped in the same spot for 3 days. I plan to give them until Sunday, and then it’s the power washer with soap!

Prosecutors said Wasley waited in the restrooms for children who came in without an adult and offered to help them.

When law enforcement agents searched his home, they found more than 17,000 images of child pornography on his computers, including six of boys using restrooms at four different stores -- either a Target or Walmart.

Magic Jeff worked at Calvary Jesus Church in Kennesaw. The church has removed its website. My guess is that will rise again under a new name and conveniently forget its past.

Previous posts

• Youth minister indicted on child porn (12/24/08)
• Youth pastor Jeff Wasley convicted (3/14/10)

Police say a 15 year old girl claimed 76 year old Delbert Thigpen, touched her inappropriately. Thigpen is the pastor of St. George Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Pastor Thigpen admitted to the crime.

"After she massaged my back I figured I would massage her back.  He told me that," she said. (She being an unnamed witness)

Pastor Thigpen is 76. I’m guessing his preaching days are over. He is the pastor for St. George Pentecostal Holiness Church. I wonder how long that will last?

Pastor Kleckner should know not to use the internet to find underage sexual partners. There’s always a chance it’s going to be officer Fred posing as 14-year-old Sally. How many more pastors will fall to this temptation?

Investigators from SOS said Kleckner had an online relationship for the last month with a person he believed was a juvenile girl. That “girl” was actually an SOS detective.

"He stated that, I guess you could say, quote, that he got caught up in it. He started engaging in the chat and it just started to lead that way to him," said Detective Philip Graves, Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Pastor Kleckner has a wife and four kids. Did you hear that toilet flush? It was your life slipping into the sewer…

The goal for this site Praying to Pesci is to have a humorous look at the world of religion and disbelief from an atheist's perspective. Please take a gander - I think it is good for a laugh or two.

I was raised Catholic although we seemed to fall into the Christmas-Easter variety (we went to Church twice a year) I attended Sunday School through my first communion. While I was attending these brainwashing sessions I was told that my parents were at mass. On one fine Sunday class was cut short so I waited in the lobby for ma and pa. A couple of minutes later I see them getting out of their car in the parking lot. They had been at breakfast!. Well that was enough for me - I wasn't getting up early to sit through this crap if they weren't. The funny thing is that they were no different than all of the other church-goers that I knew - everyone just went through the motions without thinking about what they were really doing.

I muddled into my adult years without paying much attention to religion. I sometimes regarded myself as a Catholic even though I never, ever went to Church. I just regurgitated something that I had heard someone else say - I just assumed that while it wasn't for me that it kept a lot of people on the straight and narrow. Even though I wasn't religious I wasn't above spewing crap like that without thinking about what the words meant.

At some point in my late 20's I started a self-examination to find out who I was and what principles I believed in. I began to realize that there was a lot of BS in the world and rational thought was more or less an afterthought. That's the great thing about seeking truths without having any kind of bias or agenda - you let the facts point you in the right direction.

So why atheism? It has been said that nobody is ever converted to atheism - it is just something that you find on your own. I completely agree with that statement and I think it says a lot about a-theism. After all, nobody ever finds _______ (insert messiah) on their own. Someone has to introduce them. I wasn't out to be different nor did I even know any other professed atheists (although I did later find out that the unbelievers are all around us). Atheism was just another stop on the road of rational thought.

My goal in writing this blog is not just to stop the silly belief in superstition. I write it it to combat the evils that superstition brings on the world - slavery, misogyny, bigotry are the main offenders. You see the effects of religion all around us. For crying out loud, my kid can't even be a boy scout. My goal here is to promote humanity and liberty (and no, not that jingoistic patriotism that seems to be permeating our society). If I toss a deity or two under the bus while I'm at it, so be it. Who knows - if you believe this stuff, maybe the deity made me so that I could throw him under the bus. As Carlin said, it is all very confusing.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll resource blog for more information.

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Police said when they confronted Gray, he told them he was unhappy with his church assignments and said, "He began taking money because he felt the church owed it to him."

Gray was suspended last month by the Archdiocese of Hartford from all of his priestly duties and can no longer function as a priest in Connecticut or anywhere in the country, according to officials.

I don’t have a problem with prostitution. I don’t have a problem with a person’s sexual preference. Heck, I don’t have a problem with gay men working as catholic priests. I have a problem with thieves, liars, and hypocrites. Quit telling me I’m unethical because I’m an atheist and I’ll quit making posts about hypocritical priests.

I started my blog, "The Spiritual Life of An Atheist," just a couple of months ago to explore deeply felt spirituality and commitment to transcendent values absent a belief in god. There is a culture war on, and we cannot concede the domain of values and meaning to religious fundamentalists. Awe, inspiration and aspiration are all possible within a secular, rationalist framework. Atheism is not a denial of the human spirit but a paradigm that can open one's eyes to its full measure.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll resource blog for more information.

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According to today’s news release, Settlemoir was arraigned on the new charges after his preliminary examination on the original charges was adjourned. Police said he’ll be back in court July 22 for a preliminary examination on all of the charges.

Settlemoir remains in jail. His bail is set at one million dollars.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Baptists,Pedophiles

It blows my mind how much the Vatican covered up for Fr. Marciel.  It’s simply disgusting.

Hat tip Atheist Media Blog.

Sheriff's officials say Hall continually told Yanak that she would kick him out of the shelter if he did not give her his bank card and PIN. Hall is accused of using Yanak's ATM card and the PIN to withdraw an undisclosed amount of cash from his bank account, sheriff's officials said.

Yanak, 80, suffers from multiple sclerosis and hypertension, the affidavit says. He receives $694 per month from Social Security and the U.S. Navy. All but a few dollars of that money would be gone each month, the affidavit says.

It appears Linda Hall is a bit of a racist too.

The charges also involved the Halls allegedly following Noffleo and yelling at him outside a store, saying, "Your days are numbered, you're going down, God will strike you dead, you white devil," according to the warrant.

The Halls are fast becoming the very definition of Christian Hypocrites. They need some jail time or perhaps even hard labor to straighten their lives out.

I drove by this sign yesterday. My son looked at me with a strange expression on his face as I laughed out loud. Do we need a pastor to tell right from wrong? As adults, don’t most of us know the answer to this simple question already? We learn it as children. It’s reinforced as we grow and mature, and besides, most of us know the answer intuitively.

I sign like this pushes me away. Why don’t they see that?

According to a copy of his indictment, Uwinkindi, 59, was a pastor at a church near Kigali during the genocide, and allegedly collaborated with an extremist political organisation that professed hatred for the Tutsi ethnic group.

In early April 1994, Uwinkindi is accused of helping to organise and instruct groups of Hutus to kill Tutsis, and after allowing Tutsi women and children to seek refuge in his church, he ordered their execution, according to the indictment.

First he murdered the Hutu men, and then he herded their wives and children into his church under the guise of safety, and then he slaughtered them. I don’t see how this fits in with the fundamental message of Christ. Are Pentecostals taught to kill thy neighbor?

The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative.

I wonder how much a trip to Germany would cost?

Art, Sculpture

Bradfield works for the Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton.

The woman involved says that was performing oral sex for free. I wonder if Bradfield asked for the clergy discount?

Note to pastor Bradfield – I’m pretty sure accepting free oral sex from a prostitute still makes you a hypocrite.

Hi! I'm Andrea Griffith, also known as the Social I.Q. Lady. My blog is an Atheist's Guide to Successful Social Interaction. As atheists, we face an uphill battle when it comes to working with and interacting with religionists. Life is difficult enough and with so many differing views it can sometimes be tough to rise above it all. I welcome your questions regarding relationships, philosophy, and political issues surrounding moral values. Please stop by and visit. I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading.

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Bradley Boda pleaded guilty in April to sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse and sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. His deal stipulates that a judge may sentence him to between 10 and 20 years in prison, followed by lifetime probation. Prosecutors dismissed 11 other felony counts.

Boda was a pedophile who victimized young boys.

In November 2008, Longmont police began investigating reports from men who said Boda used his position with the church to develop sexual relationships with them when they were as young as 11. He was either a church volunteer or a youth director from 1991 to 2004. Boda was arrested in September at his Berthoud home after he failed to show up for his counseling job at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins. No cases turned up in Fort Collins.

Boda was the youth pastor at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Longmont, CO. The church has a statement on its website.

The leadership of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church is pleased that justice has now been served in this case. The Judge thoughtfully and professionally sentenced Mr. Boda after considering testimony of victims and their families as well as statements from family and friends of Mr. Boda during the sentencing hearing.

It reads like the police and church worked to bring Boda to justice. I applaud their efforts.

There is a good profile on Boda at the Coloradoan. The comments are interesting.

The victims tells a horrible story:

…the victim said that on an occasion in July 2009, Porter shoved her onto a couch and performed oral sex on her against her will.

Porter’s former church has a statement on it’s website. I’ve reprinted it here to recognize the Elmwood Church of Christ’s good behavior. It is rare for a church to acknowledge an incident let alone make a public statement about it.

We are saddened by the charges facing Lee Porter, who served the Elmwood church of Christ as youth minister for almost 12 years.

Lee submitted his resignation the day after his initial arrest in November of last year. We accepted this resignation with regret, recognizing Lee’s need to work through his personal challenges and his desire to prevent the consequences of his problems from affecting the youth at Elmwood.

In the week following the initial arrest, we met with the parents of youth group members to discuss the situation.  In addition, professional counseling was made available to the parties involved, and church members were informed of Lee’s resignation by announcement and by letter.

Two of our members are serving as interim youth leaders while a search committee is being formed for a new youth minister.  Youth activities such as Bible classes, Winterfest in Gatlinburg, Leadership Training for Christ, involvement with Cincinnati Urban Ministry, and summer church camp will continue.  One positive outcome of this situation is that new people have been able to use their gifts in serving our young people.

We are confident that God can bring good even out of awful circumstances.

We continue to pray for the Porter family and everyone involved in this case.

The Shepherds of the Elmwood church of Christ
July 1, 2010

July 5, 2010 – corrected. Porter is alleged to have molested one girl, not two. Also, added a picture of Porter.

Pastor Linda Hall and her husband Shelly Hall are accused of sending over 120 text messages to Vincent Noffleo.

Noffleo said they threatened him and also followed him around Groveland.

This case keeps getting stranger. I don’t see any Jesus like behavior going on there.

Pastor Travis Gandy, 27, from Sheboygan, Wis, was arrested for exposing a child to harmful materials. He allegedly sent a picture of his wee naught bits to 15-year-old boy.

The investigation began after the boy’s mother contacted the Sheriff’s Department after discovering one of the photos. 

How embarrassing. More importantly, when is the last time you checked your child’s phone?

One day after he was released, he was rearrested for the sexual assault of a different child.

Gandy was arrested Monday night after the mother of a 15 year old boy told police Gandy sent her son inappropriate text messages.  The boy told police Gandy also "made out" with him in the attic of the church.

Travis Gandy worked as a music pastor at Praise Fellowship Church in Sheboygan. The church website has no information about Gandy. I did not expect it to.

"We conducted an exhaustive review of the evidence provided by the Sheriff's Department, re-interviewed key witnesses and uncovered additional evidence tied to the case," said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown. "This process and the new information our office discovered materially changed our assessment of the nature and quality of the evidence."

I wrote about Jimmy Hughes in October of 2009.

Pastor Hughes, my policy states that any pastor I write about who is cleared of charges or found innocent is eligible for a guest post here at Deep Thoughts. You can post on any topic you like. If you would like to take me up on the offer, send me an email.

My son took this photo.

Their message:

Jesus died for our sins.
Trust in Jesus.
Be reconciled to God.
No person is righteous.

Their message is banal, routine, and annoying. Why they would waste their time like this? It makes no sense. Will somebody really see a sign and think, “Wow, I better trust in Jesus?”

It’s time for a few Atheists to counter picket these nutballs. I wonder if I could get a few people from Think Atheist to join me? I’ll have the “Trust in Bacon” placard.

Samuelsson bases his claim on studying 900 years' worth of ancient texts in the original languages - Hebrew, Latin and Greek, which is the language of the New Testament.

He spent three years reading for 12 hours a day, he says, and he noticed that the critical word normally translated as "crucify" doesn't necessarily mean that.

“Jesus, was impaled for our sins” does not have the same ring to it. I don’t think the guys in marketing will like it. He’s bucking 2000 years of tradition and ignorance. My guess is that Samuelsson is about to be crucified by the establishment.

The Rev. Emile Boutin, is a youth pastor at Blessed Sacrament in Walpole, Mass.

ICE made the bust.

ICE began investigating Nichols in October 2009 after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an email address that had been used to transmit child pornography which was traced to Nichols' home and Bethlehem Evangelical Luther Church. The New Mexico Attorney General's Office, the New Mexico State Police and FBI assisted ICE in the case

His church is standing behind him.

Jerry Ethridge, president of its board of directors, said in an videotaped interview posted on the Los Alamos Monitor website that Nichols will remain on paid leave until the matter is resolved.

"Matt is a very well-performing employee of the congregation," he said. "All indications from both parents and all the children (are) that during that period of time, there's been no ... inappropriate action by Matt."

Background checks performed by the church did not show Nichols’ criminal history.

Ethridge says the church consistently runs background checks on church members and parents who chaperon children and somehow Nichols had passed two such tests without raising any red flags.

"Even in the background investigation and the interviews with him and the references none of that information came up," he said.

What’s a church to do? For starters they gutted their website. Most links are broken, and no news or statements are available. They have not disclosed their vetting process. We don’t know if vetting included a legitimate background check or if they were simply googling a name. And finally, we know that the church is protecting it’s pastor. I want to know why.

Hat tip: SLOG

We buried my dad today in Area 51. It was supposed to be a simple memorial for our family. It ended up as a cluster. Fortunately, the people who work at Riverside National Cemetery did everything they could to help us.

Forest Lawn Cypress botched the arrangements. We showed up to find no memorial scheduled. Instead, they were planning a quick internment. My mom was distraught, my sisters were pissed and determined to salvage the day. You don’t want to get my sisters pissed, they are formidable adversaries when friendly, when pissed, oh man…

The staff at the cemetery stepped up. Edna, a coordinator working out of the main office, worked quickly to arrange a graveside service. She was the recipient of many hugs and handshakes for her effort. I plan to write her a thank you letter.

We did the internment service without clergy, without honor guard, and without much preparation. My sister Kim read a poem she wrote earlier in the day. Her son said a heartfelt prayer. Her daughter read some inspirational words spoken at the funeral of my grandmother. Our service was short and heartfelt. I felt good about it.

The burial was an unemotional event for me. I wondered at this after. How could I go from an emotional wreck last Friday to a stable and solid son today? The only thing I can come up with is that the healing process has started.

I can see quite a few trips out to Riverside in my future. Mom will need a ride. I have a history at that cemetery. While in the Air Force in the early 80s, I gave military honors to over 400 serviceman as part of the ceremonial Honor Guard. I felt like a man at the time. I saw the Honor Guard today. They looked like boys. Time moves quickly.

Library of Dust depicts individual copper canisters, each containing the cremated remains of patient from a state-run psychiatric hospital. The patients died at the hospital between 1883 (the year the facility opened, when it was called the Oregon State Insane Asylum) and the 1970’s; their bodies have remained unclaimed by their families.

FLYP did a profile of David Maisel in 2009. There is a video page two that is interesting.

I find the whole concept of anonymous canned human ashes to be a good metaphor for the existential futility and singular loneliness of life. Plus I think the photos are cool.

The senior pastor at the church, and Jermel's uncle, Errol Beckford, said he knew nothing of his past and was stunned to hear of his arrest.

“I says, what? Are you kidding me? He was a good pastor. He had 75 kids here. He built it up and they loved him," Beckford said.

If Errol Beckford knew nothing of Jermel’s past, then why did he let an adult male assume a new identity when working at the church? I think it’s possible that uncle Errol knew what his nephew hid in his past. It’s actually a reasonable explanation. Of course, I doubt the pastor would admit it because that would make him at least partially responsible for Jermel’s crimes.   Pastor Erro Manns is obligated to protect his congregation’s children from sexual predators. I’m betting there was no background check.

The church involved is the Celebration Tabernacle Church in Cocoa, Florida.

I did not have the presence of mind to take any photo’s. I was too busy saying “Ooh, tasty.”

She has a blog: Hand Made With Love.

Hi guys and gals of the atheist community, my name is Evan and I've been running the On the way to Ithaca blog since November 2009, which Mojoey was kind enough to add to the Atheist Blogroll recently. I've decided to come to terms with the atheistic worldview 2 years ago, after an intense struggle with my faith and after making a brief pit-stop on Deism and Agnosticism on the way. I must admit it wasn't easy since I was born and live in Greece and the Greek national identity is tightly interwoven with Eastern Orthodox Christianity, but here I am in any case.

I decided to start my blog after I had decided to read the Bible (the original Septuagint) again for a second time after my deconversion and write my thoughts on it (it's an ongoing project on my blog). I'm also translating interesting articles and news from english sources for my fellow Greek Atheists who aren't comfortable with reading from the original and I'm involved with the Greek Atheists Collective Blog. The blog is written exclusively in Greek (for now), but if anyone has any idea for an article that would interest english-speakers, drop me a line. I believe that is enough about me.

I'd also like to extend a request to other Atheists who live and blog in the greater Balkan area (that is, Albania, FYR Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Moldova) I'm attempting to create a resource (a blogroll of sorts, but not necessarily limited to blogs; any type of online material will do) which can be used can locate like-minded individuals in our corner of Europe. Whether you write in English or your native language, feel free to drop me a line at ithakiblog-contact@yahoo.gr. Of course, I'd appreciate any help in my effort to get this message out in the Web. Feel free to repost my message on your blogs, if you wish, and thank you in advance for your assistance and time.

Are you interested in becoming a member? Visit the Atheist Blogroll resource blog for more information.

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Enjoy.

I’ve had a problem with food for a long time, longer than I care to remember. The pattern is always the same. I get stressed, I eat. I get upset, I eat. Or, I get pissed about being heavy, and I eat. I think I finally broke the behavior.

I’ve had difficult time over the last two months. I was working from China on a difficult project and under a ton of stress. This alone is enough to make me stress eat. Then my dad took a turn for the worse and eventually died. I would have normally eaten large amounts of comfort food to cope, but I did not. Something had changed.

I think my son helped. He dropped over a hundred pounds in less than one year. He’s healthy, in great shape, and enthusiastic about his weight loss method. It’s simple. He counts calories and gets exercise.

My wife and I started counting calories a few months ago. We use livestrong.com. She’s lost 25 pounds already and looks great. I’ve lost about 17. Given I was on the road and under a ton of stress, I’m pretty happy. Once I learned how many calories were in my food, I set a easy to achieve daily calorie goal. I’ve managed to stay under my goal on all but a very few days. I’m on track with my weight loss goal of 5 pounds per month. That helps me get through the next day.

Concentrating on calorie content makes me think about what I’m eating. Once I think about it, I usually choose a healthy or lower calorie option. When confronted with the desire to eat, I usually make the right choice. For the first time in my adult life, I’m losing weight without doing something stupid. This helped when the stress came. I made the right call on food, plus I was able to say no. There was no massive overeating. Instead of a large heavy meal, I chose a smaller version, or a healthy alternative. I did not gain weight, which makes me a happy man.

Hot tip: the Eat This, Not That books are helpful.

I want to thank those of you who have offered your words of comfort and condolences. Your words helped me through the dark difficult days immediately after my dad’s death and have sustained me while I’ve toiled away at my various tasks. More importantly, you made me laugh and smile at a time when I desperately needed it.

I also want to thank my dear friends Al & Richard. I felt the love when you both reached out to me. Thanks for the thoughts.

And Brian, my friend and boss, I owe you in too many ways to count. Thank you for allowing me the time I needed to get through this. I will never forget your support.

More blogging to follow…

I felt a sense of relief in his death that I had not anticipated, and guilt too. Why was I relived? I struggled with the question for the next hour. My emotions got the better of me. I could not talk. I could barely make eye contact with those around me. I grieved while struggling with my demons, but it felt good. It felt right.

My dad had actually died about two day before. At least his mind had died as his body dealt with the business of shutting down. We watched every minute of it. I’m happy we were there for him. I’m happy he did not die alone. But I have to wonder, what is the point of a lingering death? Why is it impermissible to help people die once they’ve reached the point of no return? Why is euthanasia considered unethical and against the law?

There was a point when the doctors said the end was near. They actually told us the process of dying had started. They gave us a paper that told us what to expect. The stages of death are predicable. And once they start, you know it. Having experienced the process, I think there is a point where giving an overdose of morphine is the humane thing to do. It’s against the law, but it’s against the law at least partially for religious reasons. I don’t think that’s right. I think I’ve found another cause to fight for.

And Mary – you have my gratitude and thanks. I stand in awe of your love and kindness. The world is a better place for your selfless acts of love.

Robert Lee McQueen, a pastor at the Burning Bush Missionary Church and the owner of McQ Bail Bonds, was convicted Thursday after a four-day trial.

McQueen was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, three counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin, and two counts of distribution of heroin. He was also found guilty of possession of a firearm.

Think about it. The ideal of a Christian pastor contrasted with the imperfection of a convicted drug dealer. How does one get from serving people to preying on them? It blows this non-believer’s mind.

Heroin is evil. I know. Neal Young says it best.

I am the creator of the blog Aranamuss. This is a brand new blog, but I already have quite a few posts up and quite a few in the making - I intend to make this a very active blog.

The main focus of this blog is going to be on book reviews, atheist news, and philosophical musings. There will also likely be some posts about skepticism and science. I hope to bring some fresh insight to some issues, and get people thinking. I hope you check it out!

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Pastor Brad prayed for my dad. The room prayed with him. I watched. I always watch. Something deep inside me knows that I am not the guy who can offer spiritual comfort nor can I partake of it. I don’t understand it. I simply watch. After I hugged my wife. She provides all the comfort I need.

I called Pastor Brad during the 3rd quarter of game 7 of the NBA playoffs. I asked him to come, he did without any hesitation. He is a good man. I owe him. Next Saturday at sunrise I will play a round of discgolf with him. I intend to let him win.

I’m asked frequently about how I feel about prayer. My response is always the same. Prayer is something Christians do. I don’t think about it much. If I am in a situation where prayer is necessary, I choose respectful silence. It goes along with my live and let live philosophy. I don’t care about what other people do as long as the don’t compel me to participate or try to legislate their beliefs.

I don’t believe prayer delivers miracles, but I’ve witnessed it providing comfort to people overcome by grief or facing death. Tonight, I watched my dad agree to pastor Brad’s request for prayer. During the prayer, I saw a smile come to his lips and the tension leave his face. It was one of his last moments of consciousness. Does prayer work? To be honest, I have to give a qualified yes. There is no metaphysical component to it. The words and the people who speak them provide comfort. Some people need that, some do not. Prayer does not comfort me.

It’s 1:15 am. My dad lingers on the edge of death. I’m writing a blog post.

The teen's mother went to the Warren Police Department last Thursday with text messages indicating the accused pastor allegedly had sexually assaulted her son. Settlemoir, who police say has been married for two years and has a 7-month-old daughter, turned himself in to police on Saturday, just prior to search warrants for the computers.

About 2:34 a.m. on Saturday, according to police, Caban unzipped the pants of a sleeping 17-year-old boy and began fondling him. The boy was a member of the church, police said.

The boy woke up and alerted his mother, who then called the police.

Efrain, who goes by the nickname “Papo” is a youth minister at Christus Lutheran Church in Camden. When I read of youth pastors allegedly committing sexual crimes, the first question that comes to mind is what are his qualifications. Judging by Caban’s MySpace page, he has no qualifications other than a desire to work with kids.

Kentucky State Police say Mendez-Almendra would go to the victims' homes, or invite them to his home for prayer, and then force them to engage in sexual activity.

He’s also charged with intimidating a witness. The crimes are alleged to have happened in Kentucky, so I think the pastor faces a maximum of six months in jail.

It's occured to me that the poster who said 'avada kadavra david' and then it didn't work did it? holds to clue to David J. Meyers death. Those strange words mean DEATH SPELL. I am sure during his ministry he received death threats, and the various hacked off occultists he exposed threw spells against him. Up until now, they only weakened his health but he always rebounded. This time, the Lord allowed it and brought him home, as no man can withstand the pressure of a ministry like David had for so long, The Wiccans hated him. Well kids, he's out but not down for the count. He's in Paradise.

And God is not finished with you yet, you whosoever sent this final spell. It comes back threefold, remember? This was revealed to me about an hour ago, that Meyer was cast against for the final time. It's a real spiritual war, and real soldiers take hits and sometimes die. But it will come back three-fold, remember?

Read the full thread of the original post for more fundietainment, or check out the nutballs commenting on the post I made for Meyer’s death.

I note the time in my journal with the annotation, 3:20 am: Is this where I pray? It was right after the words, 3:05 am: Dad does not know who I am. Asks for his son. I have no prayers in me. The thought makes me ill. Instead, tears flowed. There is little else I can do besides share the burden of attending his bedside with my family, and wait.

I took a picture. I will remember the moment the rest of my life.

According to court documents, a 16-year-old girl told Lafayette Police Department detectives that she was given massages by McFadden on April 12 and April 14 that led to sexual contact. Under questioning during Tuesday's sentencing hearing, McFadden admitted to fondling and having sexual intercourse with the girl.

McFadden was the youth pastor at Evangelical Covenant Church of Lafayette. He was not a pastor there when the crime occurred.

See Youth pastor Robert McFadden arrested for more information.

Jarretta Hamilton, 39, admitted to school authorities at Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, Fla., in 2009 that she had conceived before her marriage in April of that year. One week after requesting maternity leave, she was unemployed.

She was not fired for being pregnant.

In a letter to Gay dated July 2009, the school said that Hamilton was not fired because she was pregnant, but because of "fornication, sex outside of marriage." The letter, which Gay provided to AOL News, says that Hamilton agreed in her job application to uphold standards related to the school's values.

When I read this story, I said to a friend, “Does that sound like the message of Christ to you?’ Firing somebody for having sex before marriage is a tad legalistic. What ever happened to forgiveness? I’m beginning to suspect that a lot of Christians have no idea how to actually act like a Christian. Instead they make up rules and apply them with complete disregard for decency or compassion.

When you begin, focus on the palms of your hands, relax, and slowly feel the higher energies filter through them. This may create a sensation of heat or tingling. here's what's going on. You raise your frequency ... bring in higher balanced energy ... transmit it to the other person by touching them, or holding your hands near their body. Some people wash their hands before and after a healing session.

I saw Healing Hands demonstrated a few nights ago. A woman named Laura was talking to me when she started experiencing acute pain. She is confined to a powered chair because of several different serious disabilities. Despite her limitations, she volunteers with a therapy dog at the VA Hospital. I found her odd, but likeable. More importantly, the service she provided to the patients on the cancer ward was invaluable. How could I not like her?

Before Laura’s pain started, she started experiencing blurry vision and was sweating from the right side of her body. As the pain started, Laura’s face became flushed and her eyes started rolling in her head. Since we were in a hospital waiting room, I alerted the nursing staff to the problem. An RN approached to help. What she did next blew me away.

She asked if she could use Healing Hands to release Laura’s pain. She claimed to be a master at Reiki. Laura agreed. I watched as she placed a hand above Laura’s head and one behind her back while she concentrated with her eyes closed. After a few moments she made motions like she was pulling something out of Laura’s body and throwing it away. She repeated this several times with her hands in different positions. The process took 5 to 6 minutes. She stopped when paged to a patient’s room. Laura did not notice. Her pain was overwhelming. I started to call the emergency room EMTs. She stopped me by saying, “I just need my morphine.”

I helped her get to her meds and watched as she prepared a dose using a syringe. She squirted it into her mouth then leaned back in her chair and moaned. After watching this, I suspected that drug dependency was one of her disabilities. After a few minutes she seemed to recover, although she was still in pain. The RN stopped by and said, “Glad I could help.” I let it go.

I walked from the cancer ward to the break area, a distance of 600 feet, several times a night. In the early morning, hours before dawn, it is rare to run into people, but I did Friday night.

As I entered the break area a fat unhealthy looking man greeted me. I returned his greeting in kind but noticed that he was reading a big gold-edged bible, so I ignored him. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to work the vending machines, once I scored some hot coffee, I walked toward the exit. The Bible reader said, “You know, I’m going to die.”

“I’m sorry.” I said.

“I’m going to die, and you are too, the Bible says so.”

I had no intention of talking to him, so I made a quick exit. He repeats himself as I leave. His last words, spoken with a hint of hysteria while he pointed a fat finger at his bible were, “I’m going to die.”

I walked away fast. I was in no mood to talk to a nutter with a bible. A few minutes later I made the last turn in the hospital’s rat maze of corridors before arriving at the elevators. Ahead of me in the hallway I saw a man wearing an odd mix of hospital and street clothing. He tore off blue sanitary gloves and threw them to the ground as he jogged toward me. I was frightened and uneasy. The man was sweating profusely, out of breath, had a large grease mark covering part of his face near his right cheek, and was jerky in his movements. I figure him for a tweaker.

He made a right into the elevator a few seconds before I made a left. I hear him say, “Going up?” I nodded yes and stepped into the elevator next to another man you has his back firmly plastered to the wall opposite the tweaker. The other passenger jumped out on the 4th floor. I ask the tweaker if he’s been running. He paced back and forth and yells, “Hell yes I’ve been running.” He pointed at me, “Where the fuck is my bible?”

I don’t answer. Instead, I slid around to a put my back against the wall opposite him. He danced from foot-to-foot while wiping sweat from his face. He looked high and smelled like a sewer. “I lost my bible.” He says.  “But I still have time.”

I jumped off at my floor and watched as the door closed. I figure two bible nutters in one night was enough, so I went back to my vigil without taking another break.  It’s safer that way.

An affidavit from the Groveland Police Department says Jordan lived at the Faithful and True Ministry Shelter for Women and Children for most of May. That's where she said Pastor Hall would corner her into rooms alone and come into her room as she was changing clothes for work; it even carried over to church fundraisers and the public library.

Here is the scam. Christian charities form around service to the homeless. Once the homeless are dependent on the services, an unscrupulous pastor demands favors in exchange for what are now vital services. Predatory pastors know the women are  faced with a choice between food and shelter or the streets, they press their advantage. Can you guess who wins?

If this charge is true, I hope Hall does some hard time.

Mueller also cited Palmer's unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions, stating that the man told investigators that he was "overcome by the demon of lust," that the victim was "asking for it," and that the victim was "in heat," when the assaults occurred, prosecutors said.

I don’t know what to say.

Links:

AwaitingHim (tribute)

Last Trumpet Ministries

On Friday, Woodard launched a website, www.prayforourcoast.org, urging readers to consider Chronicles 7:13-14, in which God promises to heal the land if people turn to him in prayer.

"I know people are already praying," Woodard said. "I'm not downplaying that. But I thought, what would happen if we focused all that? What would happen if we got people to stop, twice a day, and pray about this?"

I'm sure the is something they could do, something that involves getting off their knees, something active that yields direct results. What is that word again?  Oh, now I remember, it's called work. Pastor Woodard should encourage people to work to relieve the affects of the oil spill. It seems so simple? How did he miss that? Oh wait, prayer must be easier than work.

Prayer is easy, work is hard.

But seriously, I covet these more, Leica M8, or the Nikon D3.

Camera porn… drool.

The U.S. Catholic Church is still shuddering from the effects of the sexual abuse crisis. Most Catholics are still critical of the church's handling of the matter, and one in 10 are considering leaving the faith altogether. Some believe that clerical celibacy is at the core of the crisis, while others blame the all-male character of the priesthood. Reading such accounts, though, it's easy to forget that we have not the slightest idea how serious the abuse problem is among Catholic priests as opposed to other professionals dealing with children.

News flash Mr. Jenkins, we don’t care how big Catholic clergy sexual abuse is in comparison to similar abuse in the public sector. We care about how the Catholic church protects its pedophile priests at the expense of our child. We care because the Catholic church does not. We don’t see this behavior in the public sector.

Atheist Revolution reported on Pastor Oliver O’Grady, a Catholic priest who was bought off by his church with a $94,56 annuity that pays 788 per month for ten years. Catholic parishioners are upset. A post in the Irish Times suggests that the O’Grady, who molested 25 children in the United States, should get nothing. I agree.

A story in the Boston Glob called Mistrust, deep divisions await O’Malley in Ireland suggests that the Irish public and parishioners are upset because of the poor handling of sex abuse cases in Ireland.

“He’s going to find a very divided church,’’ said Colm O’Gorman, an Irish clergy sex abuse victim and the founder of the organization One in Four. “On the one side, he’ll find those who are still very resistant to change and unwilling to acknowledge the extent of a very clear and deliberate coverup, and on the other side he’ll find those who are significant reformers.’’

Apparently O’Mally, the Cardinal out of Boston, got the call to go to Ireland because he wrote a letter to the Pope.

A story out of German goes after the top Roman Catholic bishop for allegedly allowing a pedophile priest to be reappointed to a parish job in the 80s.

Prosecutors in the southwestern city of Freiburg said charges of aiding and abetting sexual abuse had been filed against Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops' Conference and archbishop of Freiburg.

Zollitsch, 71, was head of church personnel in Freiburg when a Cistercian priest was given a parish job in Birnau despite charges of child abuse against the cleric being known to church authorities, prosecutors said.

I am often reminded by readers that not all Catholic Priests are monsters. I know this to be true. Many are fine examples of the best in human kindness and service. The number of priests who abuse is small, but the institutional misdirection by the Catholic church on behalf of the abusive priests is pervasive. Take the case of Los Angeles’ Cardinal Rodger Mahony, an internal investigation cleared Mahony of hindering clergy sexual abuses cases. Yet if you live in LA like I do, you know this man worked to hide the scope of clergy sexual abuse in Los Angeles. We’ve seen the stories for 15 years now. Why did it take 8 years to do the investigation? The Feds are looking into the case. I do not think they will be as kind.

The memo was released in response to questions about District Attorney Steve Cooley's handling of the priest abuse investigation, which began in 2002. Cooley is in the final week of a campaign to become the Republican nominee for California attorney general.

Cardinal Roger Mahony has come under fire for his handling of several abusive priests during his tenure in the Los Angeles archdiocese and agreed to pay $660 million in 2007 to more than 500 alleged clergy abuse victims.

Catholic scholars think Pope Benedict XVI reign will be defined by his handling of he clergy sexual abuse scandal. They like how he’s handled things. Time Magazine was not so kind.

Benedict now seems to understand the stakes. But Alberto Melloni, a church historian at the University of Modena, says other power brokers in the Vatican think the church can just ride out the storm. "They don't realize the deep bitterness among the faithful, the isolation of the clergy. We can't predict where this is going to wind up."

And if this is not enough to make you think Phillip Jenkins’ op-ed was off target, all you need do is read the story of Sister Margaret McBride as told by Dan Thomasson in the Abilene Online. The Catholic church lives in a reality that is out of step with the rest of the world. It is time we stop catering to it.

I'm a sixteen year Atheist from Ireland. I have been an Atheist since I was around twelve, and have always had a keen interest in science. I recently joined a Creationist forum in order to discuss evolution and to test both my patience and my debating skills. It was an irritating experience, but I learned a lot - not about evolution (the only thing they demonstrated was their lack of understanding of the concepts involved) - but about the creationist mindset, and it inspired me to create a blog.

My blogs primary aim is to refine my views and articulate my thoughts about atheism, evolutionism and some of my encounters with creationists and theists. I hope to receive feedback and criticism as I thoroughly enjoy debating. I also hope to provide food for thought and maybe a little spark of controversy to keep things interesting.

The blog is relatively new - however, I promise to be an active blogger and welcome all comments regardless of your viewpoint. I look forward to seeing what you have to say!

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It gives you a different perspective. Somebody told me there are more 20 to 22-year-old people in China than there are people in California. I believe it.

The girls pictured above were members of the hotel staff who worked the bar. They poured a mean Tiger beer and spent a great deal of time practicing their English with patrons. They were nice kids and as innocent as they come.

Later, as I walked the halls, I noticed a man sitting in on a bed in an isolation room. His face was missing. Our eyes met briefly. I could see he wanted to die. It looked like cancer would claim his life soon, but not until he had suffered some more.

The hospital staff is amazing. I’ve have nothing but good things to say about the loving team that cares for my dad. I don’t know how they do it without suffering along with the patients.

As I was leaving I ran into a lady I had seen a few time visiting another patient. She asked how my dad was doing. I told her the truth, “He’s going to die soon.”

“I’ll hold him up in prayer, God will heal him, you’ll see.”

I sighed, “No thanks, nobody can help him now.”

She reached for my arm. I think she wanted to put her arm around me to comfort me. I told her to stop.

“God can do anything. He is our creator. Don’t give up hope.”

“I just saw a man without a face. He’s suffering at a level few of us will ever have to endure.”

“I pray for him every day.”

“Lady … your prayers do not help. He will die soon. So will my Dad.”

She continued to reach for me. We were in the elevator by now, there was little room to maneuver. I continued to brush away her hands. “Your dad is in God’s hands. God has a plan.”, she said.

“Lady, does God’s plan include slowly killing my dad over three years while keeping him in constant pain?”

She gulped and licked her lips, “God has a plan."

I cut her off, “Bullshit. If these was a caring God he’d cure the cancer and end the suffering.”

There was a loud ding. An electronic voice announced that the elevator was going up. I jumped off and started to walk away. She was old and fat, and not able to keep up with me. The last thing she said was, “I can have my pastor call you.” I did not respond.

I’m usually very tolerant of hospital prayer warriors. My parents are Christians, so are most of my family. When somebody says, “I’ll pray for your dad,” I understand it as a humane gesture of care. I smile and say thanks. When somebody tells me God will perform a miracle, I call bullshit. I might have been nicer if I had not seen the man without a face, it bothered me. I felt helpless. I hate the feeling, and I’m getting a lot of it now with my dad. Cancer sucks.

When the Chinese offer white liquor as the alcohol to use for toasts during a social dinner, run the other way. The stuff is rocket fuel. They call it Baijiu. There are many different types. The one pictured above tastes like grain alcohol flavored with rotten rice. I will never drink it again.

I attended a dinner where the host knew I could out drink everyone in the room. He front loaded the first toast for me with 4 ounces of Baijju against a half ounce for everyone else. He offered a toast speaking “ganbei”, or bottoms up. I nearly passed out a few minutes later, but managed to work through four bottles of the stuff and still walk back to my hotel. I had my revenge a few days later, I chose Jameson Irish Whiskey. Many Chinese and one Frenchman paid a horrible price that night.

Barnes entered an Alford plea to child abuse as a custodian. 15 other sex offenses were dropped.  In an Alford plea the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence but admits that there is enough evidence to convict. What a tool.